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The England selectors named two 16-man squads for the forthcoming ODI and Test series in New Zealand and a 13-man England Lions squad to tour India

Andrew Miller at Lord's04-Jan-2008

When England’s last Test squad was announced back in October, Andrew Strauss was the man with the very justifiable grievance. Back then he was dropped without ceremony just 12 months after being overlooked as England’s captain, but today, he was back in the set-up, and absorbed into the starting line-up as if he had never been away. The big talking point was the player headed in the opposite direction, Matt Prior, whose fall from grace has been as swift and dramatic as any England player in living memory.In the summer Prior was a debut centurion against West Indies, but now he has drifted so far off the radar the selectors weren’t even able to locate him ahead of the squad announcement. Instead it was left to David Graveney – in what might be his final act as chairman of England’s selectors – to apologise live on television for the breakdown in communication. It later transpired that Prior has changed his mobile number and has been lying low in America since the end of the Sri Lanka tour, but as a commentary on his fortunes it was strangely apt.After all, Prior entered the England set-up as the golden boy – the protégé of the new coach, Peter Moores, and a beacon of the new post-Fletcher era. Now he’s out on his ear, officially labelled as suspect after missing at least nine regulation catches and two stumpings in his ten-Test career. To add insult to injury, the man who has leapfrogged him is the same man with whom he vied for opportunities under Moores’ supervision at Sussex. Maybe a squad featuring both of Moores’ men, Prior and Tim Ambrose, would have smacked too much of favouritism. Instead the overriding flavour is fudge.Not since the rookie James Foster and Warren Hegg (two Tests) travelled to India in 2001-02 has an England squad featured two such untested keepers, but to have two uncapped players in competition rather takes the biscuit. “Since Alec Stewart finished his career, wicketkeeping has been under the microscope, more so than any other position,” said Graveney. “The player involved does feel the pressure, but with Prior, there are areas of his wicketkeeping he needs to work at, and that’s the reason why we’ve made that decision.”Prior will now retreat to Loughborough for further one-on-one work with Moores, and though Graveney insisted he would have his chance to come again, it’s hard to see when and where it will come. If England’s dramatic rotation policy is taken to its logical extreme, then the older, more mature Foster must surely come into the reckoning sooner rather than later, and then there’s Phil Mustard, who has been given a free rein as a one-day opener and keeper, but – rather perversely – will not be considered for the Test role unless he produces an extraordinary run of form in February’s five-match ODI series.

The situation is all the more bizarre when you consider the weight of wicketkeeping experience in the England coaching set-up. There’s Moores himself of course, Sussex’s stalwart of the 1990s, plus Andy Flower, who would give Adam Gilchrist a run for his money as the greatest batsman-keeper of all time. Even the analyst, Mark Garaway, kept in four first-class matches for Hampshire in the late 1990s. Perhaps Prior has been the victim of too much conflicting advice – that might explain why not even his agent, none other than Alec Stewart, was able to rustle up his mobile number.Either way, one can only wish Ambrose good luck as he takes his first sup from the poisoned chalice. For all that he made a career-best 251 not out in a tough season for Warwickshire last summer, he has managed just four first-class centuries in his seven-year career, which is 11 fewer than Prior, and seven fewer even than the maligned Chris Read. Although Ryan Sidebottom applied some unforeseen rigidity to the tail in Sri Lanka, such tenacity cannot be guaranteed on New Zealand’s zippier wickets. The onus is on England’s No. 7 to provide big runs, and regardless of his errors behind the stumps, Prior’s ten-Test average of 40.14 suggests he was increasingly proficient in front of them.In fact, Prior was third in England’s batting averages in Sri Lanka, behind Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, but that said as much about the failings of the top-order as his relative successes. “The message to all the players, is this is the time to deliver,” said Graveney. “We didn’t score enough hundreds, we didn’t bowl too many people out, and we also dropped too many chances in comparison with the opposition. We go into the New Zealand series having lost two in a row. They are not going to collapse in front of us, so the challenge is there and we have to raise our performance to get back to winning ways.”Back into the side, therefore, comes Strauss, who memorably made a century on debut against New Zealand when the teams last competed in 2004. He is already in Hamilton, preparing for his domestic stint with the state team, Northern Knights, and no doubt refreshed from a rare extended break from international cricket. His recall will bolster England’s slip cordon as well as their batting line-up, although in both cases it’s not yet clear quite where he will slot into the side. Cook and Michael Vaughan were qualified successes as an opening partnership, while in the catching stakes, his safe hands would probably be best employed at first slip rather than third – if nothing else, to act as a reassuring sidekick for a nervous new keeper.In other news, Monty Panesar has been quietly dropped from the one-day squad – rightly so, for the formulae and flatter lines required in that form of the game seemed to dull his impact and impair his attacking instincts in the Tests in Sri Lanka – while Ravi Bopara slips quietly out of the Test squad after four dismissals and no runs in his last ten balls of the series. But no change has been as seismic as the shift away from Prior. There’s not been a lot of sympathy doing the rounds since his form began to fall away in the India series last summer, but no-one predicted his demise would be quite so swift or ruthless. Maybe Moores has more of an edge than he’s been given credit for this year. If this is how he treats his friends, then woe betide his enemies.England Test squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Phil Mustard, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann.England ODI squad Paul Collingwood (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Phil Mustard, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright.England Lions squad Michael Yardy (capt), Kabir Ali, Michael Carberry, Steven Davies, Joe Denly, James Hildreth, Ed Joyce, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Alan Richardson, Jonathan Trott.

Australia are able to get the best of both worlds when it comes to Bazball – they can praise it, and they know the scoreline is in their favour

Andrew McGlashan26-Jun-2023After one match of the men’s Ashes 2023, Australia are able to get the best of both worlds when it comes to Bazball. They can praise its ambitions, while England do much of the combative talking, knowing the scoreline reads 1-0 in Australia’s favour heading to Lord’s and promising there is much better to come from them than was shown at Edgbaston.Such were the fine margins in the opening Test that any number of little moments could be looked back on as proving the difference, the last of them Ben Stokes’ very tough missed chance with 37 runs still needed. In the end, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon carried them to a famous victory, but the batting in particular has room for improvement with the outstanding exception of Usman Khawaja and an honourable mention to Alex Carey – the only two Australians to pass fifty in the Test.Related

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Heading the list of where there is an expectation of much greater returns is from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith who made just 35 runs between them at Edgbaston. There is also a strong possibility that Mitchell Starc will replace Scott Boland, who went at nearly six-an-over.”I really enjoy the way they [England] play, I’m not going to lie,” Labuschagne said. “As a cricket watcher watching the series prior, I’ve loved it. I think it’s exciting, it’s entertaining, it’s good to watch, but at the end of the day, we played pretty under par to what I think the standard of our team is at.”The thought was how are they going to do it against our bowlers and they showed they can do it, but with a wicket that might have a little bit more in it [at Lord’s], what’s it going to look like? We walked away from the first Test 1-0 up and that’s a positive sign for us because I don’t think we played at our best.”Marnus Labuschagne praised Joe Root, but also said he kept Australia in the game•Getty Images

England, unsurprisingly, have promised to attack even more, with Stuart Broad the latest to proclaim the “go harder” approach to follow Ollie Robinson’s claims that Australia were “unwilling to go toe-to-toe” and Zak Crawley’s view that England will win at Lord’s by 150 runs.The home side certainly set the tone at Edgbaston, scoring at more than five-an-over on the opening day before Stokes’ surprise declaration, but it was the extraordinary start to the fourth day, with Joe Root failing to connect to a first-ball reverse scoop and then sending Boland for a six a short while later, that was the most outlandish period of play.However, Labuschagne viewed Root’s approach as keeping Australia in the game and he duly ran past one from Lyon for 46, to follow an unbeaten 118 on the opening day, as none of England’s batters reach fifty in the second innings.”The way he’s batting I think is exquisite…I’m just talking about when he’s batting normally, I think he’s playing really well,” Labuschagne said. “I think from my perspective, him playing that method and those [reverse] shots are keeping us in the game.”I use that second innings as an example. He probably had an opportunity to shut us out and take the game away from us completely. But the method and the way he was playing kept us in the game. He played an unbelievable innings, but he ended up getting 40 [46] and if turns that into 80-plus we’re chasing 300 and that’s going to be a pretty big effort.”So I think that’s the benefit for us the way they’re playing. They’re playing aggressive cricket and he’s doing it with a different method, which is great, but it brings in other opportunities for us. Hopefully, at some point in the series, that will keep paying off.”

The Detroit Tigers have been the best team in baseball for most of the season but reverted back to the pack over the past few weeks thanks to a brutal slump. Entering last Sunday's game they had dropped 12 of 13 games and fallen out of position for one of the byes in the American League playoff picture. So Riley Greene took the drastic step of turning his beard into a mustache, hoping the change in facial hair could be the thing that finally turned things around.

And it has.

The Tigers drubbed the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night for their third consecutive victory in the 'stache era. Greene himself homered and had two doubles for his first three extra-base hit game in his already impressive career. Gleyber Torres, who was seen rubbing the lip fuzz for luck, blasted an opposite-field home run. Wencel Perez was a homer shy of the cycle and stole two bases.

"It's not a good look," Greene said after the game. "It's not a good look. But if it means winning, then I’ll keep it."

"We've all touched it," Tigers A.J. Hinch said. "I'm not sure how that's going to go over with quotes around it. Then in the handshake line, he said, 'We're 3-0 with it.'"

Detroit goes for the sweep against Arizona on Wednesday afternoon. Greene is now forced to keep the look until they lose. He knows it doesn't look good but it's a small sacrifice to pull everyone out of a dreadful quagmire.

If the Tigers keep playing well you can rest assured the crowd is going to have more mustaches in solidarity. Something to look forward to.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Paixão foi um dos jovens da base que aproveitou a oportunidade no time profissional do Vasco. Titular nas duas primeiras rodadas do Carioca, o jogador mostrou personalidade e foi coroado com uma assistência para o gol de Galarza, no empate em 1 a 1 com o Audax Rio, na útlima quinta-feira.

+ Confira as movimentações do Vasco no Mercado da Bola

– A gente trabalha a vida inteira para ter oportunidades como essas. Temos que aproveitar. Fazer o máximo pelo Vasco e ajudar a conquistar coisas grandes, como o clube é. Fique feliz sim pela assistência, mas queria os três pontos. Agora é trabalhar mais forte e esperar as oportunidades – afirmou Paixão.

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O atacante de 18 anos usou a camisa 7, que pertence a Alex Teixeira, que assim como Paixão, é cria de São Januário. O jogador foi só elogios ao ídolo, mas evitou comparações.

– Sei da história do Teixeira, é um grande ídolo do Vasco e joga demais. Craque de bola. Minha responsabilidade só aumentou usando este número, mas me preparei para isso. Ainda tenho muito que aprender, tenho meus pés no chão, mas vamos evoluindo para ajudar o Vasco a conquistar os objetivos na temporada.

+ANÁLISE: Encostados do Vasco não aproveitam oportunidade em time alternativo

Com o retorno do grupo principal dos Estados Unidos na segunda-feira, o Vasco terá força máxima no jogo do Carioca, contra a Portuguesa, na quarta-feira, no Luso-Brasileiro. A tendência é de que Paixão perca espaço para Orellano e Gabriel Pec. No entanto, o atacante deixa claro que quer receber mais oportunidades.

– Caso o professor Emílio ou Barbieri precisarem, vou dar a minha vida pelo Vasco, como sempre fiz. Fomos muito bem recebidos, a adaptação foi fácil com a comissão técnica. Estarei sempre à disposição do Vasco. Seja no sub-20 ou na equipe principal – finalizou Paixão.

Punjab Kings only had 9% chance of victory and 18 balls to beat the odds with the guy they seemed to have bought by mistake at the auction. Guess what happened next?Shashank Singh hit 10 of the 29 balls he faced to the boundary. He survived a very close lbw shout off Noor Ahmad when he was 1 off 2, but was soon carting around a bunch of former IPL champions. Rashid Khan, launched over midwicket, Umesh Yadav, helped over fine leg, Noor Ahmad, skewered over long-off, Mohit Sharma, even when he tried to go pace off and into the wicket, ramped over the keeper. These were unbelievable shots because they came from a place where victory was only fantasy.It was less than four months ago that the Kings’ management was huddled around the auction table trying to offload this guy, then sending out a clarification tweet, which Shashank replied to, hoping to shut down the stories that were swirling around. Tonight, in a twist that the IPL should consider trademarking, both the unfancied team and their unfancied purchase came good facing impossible odds in a chase of 200.

More magic at the IPL

Kings only had two batters among their five substitutes in a bowling first XI. It looked a lopsided selection. But the man they chose as the Impact Sub played a massive role in their victory. Ashutosh Sharma, playing his very first IPL game, and only the 15th T20 of his career, looked at an equation that read 41 off 18 balls square in the eye and took it down with brutal precision. He hit three fours in Azmatullah Omarzai’s 18th over. Another six to start the 19th from Mohit. In those 12 balls, the Kings got 34 runs. In those 12 balls, the Kings’ chances of victory rose from 9.23% to 94.56%.This is what happens when two players look for the best boundary option they have with every single ball. But the fact that they were both uncapped, that they had very little experience at this level of the game – Shashank had played 13 matches in the IPL, but batted in just eight of those and had a high score of 25 prior to this – and were coming up with the goods even against bowlers of the calibre of the Titans was incredible.They waited for Mohit and Azmatullah’s variations – whether they were slower balls or short balls – and it wasn’t just that they were looking to slog ’em across the line. Shashank (previously) and Ashutosh (in the death) ramped fours over the keeper. It was nerveless. It was glorious. And by the end of it, Kings had conquered their sixth target of 200 or more, a men’s T20 record.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rashid’s problems

It is still early – only four matches – but Rashid Khan has an economy rate of 9.06, his worst in an IPL season. In this game, he was lined up twice by Jitesh Sharma, leaking back-to-back sixes in the 16th over. He has already been hit out of the park nine times in IPL 2024. That’s as many sixes as he’d given up across 14 matches in 2021 and 16 matches in 2020. Titans are turning to him a little more often now because they don’t have Mohammed Shami in the powerplay and the death and it seems like he is yet to cope with that extra responsibility. The Kings were in a squeeze at 70 for 4 in the ninth over and then 111 for 5 in the 13th over. Liam Livingstone was injured. Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran were out. Only Jitesh and some unknowns were left. This match should’ve been done but it wasn’t.

Top-heavy Titans

Six. The total number of boundary attempts made by Wriddhiman Saha and Kane Williamson from a combined 35 balls faced. Titans were a top-heavy line-up with David Miller out injured. That automatically puts pressure on their best batter and Shubman Gill could have cracked if not for the man coming out at No. 4 and flaying at everything that came his way. Sai Sudharsan looked for a boundary off 12 of the 19 balls he faced. He outscored Gill – 33 off 19 vs 20 off 13 – in a 53-run partnership that reset the game.Shubman Gill made his highest individual score of IPL 2024•BCCI

Peak Shubman Gill

Gill faced only 10 balls in the powerplay. Even after 10 overs, he had only been on strike for 19 deliveries. He looked in glorious form but wasn’t getting opportunities to influence the game. External pressure could have made him take a risk too soon and end up back in the hut, but Sudharsan’s innings gave him chance to bat at his tempo, and that was only ever going to spell trouble for the opposition.Gill made 89 off 48 batting well within himself. Even the most jaw-dropping shot of his innings was a simple consequence of seeing a length ball and knowing he can get under it. Kagiso Rabada, who is IPL royalty thanks to his strike rate of 14.8, the best out of everyone who has at least 100 wickets in this tournament, was launched straight down the ground for an effortless six. Gill thrived just by responding to what was coming down because nine times out of 10, he had the perfect one. He was in the zone, striking at 185.42 and combining it with a control percentage of 91.67. That is rare. Typically when you’re looking to go big, you end up with a few more mis-hits. It must feel like pretty small consolation, though, on a night where he watched his team lose from a winning position.