It was a World Cup final to beat all World Cup finishes, and even at the end of it, there was almost no winner

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2019
England innings
0.1: Boult to Stokes, 3 runs, full slower one on off stump, clears his front leg and slogs but doesn’t get hold of it. Loops in the air between short third man and backward point, and lands out of reach of both. They can run three, but it leaves Stokes winded.0.2: Boult to Buttler, 1 run, full on middle stump, swiped away along the ground to deep square leg. Didn’t look like a particularly threatening ball, neither fast nor an obvious change of pace. Still, just a single.0.3: Boult to Stokes, FOUR runs, full again, a bit of late inswing towards middle and leg, and that’s a super shot from Stokes! Gets down low and sweeps with a roll of his wrists to beat deep midwicket throwing himself to his left on the boundary.0.4: Boult to Stokes, 1 run, full-toss wide of off, was looking for the wide yorker. Sliced to the fielder at backward point, Ferguson.0.5: Boult to Buttler, 2 runs, in the blockhole on off stump, makes a bit of room and jabs it away towards sweeper cover, where Nicholls sees it late and is slow coming in to attack the ball. That means they can run two.Looks like Archer will bowl England’s over. He’s sitting by the edge of the boundary, ball in hand.0.6: Boult to Buttler, FOUR runs, Buttler finishes with a boundary, and England end their Super Over with 15. Looks for the yorker again, but it’s a low full-toss, and he whips it away firmly to the left of deep square legNew Zealand innings
0.1 (wide): Archer to Neesham, 1 wide, looks for the wide yorker, ends up bowling a wide. Marginal, just beyond the tramline, but beyond it is, and Neesham doesn’t even play at it.0.1: Archer to Neesham, 2 runs, in the blockhole close to off stump, stabbed down towards long-off, rolls slowly through the outfield and they can take two.0.2: Archer to Neesham, SIX runs, JIMMY NEESHAM, JIMMY NEESHAM, JIMMY NEESHAM! Full, but this time he doesn’t nail the yorker. Clears his front leg and whips it over the deep midwicket boundary, over the shorter boundary.New Zealand require 7 runs off 4 balls.0.3: Archer to Neesham, 2 runs, fullish outside off, swiped away to the left of deep midwicket, and Jason Roy, swooping down on the ball, gets up too early to throw, and ends up fumbling, allowing an easy second. New Zealand need five off three!New Zealand require 5 runs off 3 balls.0.4: Archer to Neesham, 2 runs, full, pretty close to the blockhole, clipped to the right of deep midwicket this time, and they run two again! The throw at the non-striker’s end is good, but Guptill beats it easy.Williamson’s padded up. Of course he is.New Zealand require 3 runs off 2 balls.0.5: Archer to Neesham, 1 run, digs it in short, gets it up to Neesham’s front shoulder. Swings too early through the pull, and he only manages an inside-edge into his body. They sneak the single. Guptill is on strike.Two to win off one ball. If it’s tied, England win it. They’re ahead on the boundary count: 26 to 17.Two of one ball. Guptill gets just the one ball. What a final. What a crazy, beautiful final.0.6: Archer to Guptill, 1 run, OUT, full, angling into the pads, and he clips it towards deep midwicket, who has to run in off the rope, but not too far. It’s a risky second, but they have to take it to win it. A tie isn’t good enough, given the boundary count. The throw’s at the keeper’s end, and Buttler has to take it in front of the stumps. Guptill dives, Buttler dives to break the wicket. It isn’t a photo finish. Guptill is well short. England have won the 2019 World Cup. Can’t say New Zealand have lost, though.

The South African batsman scored 134, his second hundred in consecutive games, as the visitors recovered from 126 for 4 to reach 342

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2019A superb century from Temba Bavuma put Northamptonshire in a strong position on the first day of the match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.The South African Test batsman scored 134, his second hundred in consecutive games, as the visitors recovered from 126 for 4 to reach 342.Matt Critchley took 4 for 107 but Northants scored 189 in 35 overs in the afternoon and then removed Luis Reece as Derbyshire closed on 34 for 1.It was a day of contrasts with Derbyshire’s bowlers turning the screw in the morning before the batsmen dominated between lunch and tea.A dry looking pitch prompted Adam Rossington to bat first and variable bounce combined with tight lines made it hard going for the visitors who scored only 66 runs in 29 overs in the first session.Ravi Rampaul found lift to have Rob Newton caught at second slip but after Luke Proctor edged Fynn Hudson-Prentice low to first slip, Ricardo Vasconcelos was undone by a ball from Reece that kept low.Bavuma and Rob Keogh, who was dropped on 6, scored only four runs in eight overs before the interval but it was a different game after lunch as Northants moved into overdrive. Keogh faced 81 balls for his 28 out of 81 added with Bavuma in 27 overs but the next 76 came from only 12 with Bavuma and Rossington plundering the spinners.Bavuma was missed at slip off Matt Critchley on 70 but it was a rare false stroke in an impressive display of concentration and sound judgement punctuated with delightful drives that brought him the majority of his 16 fours.Rossington was less complicated in taking 38 from 34 balls and with Bavuma dispatching two Critchley full tosses over the ropes, the initiative was now with Northants.Josh Cobb opened his shoulders to take the visitors to a second batting point before he dragged Critchley to long on but Queen’s Park had again lived up to its reputation as a ground where the game can quickly race away.Critchley was driven into the sight-screen at the Lake End but a quicker ball finally beat Bavuma who was lbw pushing forward with his team one short of a third point.Hamidullah Qadri found prodigious turn to bowl Zaib but Matt Coles had spectators ducking for cover with 26 from nine balls before he reverse-swept Critchley to point.Reece was bowled by Ben Hutton in the second over of Derbyshire’s reply and although Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen prevented further setbacks, it was very much Northants day.

The BCCI has called for applications for the team’s coaching staff, with Ravi Shastri and his assistants’ contracts set to end after India’s tour of West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2019Sourav Ganguly is “definitely interested” in becoming India’s coach, but not right now. The former captain said that his plate was full with current commitments, but once those were done, he would certainly put forward his candidature for the post.”Definitely, I’m interested but not at this point of time. Let one more phase go then I will throw my name into the fray,” Ganguly told . “Currently, I’m associated with too many things — IPL, CAB [Cricket Association of Bengal, where he’s president], TV commentary. Let me complete this. But I will definitely put my hat at some stage. Provided I get selected. But definitely I’m interested. Not now, but in the future.”The BCCI has called for applications for the team’s coaching staff, with the current incumbents’ contracts set to end after India’s tour of West Indies. All of Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar have had their names automatically entered into the selection process, which will be conducted by the reconstituted Cricket Advisory Committee of Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.Ganguly was part of the original CAC, alongside Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, when the current coaching staff were appointed, and he felt that among the current applicants, there wasn’t any ‘heavyweight’ name.”Going by the applicants, I don’t see any heavyweight names,” he said. “I heard Mahela (Jayawardene) would apply but ultimately he didn’t… There are not many big names who have applied for the coach’s job. Ultimately I don’t know what the panel will decide. They have been around for a while.”We will see how big the term they will give. Not many names who have applied. Whoever they feel is good they should do it.”Ganguly steered clear of evaluating Shastri’s term as the coach, saying: “I will hold my opinion on that. I don’t think it’s right for me to say about that. I’m too far from the system that decides the coach.”Virat Kohli was asked who his choice of coach would be at the Indian team’s press conference before their departure for the tour of West Indies, and he had indicated his preference for continuing with the current set-up, saying the team had prospered under Shastri and the players liked and respected him.Kohli also said that the CAC hadn’t asked for his input yet, and he would offer his opinion if asked. Subsequently, Kapil Dev said Kohli’s opinion should be given due consideration. “That’s his opinion. We have to respect everybody’s opinion,” Kapil said.The interviews for the new support staff are expected to take place on August 14 and 15.

From Root’s role to the search for a viable batting line-up, England know that they’ve got more questions than answers right now

Alan Gardner at The Kia Oval11-Sep-2019That was the summer of cricket that was. Well, almost. England won the World Cup and lost failed to regain the Ashes, but there is still business to be concluded amid the mellow fruitfulness of an autumnal Kennington Oval.For Joe Root, the final Test of the series offered the opportunity to give a rallying cry, of sorts. “It should be seen as a successful year,” he said. “But we’ve got a chance to level this series and make it slightly better than it looks now.” England’s Test cricket under Trevor Bayliss has been the proverbial curate’s egg, and Root suggested that he wanted to take the good parts and use them in a recipe for future success – in particular targeting the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2021-22.There is also a desire to give Bayliss a send-off with, as Root put it, “a real big bang” after four years in charge. Victory at The Oval would enable to England to preserve their unbeaten record in home series dating back to 2014, as well as provide a potentially useful clutch of World Test Championship points.”We are fully focussed on doing everything we can to finish the series 2-2,” Root said. “In terms of my own captaincy, I know the direction I want to take this team and it is about starting that now and not after this series. It is important we win this game and have a really strong winter and move forward as a group.”So, with an opportunity for one last hurrah, and the chance to help Root produce his blueprint for winning back the Ashes in two years’ time, what are the key issues for England to resolve (and do they stand a chance of resolving them)? Let’s take a look.Top order
The omission of Jason Roy, ostensibly due to Ben Stokes’ shoulder injury limiting his ability to bowl, could well put a full stop on his Test ambitions. An average of 8.85 as an opener succinctly tells the story of his failure to transfer ODI belligerence into the longer format and while he could come again in the middle order, Root’s appraisal was on the perfunctory side: “Jason has had an opportunity to come in and play Test cricket and get a feel for it and it has not gone quite how he would have liked. But I’m sure he will go away and work extremely hard and come again.”Rory Burns, on the other hand, has all but proven himself as steady hand at the top of the order, but who he is partnered by in New Zealand later this year may depend on whether Joe Denly can produce a significant score to back up his dogged showings against Australia so far (although they could, of course, shuttle him back down to No. 4).Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Joe Root warm up at The Oval•Getty Images

Core players
In some ways, it feels as if the Test team is still in transition from the point Alastair Cook handed over the captaincy in 2017. The pillars of the team remain the same – Root, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, James Anderson – although Burns and Jofra Archer might soon shoulder their way into that category.With the possibility of players being rested for New Zealand (and a new coach unlikely to be in place), the four-Test tour of South Africa in December and January might well provide more significant pointers for the 2021-22 Ashes. “I think in terms of personnel, things might change as they have done for a while but we have to focus on the core group of players that can lead this team forward, both home and away, then build from that,” Root said. “Build towards winning in Australia and use the next two years to focus on putting in a winning tour Down Under. That’s a real incentive for everyone, to be part of something special down there.”Pitch battles
On the point about building a team that can win “both home and away”, Root might need to discuss next summer’s strategy with Ashley Giles. While Anderson described the surfaces used for this series as favouring Australia, and suggested more could be done to push home advantage, it is unlikely that a strategy of prevailing on green seamers is going to set England up for a winning Ashes tour.Root, who has averaged 28.00 across the Tests against Ireland and Australia, admitted that the pitches had “not been pleasant to bat on” and indicated his team would have to be adaptable. “It’s not always as simple as ‘produce this perfect wicket for Test cricket’,” he said. “You can look at that but ultimately whatever you play on you’ve got to win. That’s the fundamentals. Whatever you play on you’ve got to find a way to win the game.”‘Total cricket’ and all-round strength
While the last 18 months of Root’s captaincy have been characterised by a fluid (or is that chaotic?) batting order, and a reliance on runs from lower down thanks to a glut of talented allrounders, a change of tack might be required to produce more consistent success. Burns, Archer and, to a lesser extent, Jack Leach have shown the benefits of picking players based on a specialist skill – while the extra pace of Mark Wood or Olly Stone, for instance, may pay dividends in South Africa or Australia.Can England afford to continue overlooking Ben Foakes’ claims as wicketkeeper, while Bairstow – who will bat at No. 5 at The Oval – averages in the 20s? How many more opportunities will Jos Buttler be granted? Ironically, it will be another allrounder who gets the chance to restate his case, a year after being named Man of the Series against India, with Sam Curran coming in for a maiden Ashes appearance.Root’s role
Root remains adamant about his ability to lead England, even as he juggles the demands of being the premier Test batsman, an automatic pick in ODIs and aspiring to further his T20 opportunities. “I have a clear direction of how I want to take this team forward and I’m fully focused on doing just that,” he said. Root described himself as having “thrown everything into [the captaincy] and given absolutely everything I can” and it certainly looks like could do with a rest come the conclusion of the Oval Test. One thing that might help straighten out his Test game is a move back down to No. 4. Asked if he saw himself continuing at three he said, “I am going to this week.” And in future? “We’ll see.”Who comes after Bayliss?

It’s not one that can be resolved this week, admittedly, but England’s World Cup-winning coach has reached the end of his tenure, and the identity of his successor will be integral in how all of the above comes together.When told that Bayliss himself had marked himself as a 5 out of 10 for his time as England coach, Root laughed and said he would give him a “slightly higher mark” than that, before praising his revamp of the limited-overs sides in particular and saying the Australian would be “sorely missed”.”I think that sums him up really,” Root said, “quite a modest bloke, sort of wants to slip under the radar, doesn’t like any fuss or attention and tries to put it back on the players. What he has done for all teams – he has been a part of some very special wins in Test matches, some series home and away which he should be extremely proud of as a coach, and then the way he has transformed white-ball cricket and been a part of that journey is incredible really.”He has really rejuvenated how we look at the white-ball game in this country and laid some really solid foundations for us to kick on and develop. He has had a massive influence in his tenure here and he will be sorely missed by all the players that have had a chance to work with him.”

Three days ago, they were on the brink of elimination. Now, they’re within touching distance of their first final since 2015

The Report by Peter Della Penna03-Oct-2019After finding themselves in a do-or-die match against St Lucia Zouks on Sunday, Barbados Tridents kept their hopes of a top-two finish alive after completing a rare sweep of Trinbago Knight Riders. Back-to-back wins over the Zouks and Knight Riders – by seven wickets at Queen’s Park Oval – vaulted Tridents from fifth into second place on 10 points, holding a net run rate edge over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.Another superb night from the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Hayden Walsh Jr. and Player of the Match Harry Gurney – who bowled brilliantly at the death – to pick four wickets together and another via a run out restricted Knight Riders to 134 for 8 after they elected to bat. Then, Johnson Charles piloted a cool chase with 55 off 47 balls.The defending CPL champions have gone ice cold after starting off with four straight wins. Knight Riders now must beat the undefeated Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence in the final match of the league phase or else they’ll be forced into an elimination playoff match against Patriots.American success at Queen’s Park Oval
A year after USA fast bowler Ali Khan sparked the Knight Riders run to a second straight CPL title, legspinner Walsh Jr left his mark. After ripping through Knight Riders in the first match-up between the two sides at Kensington Oval with 5 for 19, Walsh Jr. was at it again.Brought on in the seventh over, he. struck with his first ball in the ninth to break up a 52-run stand with a lovely flighted googly to dismiss Colin Munro for 23. The ball to dismiss Darren Bravo in the 11th was just as good. Set up the ball before with a flighted delivery that had him in two minds, he followed it up with a flatter one that skidded through to cramp him for room and crash into the stumps off an inside edge.Walsh Jr.’s night wasn’t done though. After missing a clear run-out chance off Lendl Simmons in the fourth over from backward point, he wouldn’t blow another opportunity from the same position in the 18th, firing a direct hit at the non-striker’s end after Javon Searles was slow responding to a call from Denesh Ramdin. This came on the back of Gurney dismissing Kieron Pollard.The double-strike killed momentum at the end of the Knight Riders innings after Simmons had set them up with 60 off 45 balls. Gurney struck again on the penultimate ball of the innings, trapping Ramdin lbw as part of a marvelous five-run 20th over that left Knight Riders flummoxed.Charles in charge
The opener scored his third fifty off the season with a show of restraint, not typical of him. He started briskly though, slapping Ali Khan twice through cover and then slashed one over the slips for three boundaries in the second over of the chase.From then on he was content to let Alex Hales take charge in the Powerplay. The England star has struggled through most of CPL 2019 but produced his best score of the season, making 33 off 27 as part of a 54-run opening stand with Charles before driving Mark Deyal’s offspin to Searles at extra cover.Charles picked up his pace once Hales departed. After being given not out gloving a short ball off Jimmy Neesham to the wicketkeeper on 38, he rubbed salt into the wound in the same bowler’s next over by clubbing six and four off the first two balls to go to 50 off 41 deliveries. He was finally yorked by Chris Jordan in the 16th over, but by that stage he had put Tridents on course for victory.Good night, Nurse
TV commentators have frequently debated Ashley Nurse’s spot for Tridents because he hasn’t bowled much. Here, he had a job to do with the bat, and although he struggled, saw his team home. Coming in with 25 balls remaining, at No. 5, he failed to time the ball. But with seven needed off the final over, he struck Pollard for a crucial boundary over midwicket off the second ball of the 20th over to bring the equation down to three off four balls. A single and a two by JP Duminy through wide long-off clinched victory.

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Alagappan Muthu14-Nov-2019

The openers’ century stand built on the momentum from Oluoch’s triple-wicket maiden going into the break

Peter Della Penna23-Oct-2019Irfan Karim and 19-year-old debutant Aman Gandhi propelled Kenya’s chase with a 110-run opening stand at ICC Academy Oval 2, setting the platform for a seven-wicket win over Singapore to keep Group A wide open.Karim was named Man of the Match for his chanceless unbeaten 71, but Lucas Oluoch was an unsung hero on the day, giving Kenya a huge momentum lift into the break with a triple-wicket maiden in the final over of Singapore’s innings. All of Singapore’s No. 2-6 batsmen crossed 20 in a fine composite innings from the squad. Tim David provided the early momentum with a series of sweeps for boundaries in his 29 off 19 balls before he was second man out to make it 36 for 2.Surendran Chandramohan carted Nelson Odhiambo for a six and two fours as part of a 20-run 11th over to put Singapore in the ascendancy at 84 for 2 before he fell to Shem Ngoche, driving to long-off for a top-score of 40 off 30 balls in the innings. Manpreet Singh replaced him at No. 5 and provided an excellent knock scoring off his first 16 deliveries, pinching a series of well run twos through midwicket along the way to keep the pressure on Kenya in the field as Singapore entered the final over on 156 for 6 and Manpreet on 24.But the wheels came off against Oluoch at the death. Sidhant Singh was bounced out edging a pull through to the keeper off the first ball. After a bye was stolen next ball to get Manpreet back on strike, he failed to get bat on ball on the third delivery before hooking to deep square leg on the fourth. Captain Amjad Mahboob missed a wild slog on the fifth ball before he was bowled missing another heave off the last ball to give Oluoch his third, ending one of the overs of the tournament.Karim and Gandhi started off the chase in brisk fashion. The pair swept Vinoth Baskaran’s left-arm spin for a boundary each in the fourth over before Gandhi flicked Sidhant’s medium pace for six over midwicket in the sixth to end the Powerplay at 50 for 0. Karim scored at least one boundary in seven of the first 10 overs, taking command after the Powerplay as he brought up his 50 off 32 balls in the 12th over.MCCU-Cardiff student Gandhi took a bit longer, reaching his half-century off 45 balls to end the 14th over. It was the last run in their partnership as Gandhi began the 15th over slogging a catch to long-on off Mahboob. As Karim began to tire in the stifling heat, his new partners took care of the lusty hitting to get Kenya across the line. Dhiren Gondaria slammed a straight six off Tim David as part of a 15-run 16th over before he was run out in the 17th by a direct hit from midwicket by Rezza Gaznavi.Singapore’s last hope of a turnaround disappeared when Aahan Achar spilled Collins Obuya over the rope at deep third man for six on Obuya’s first ball. Another six was straight driven off Mahboob in the 18th over before he fell at cow corner with the target in single digits. Rakep Patel ended the match on the fifth ball of the 19th over, scooping Janak Prakash over fine leg. The result moves Kenya level on points with Singapore but ahead of them in fourth place on the net run rate tiebreaker, with two matches left to go in Group A.

Only 47 overs were possible due to several interruptions. Will Pucovski made 82 and Peter Handscomb 54 as Victoria took a first innings lead.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2019New South Wales 0 for 7 & 294 trail Victoria 7 for 307 dec (Pucovski 82, Maddinson 59, Handscomb 54, O’Keefe 5-80) by 6 runsNew South Wales spinner Steve O’ Keefe took five wickets but Victoria claimed a first-innings lead on a rain-affected third day at the MCG.Only 47 overs were possible due to several interruptions. Will Pucovski made 82 and Peter Handscomb 54 as Victoria declared shortly after taking the lead late in the day in the hope of getting nine overs at New South Wales’ openers but they only managed one in bad light before stumps was called.Pucovski and Handscomb weren’t able to add much to their overnight totals in a slow opening session. Handscomb reached his half-century but fell shortly after, while Matthew Short added 40. Pucovski batted for 35 overs and only added 20 runs while taken several blows on the body as the ball seamed around. His patient 257-ball vigil, which only featured four boundaries, came to an end when he advanced at O’Keefe and was stumped by a large margin, undone by some turn and drop from over the wicket.O’Keefe prized out two more for his 13th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin negotiated Jon Holland’s sole over in the fading light.

While not yet fully fit from injury, England quick knows he can step up when his time comes again

George Dobell11-Jan-2020Mark Wood is used to sitting on the sidelines. Injury has been such a regular companion during his career that, here we are on his 30th birthday, and he has played fewer first-class or T20 games than Sam Curran, who is 21.But this time, at least, the frustration is abated by the satisfaction of achievement. Whatever happens in the remainder of his life, Wood will always be a World Cup winner. And with 18 wickets in the tournament – only Jofra Archer took more for England – he knows he played a significant part in the victory.More than that, he has also proved his value at Test level. Last February, he produced a blistering spell of pace bowling – the Telegraph’s Scyld Berry, who may well have watched more days of England Test cricket than anyone in history, reckoned it was the fastest he had seen by an England bowler – to claim a maiden Test five-for and put England on course for victory over West Indies.The problem is, Wood has not played a Test since. And his last game at any level was the World Cup final on July 14. Knowing he had sustained a side strain during the game, he took the decision to complete his spell – his team needed him and the game was on a knife-edge – in full knowledge that by doing so he risked exacerbating the problem. The fact that, six months later, he has yet to return demonstrates the consequences.ALSO READ: Du Plessis finds himself in the spotlight for third TestIt’s still not 100 percent. Which is disappointing bearing in mind another Test starts on Thursday and England know they will be without James Anderson. There’s no certainty that Archer, who missed the last match with a sore elbow, will be ready to return, either. So if Wood was fully fit, he could probably be confident of playing.Wood hasn’t yet built up the volume of overs required to be confident of getting through another Test. And, given that he has also had knee surgery since the World Cup and his ankle has been operated on so often it should be fitted with a zipper, it seems unlikely the England management will take any risks with him. For that reason, it may be that his return is postponed to the final Test in Johannesburg at the earliest.”I wouldn’t say that I’m 100 percent because I haven’t bowled the full amount of overs that I should have,” Wood said from Port Elizabeth on Saturday. “I got through 35 overs last week, which is probably similar to a Test match week, but having not bowled competitively since the World Cup, I have to keep building.”Jo’burg might suit me better. It is at altitude and it is a bit of a bouncier pitch. But Port Elizabeth does reverse swing so that could bring me to the fore. Hopefully I’ll be ready if needed.”If I’m honest I think Jofra and Chris Woakes are ahead of me in the pecking order. Jofra got five wickets in the first game and Woakesy did really well in the warm-up games and out in New Zealand.”Despite this frustration, Wood says he is “much happier within myself”.”I’m not even in the team at the minute but I feel much happier within myself,” he says. “I feel I’m an England cricketer rather than just someone that’s always pushing to try and get into the team. I feel a slightly different cricketer to what I did before.”I have the World Cup and the St Lucia Test under my belt. The West Indies was a huge trip for me. I really felt I was in the last chance saloon; I’d had a lot of injuries.”I have felt that if I get fit then there’s no reason why I can’t do that again. The St Lucia Test is lodged in my mind as one of the best days I’ve had. If I can replicate that I’ll be pretty happy.”And confidence is a massive thing. Now I know that I can do it. There’s been games where I’ve played for England where I shouldn’t have played and that’s affected my record and my confidence. With those good performances and having some success under my belt, it means that I can go into rehab knowing how it feels when it’s good.”It’s not just potential now. I know I can perform. I know now I can deliver if called upon.”The prospect of Wood and Archer bowling together in Test cricket is mouthwatering. During the World Cup, with both keen to bowl the fastest delivery, they seemed to spur each other on. And while Archer bowled more deliveries over 90 mph, it was Wood who bowled the fastest single deliveries. Albeit, with consequences.”I do like the idea of the two of us operating together in a Test match,” Wood said. “As long as he’s not at mid-off asking me if I’m just warming up when I’ve bent my back.”Playing alongside him did spur me on so maybe it will help. We have a friendly rivalry over the speed gun. In the World Cup when I put one up on the speed gun that was quite quick I’d just look over to Jofra and give him a little wink. Then he’d do the same to me.”In the World Cup final I knew that I’d pipped him. I was clocked at 95.7 mph and he was 95.6 mph and as we came off the field and into the dressing room I was dying to tell him.”I said to him as he walked in ‘Jofra! I’ve got you! I’ve done you on the speed gun’ and he strolled past fresh as a daisy and looked me up and down with an ice pack on my side, an ice pack on my knee and an ice pack on my ankle and just said ‘yeah but I think I’d rather be me’. I was like ‘yeah, fair enough mate.'”Deep down he’s trying to prove that he’s the meanest, toughest fast bowler out there. And so am I. We both want each other to do well, but we both want to be the quickest guy on show. But he’s more talented than I am.”He may well be. But the possibility of the pair of them in tandem is something every England cricket lover – perhaps even every cricket lover – would love to see. They might even prove to be the fastest pair of England seamers ever to bowl together in a Test.

The Brisbane Heat, and former Australia, coach was taken ill on the Gold Coast on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2020Darren Lehmann will undergo bypass surgery on Saturday after being taken ill on the Gold Coast on his 50th birthday.Lehmann, who was there to watch his son Jake play for the Cricket Australia XI against England Lions, suffered chest pains on Wednesday morning.On Wednesday evening he was resting in hospital ahead of his surgery in three days in Brisbane.”I would like to thank everyone in the Australian cricket family for their concern,” Lehmann said in a statement put out by Cricket Australia. “I am receiving the best of medical care and am confident I’ll be back on my feet soon.”Lehmann is currently coach of the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash and is due to coach the Northern Supercharges in the new Hundred competition during the English season.