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Travis Head is not expected to feature for Adelaide Strikers before the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2025Mitchell Marsh, who was dropped for the final Test against India, is in line to play his first BBL match for nearly three years after being added to Perth Scorchers’ squad to face Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium on Tuesday.Quick bowler Jhye Richardson has also been made available for a BBL return having been part of the Test squad for the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar series.Related

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Availability of other Test players will be confirmed in the coming days, but Travis Head has effectively confirmed he won’t be featuring for Adelaide Strikers.”I’m wrecked,” Head told Fox Cricket at the SCG on Sunday. “I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next few days but we’ve got 10 or 12 days off now before we go to Sri Lanka and I’m going to use every little bit of that.”Marsh returned to Perth on Monday following Australia’s series-clinching victory at the SCG where he had ceded his place in the side to Beau Webster who went on to produce a memorable debut.Marsh could be available for a longer run with Scorchers through to the end of the BBL if he doesn’t make the squad for the Sri Lanka tour which is due to be named later this week.His last BBL outing was in January 2022, after which he missed the following season having opted to have ankle surgery in a bid to earn a Test recall which came to fruition in the 2023 Ashes, where he scored a century at Headingley. He remained a fixture in the side until a few days ago when he paid the price for a lean series with the bat.Webster could be available for Melbourne Stars’ next game against Sydney Sixers on Thursday and also the return derby against Renegades on January 12.Steven Smith (Sydney Sixers), Sam Konstas (Sydney Thunder), Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane Heat), Usman Khawaja (Brisbane Heat), Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers), Nathan Lyon (Melbourne Renegades) and Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers) are the other players from the Test squad who could turn out for their BBL teams. Scott Boland, who plays for Melbourne Stars, may be rested after his workload in the final two Tests.Most of those names are then likely to be part of the Sri Lanka tour which begins with a training camp in Dubai. Teams that reach the BBL finals will be without any of the players who are on that trip.

The bowlers set up the win for Amazon Warriors, restricting Patriots to 153 despite a 41-ball 60 from Fletcher

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2025Guyana Amazon Warriors made it look quite easy, putting in a strong bowling performance that got them a low target, and then knocking off the runs with 16 balls in hand to win their opening game of CPL 2025, beating St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The bowlers set up the win for Amazon Warriors, but the standout star of the show was Ben McDermott, who slammed 75 in 39 balls to make the chase a canter, with support from Shai Hope, who hit an unbeaten 56 in 39 balls.Amazon Warriors opted to field, and had a slice of fortune early on when Evin Lewis, who had looked in good nick on the previous night, hurt his bottom hand while hitting a swivel-pull off Shamar Joseph in the second over that went for four – not before a comical bit of (mis)fielding from Romario Shepherd in the deep. Lewis had to retire hurt.They made their own luck soon after when Dwaine Pretorius got rid of Kyle Mayers, but then came a big stand, though not a quick one, between opener Andre Fletcher and Rilee Rossouw. They scored 45 runs in 28 balls, but Rossouw had a struggle all the way, scoring 12 in 14 balls before falling to Imran Tahir.Fletcher held the innings together, scoring 60 in 41 balls before falling in the 17th over with the scoreboard reading 114 for 5. Well behind par. The impetus, which gave Patriots a competitive total, came courtesy Jyd Goolie, who scored an unbeaten 15-ball 24, and Abbas Afridi, with a five-ball 10.Andre Fletcher put up a solo show with the bat for Patriots•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

The Amazon Warriors bowling effort was a complete one. Of the six bowlers used, Moeen Ali, who bowled just one, was the only one without a wicket. Pretorius got three, and Tahir two.The defence for Patriots started well with Kevlon Anderson falling to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the second over, but it was a lot of leather-chasing for them after that, as McDermott and Hope put up 114 runs for the second wicket off just 59 balls – exactly what Patriots had failed to do when Fletcher was holding up one end.McDermott did the early running, making sure Amazon Warriors matched Patriots’ powerplay score of 55 for 1 (plus Lewis retiring hurt) with 54 for 1 of their own. Hope picked up speed after that, and the two put in a sequence of ten, 13, eight, 22 (off Afridi) runs between overs seven and 11 to put Amazon Warriors firmly on top, though McDermott fell at the end of the 11th over. His innings, which earned him the Player-of-the-Match award, included ten fours and four sixes.A few more wickets fell, but Hope stayed on to finish the job, hitting 56 in 39 balls with five fours and two sixes.For the vanquished Patriots, the loss came the day after they had won their first game – and the first game of the tournament – against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

England collapse after Archie Vaughan’s 60 before Bennie Hansen steadies run chase

ECB Reporters Network22-Jan-2025Daniel Bosman took three wickets in four balls as South Africa Men U19s clinched the Youth ODI series against England Men U19s with a four-wicket win in Stellenbosch.Young Lions captain Archie Vaughan top-scored with 60 but his dismissal prompted a collapse of four wickets in seven balls as the tourists were bowled out for 156.South Africa skipper Bennie Hansen then hit 56, falling just short of guiding his side home, after Tazeem Ali’s three wickets had caused a mid-innings wobble. The hosts steadied to reach the target in 35.1 overs.It was spinner Bosman who turned the game with his three wickets in the 37th over immediately after Vaughan, who had struck six boundaries, was caught off a miscue to the final ball of the previous over from Bandile Mbatha.Bosman’s key over saw Joe Moores bowled attempting a lap sweep before Harry Moore was stumped thanks to sharp hands from Hansen. Bosman then parried a return catch from Eddie Jack and saw it fall to him as he stumbled to the ground.South Africa made a solid start as Adnaan Lagadien and Chad Mason added 49 for the first wicket before Hansen took up the attack with a 46-ball half-century.The Young Lions battled back through Warwickshire spinner Ali, who returned 3 for 51, but the hosts needed only seven more when Hansen edged Alex Green to wicketkeeper Thomas Rew on 57.The two-Youth Test series begins at Coertzenburg Cricket Club in Stellenbosch on 27 January.

Wayne Madsen fights for Derbyshire but huge deficit still in prospect

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2024Sussex took control against Derbyshire at Hove as they pushed for a victory that would strengthen their promotion push in the Vitality County Championship.The second division leaders reduced the visitors to 73 for 5 after Sussex had piled up 607 for 8, their highest total against Derbyshire.Wayne Madsen held them up and was unbeaten on 79 at stumps on day 2 as he put conditions in perspective but Derbyshire are still 429 runs behind on 178 for 6.They were soon in trouble as Indian left-armer Jaydev Unadkat, who is back at Sussex for the run-in, took 3 for 19 in a skilful five-over opening spell.Opener Harry Came edged Unadkat’s third ball to first slip where Tom Alsop took a good, low catch while Brooke Guest drove lavishly at another outswinger but straight to backward point.It was 19 for 3 in the seventh over when Fynn Hudson-Prentice struck with his fifth ball, which straightened enough to pin left-hander Luis Reece, and Derbyshire lost their fourth wicket on 24 when Tom Haines took a fine diving catch low to his left to remove skipper David Lloyd, after Unadkat pushed one across his defences.Madsen and Aneurin Donald added 49 for the fifth wicket but they were parted when off-spinner Carson, who earlier made a career-best 97, nipped one through Donald’s defensive push with his fifth ball.Madsen found another ally in Anuj Dal and they put on 84 for the sixth wicket in 24 overs but Carson made another important breakthrough just before stumps when Dal (45) was caught by Alsop at short leg playing a forcing shot off he back foot.Sussex skipper Simpson had earlier led the successful charge to secure the maximum five batting bonus points – for getting to 450 inside 110 first innings overs – with an early assault on Derbyshire pacemen Daryn Dupavillon and Zak Chappell.Simpson had already taken three lovely offside fours off Dupavillon’s opening over of the day when Alsop chipped Chappell’s loosener, at the start of the second over, straight to short mid-wicket after he had added just a single to his overnight 69, his third successive fifty and seventh of the season.Alsop swished his bat in annoyance at his mistake but Simpson, who had resumed on 25, was in no mood to waste an opportunity to score quick runs.Two extra cover fours off Chappell were followed by a straight driven four off Dupavillon that took him to a 68-ball fifty and another booming straight four, this time off Chappell, to reach 60.Hudson-Prentice (8) edged Anuj Dal’s medium pace to keeper Guest but Carson brought up Sussex’s 450 in the 108th over by slamming left-arm spinner Jack Morley high past mid off for four.Carson swung Morley over the short legside boundary for the first of his three sixes, the final one a massive blow over mid-wicket off Dupavillon as he went past his previous highest score of 87.Simpson eventually holed out to long off on 121, his fourth Championship hundred of a prolific season, after facing 167 balls and hitting a six and 13 fours. He also reached 10,000 first-class career runs in the process.And Carson’s bid for a maiden first-class hundred ended when he was bowled swinging at a full ball from Dupavillon. His excellent effort came from 125 balls, with six fours besides his trio of sixes, and Sussex’s declaration immediately followed. Sussex’s total was their biggest at Hove for seven years.

Allrounder top scores then concedes just three runs from final five balls as Invincibles go top of table

ECB Media06-Aug-2024Sam Curran held his nerve to again be Oval Invincibles’ match-winner in a last-ball thriller against Manchester Originals at Emirates Old Trafford.The England allrounder conceded just three runs from the final five balls of the game as Invincibles snatched victory by just three runs to go top of the table.Curran is the form man of the men’s competition, after claiming a hat-trick and hitting a half-century last time out against London Spirit, and was at it again in Manchester clearing the ropes on six occasions on his way to 68 from 38 balls before his heroics with the ball.Defeat ends the hopes of the Originals, finalists in the past two years, of reaching the knockout stage.Young Originals opener Matthew Hurst struck 50 from 29 balls, two days after his first half-century in the men’s competition, to initially put the hosts on course to chase down 164 for 8. The 20-year-old shared an 89-run opening stand from 54 balls with skipper Phil Salt.Salt has made his name as England’s hard-hitting opener and while he made a fast start, it was Hurst who stole the limelight with an array of stunning strokes to get the home crowd roaring.But when both fell in quick succession, Hurst succumbing to some clever bowling from Will Jacks, the Originals started to show signs they were ready to throw away another winning position.Paul Walter unleashed a couple of big hits but Wayne Madsen was retired not out and replacement Sikandar Raza was immediately caught in the deep.Jamie Overton blasted a six, but then edged Curran behind, as Curran got to work on closing out the match.Usama Mir missed a slower ball and, with four needed from the final delivery, he could only pick out Tom Lammonby 10 yards inside the leg-side rope.Curran said: “I thought with the ball it felt like we bowled really well. I think our success at the moment is just the self belief.”Everyone is able to step up and it can always be someone different. The Hundred format is good because you can always feel in the game. You can squeeze the new batter with those 10 balls from one end. We’re winning close games and really pleased.”

New Zealander will captain Spirit in men’s Hundred alongside county stint

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2025New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has become the first direct overseas signing in the men’s Hundred and will captain London Spirit during this year’s competition, as previously reported on ESPNcricinfo. He will also play for Middlesex during a four-month stay in the UK.Williamson, 34, has not played in the Hundred, despite being picked up in the original draft by Birmingham Phoenix, withdrawing from his deal in 2021 to manage an elbow issue. He will make his debut in the season opener at Lord’s on August 5, having agreed a contract with Spirit as part of new rules allowing teams to sign a player outside of the draft via one of their 10 retentions spots.”We’re thrilled to have Kane on board for this summer,” Fraser Stewart, London Spirit’s general manager, said. “For us to be able to make a direct signing of this calibre is truly exciting for London Spirit, and I am sure that he will be looking forward to captaining our talented side.”London Spirit were the most highly valued team in the ECB’s process to sell equity in the Hundred, with a Silicon Valley consortium expected to pay £145 million for a 49% share. Talks have begun with MCC over the team’s name and branding, but they will remain unchanged for this year.Williamson said: “Our international schedule has allowed for a bit of break during the English summer, and I was looking to come to the UK with my family, so when this opportunity arose it was a really exciting prospect. The Home of Cricket is one of my favourite grounds in the world for so many different reasons. I’ve had so many incredible moments there.Related

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“Every player in the world holds Lord’s in the highest regard. They have been able to maintain the tradition around playing there, and that’s what makes it unique to any other place in the world.”Williamson, who has previously turned out for Gloucestershire and Yorkshire in county cricket, is expected to be available for at least 10 of Middlesex’s Vitality Blast and at least five County Championship fixtures during the latter half of the season. He will arrive in May, following his involvement at the PSL with Karachi Kings.While New Zealand will tour Zimbabwe to play all three formats in July-August, Williamson is no longer centrally contracted by NZC and free to prioritise other opportunities.”I’ve played a bit of county cricket in the past, but not for a number of years now, so when this opportunity arose with Middlesex it was a really exciting prospect,” Williamson added.”To be able to play for Middlesex – a fine club with a rich heritage – is really exciting and something that I’m really looking forward to being a part of. There’s a good balance of youth and experience in the Middlesex squad, which is great, and I’m really excited to join up with the team, meet the players in the squad and helping out wherever I can.”Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said: “We are hugely excited about Kane joining Middlesex this summer and are looking forward to him making a positive impact in both our Blast and Championship campaigns.”To have secured one of the most talented players in the world game is a real coup, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Lord’s and to seeing him heading out with the three Seaxes on his chest.”Having a player like Kane in the Middlesex dressing room will be a huge plus for the entire squad, and especially our younger players, who will benefit enormously from playing alongside one of the world’s best.”

Dhara Gujjar and Prema Rawat have been added to all three squads, while Yastika Bhatia has also been included in the one-day squad

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2025Offspinner Shreyanka Patil and legspinner Priya Mishra have been ruled out of the India A women’s tour of Australia due to injuries.While the pair was initially included in the squad for the multi-format tour – Patil in the T20 and Mishra in the one-day and four-day squad – their participation was subject to fitness clearance. It has now been confirmed that they have not recovered in time and will continue rehabilitating at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.”Both players remain under the care of the BCCI Medical Team at the Centre of Excellence and are currently undergoing their Return-to-Play protocols,” a BCCI statemen said.Patil has been out of action for a while now. She had suffered a finger injury during the women’s Asia Cup in July last year but played at the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October. Another injury, however, ruled her out of the WPL 2025. With Patil and Mishra out, Bengal batter Dhara Gujjar and Uttarakhand allrounder Prema Rawat have now been added to the squad across all three formats. Gujjar was earlier part of the one-day and four-day squads, while Rawat was only included in the T20 squad.In addition, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has also been included in the one-day squad. Bhatia played at the WPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians earlier this year and more recently participated in two tour games against ECB Development Women’s XI.India’s multi-format tour of Australia starts with the T20s from August 7 in Mackay, and will run until August 10. That will be followed by the one-day games in Norths on August 13, 15 and 17. The only four-day fixture will be played at Allan Border Field in Brisbane from August 21.Radha Yadav will captain all three sides, which also includes Shafali Verma across formats.India A’s updated T20 squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, D. Vrinda, Sajana Sajeevan, Uma Chetry (wk), Raghvi Bist, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Tanuja Kanwer, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Dhara GujjarIndia A’s updated one-day squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat, Yastika BhatiaIndia A’s updated four-day squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat

Despite being cleared by Cricket South Africa (CSA), South Africa’s bowling coach, Vincent Barnes, says the suspicion over Botha’s action “will always be there”

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-2009The trouble with having a charge laid against you is that, whether you’re cleared or not and even if you pay your penance, you’ll always be regarded with some suspicion. Just ask Jacob Zuma, Chris Brown or even Johan Botha. After being cited for a suspect action for the third time, Botha must feel like a wanted criminal every time he steps out to play.Despite being cleared by Cricket South Africa (CSA), Vincent Barnes, South Africa’s bowling coach says the suspicion over Botha’s action “will always be there”, but it is something the bowler has learned to deal with. According to Barnes, Botha always had a mature attitude to his problem and recognised that the question marks over his action were unlikely to disappear.Before being called in the match between the Warriors and the Lions in East London, Botha had already planned to undergo testing at the Sports Science Institute this week. “It was just a coincidence that he was called, and he had to have the tests done for more serious reasons,” said Barnes. “We know that his bowling has to be monitored on a regular basis and this was part of that process.”Botha was last tested in May, when he was banned from bowling the doosra, and although there were more tests lined up in the future, Barnes said they had not conducted one because of Botha’s playing schedule. Since that test, he played a few IPL matches, the World Twenty20, the Champions Trophy and three first-class games.It was in the last of those games when “a few deliveries were thought to be suspect,” said Barnes, who was confident that the offspinner would be cleared even before the testing took place. “We were asked to focus on a particular delivery, which was the quicker one,” said Barnes. “Ironically, in the previous testing, the quicker delivery was the one with the lowest degrees.”Even though he thought Botha would come through the testing with no problem, Barnes said it was imperative to have a back-up plan in place. “We don’t want him to banned from bowling another delivery, so if we found something irregular than we would definitely work on it. The reality is that he is always going to have an awkward action because he can’t straighten his arm. He has a natural bend at the elbow.”The solution is that he has to bowl as naturally as he can. He is aware that he has to be careful and we will be monitoring him on a weekly basis.”The first time he was called [on his Test debut in January 2006], it took him 18 months to get back into the national side, so every time this happens it could determine where his career goes from now.”Botha has had to accept that ongoing testing would be part of his career, but it certainly becomes stressful every time he has to go under the microscope. During the May test, Barnes said: “I asked him which is more pressure: bowling now in the test or if this was the last ball of the World Cup final and you could win or lose the match with it? He said the test was more stressful.”It is for this reason that Barnes thinks testing bowlers in an indoor facility is not a fair way of determining if their action is legal or not. “In my opinion, they must be tested in the environment they are playing in,” Barnes said. “The testing is all done in an artificial environment where the surfaces and the conditions are different. For example, there is no wind, they don’t use boots, and there’s no batsman. The fatigue factor is completely taken out of it, because they only bowl 10 deliveries of a particular ball. But in a match, they could get called after 24 overs, when the bowler is feeling completely different.”Barnes admits that with the various camera angles required to conduct the testing, it’s unlikely that it can take place in a match situation, but he is hopeful that there is another way.

Chahal and Burger struck with Sandeep and Avesh closing things out with wide lines and yorkers

Sidharth Monga28-Mar-20244:17

Moody: Parag showed us what he’s capable of doing

On a night that their big three batters managed 31 off 37 between them, Rajasthan Royals overcame a big conditions handicap through what many feel is the coming of age of Riyan Parag. When the ball seamed and swung, accounting for Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, Parag played watchfully but turned 16 off 20 into a match-winning 84 off 45.Despite the Parag assault, Delhi Capitals would have felt confident they could chase down 186 what with the dew and reduced seam movement on offer, but Nandre Burger, Royals’ Impact Player, made early dents with the ball, Yuzvendra Chahal picked wickets, and Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma closed out superbly with yorkers and wide lines.

RR batters dance to the ball’s tune

DC’s new-ball bowlers might not have the extreme pace, but Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed maximised the early seam movement by bowling areas where they kept attacking the stumps. Even though RR looked to weather the storm, they couldn’t afford to do so for too long lest they batted themselves out of the game.Related

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Mukesh bowled Jaiswal, Khaleel drew an edge from Samson during his third over in the powerplay, and Kuldeep Yadav trapped Buttler lbw on the reverse-sweep. At 36 for 3 in the eighth over, it could be argued decisive damage had been caused already.

Ashwin the batter takes flight

Even as Parag struggled to reach even a run a ball in the first half of his innings, R Ashwin was promoted and he hit three sixes. The idea probably was to delay the introduction of Shimron Hetmyer and, in the process, make sure they didn’t use their Impact substitution on a batter. Not only did Ashwin hold out until the ideal point of entry for the bigger hitters, he hit DC’s best bowlers on paper, Kuldeep and Anrich Nortje, for three sixes. These blows took RR’s run rate past six for the first time. In the 11th over of the innings.

Parag takes over

Playing on painkillers and flu medication after three days of illness, Parag took over after Ashwin got out. The switch up started with a pulled six off Kuldeep in the 13th over, continued with 6,4 and 4 in the 15th to somewhat damage Khaleel’s figures, and ended with a glorious takedown of Nortje in the 20th over, which went for two sixes and 25 runs in all. Hetmyer, who started his innings in the 18th over, ended with an unbeaten 14 off seven.

Sizzling Burger worth the wait

It was clear RR were going lengths to get the services of Burger over Powell. The Parag assault in the final third of the innings helped them make their minds up. And Burger immediately vindicated the decision by getting rid of the marauding Mitchell Marsh and Ricky Bhui in the fourth over. On a night that Trent Boult went wicketless, forget taking his usual first-over wicket, Burger made sure RR caused the early damage. Marsh was bowled through swing at high space, and Bhui gloved a bouncer.

Chahal and Co apply middle-overs squeeze

The two big left-arm seamers took on the challenge of bowling inside the powerplay, which also probably meant less pressure on the remaining four bowlers to bowl 14 between them.3:23

Moody: Sandeep is the most underrated bowler in the IPL

David Warner looked threatening, especially with a known asking rate and the conditions generally improving for batting, but then Avesh got him out with a full and wide ball. Pundits have already pointed out his open front foot has opened up the off side on straight balls but has also taken him far away from the ball when it is bowled wide. It seemed here that he took out a fishing pole to reach this one, and the edge flew to Sandeep at short third.Yuzvendra Chahal then took out two left-hand batters, Risbhabh Pant and Ishan Porel. Ashwin could have ended the match in the 17th over had Boult taken the straightforward catch from Tristan Stubbs, but the reprieved batter made it interesting with three sixes and a four off the next six balls that he faced. However, 22 off 10 is the closest the equation would get for them as Sandeep and Avesh nailed their yorkers and kept making the batters hit into the bigger boundary.

Assistant coach hints England will have to “adapt” with 536 more runs required, seven wickets in hand on final day

Matt Roller05-Jul-2025England have conceded that securing only their second draw in the last three years would represent a good result at Edgbaston after India exerted their dominance on day four. Marcus Trescothick, their assistant coach, refused to rule out an early win but hinted that England would have to “adapt” with 536 more runs required and seven wickets in hand on the final day.Supporters in the Eric Hollies Stand sang “stand up if you still believe” during the final hour of play on Saturday, and Trescothick said, smiling, that England’s coaching staff joined them in rising to their feet. “That’s the position of the team: we are always trying to be as positive as we can,” he said.”We all probably appreciate that it’s a hell of a lot of runs to try and score. It’s 550 [536] tomorrow and I don’t think we’ve seen scoring rates quite that quick in a day, so of course it will be challenging. But we’ve probably about another 10 to 15 overs of the balls at the hardest point before it gets a little bit soft, and then we’ll see how we’re going from that point, really.”Related

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Asked if a draw could be considered a good result, Trescothick said: “Whenever the situation is changing, of course it is. When you get to the point that you can [only] draw the game, of course.”We’re not stupid enough to [think] that you have to just win or lose. There are three results possible in every game that you play. But we have done some things in our time that are different to what we’ve done before.”Trescothick also claimed, despite repeated public statements to the contrary from players and staff, that England’s disavowal of the draw under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership was the result of the media’s “perception” rather than an accurate reflection of the team’s attitude.”This has kind of built up away from probably what the changing room messages are,” he said. “You guys have a perception of what you think goes on in the changing room, and we obviously understand it a little bit more [than] the perception of what we’re trying to do.”We’re trying to give the players the best opportunity to win games every time that we go out to play, and then if we can’t do that, then we try and adapt accordingly, and plan ahead to what we’re going to try and do.”England scored at 4.5 runs per over on the fourth evening and would need to score even faster throughout day five to pull off a world-record run chase of 608. It would be an unprecedented achievement, but Trescothick said that there would be no talk of survival or digging in for a draw within the dressing room.”I don’t think we use that sort of language,” he said. “It’s not the sort of changing room that we are. We’re not naive enough to know (sic) that it’s a very challenging total… Do you just go in your bunker and just sort of dig it out? Some players may do that.”You just don’t know really, and it’s [up to] individuals that can adapt to the game and understand what’s happening. But you’ve got to understand our changing room is a different type of culture in terms of what we’ve done in the past.”Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, suggested that England’s attacking approach could play into his team’s favour on the final day. “It’s definitely going to be an exciting day of cricket. Harry [Brook] did say last night in the media that they’re going to chase or go at everything or anything that we set for them.”They’re attacking players. That’s their brand of cricket they want to play. They probably might have a go at it for a while and then reassess, but I think we are in for an exciting day of cricket. It’s still fast-scoring, the wicket is still playing nicely, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”Asked if India’s relatively late declaration reflected a sense that India’s players and staff were genuinely worried that England could chase down their target, Morkel laughed. “Worried? No. Not really,” he said, adding: “If a team scores 500-plus on the final day then they deserve to win.”