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Wicketkeeper-batter says time is right for “new challenge” as he seeks England honours

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2021Alex Davies will leave Lancashire to join Warwickshire on a three-year deal at the end of this season.Wicketkeeper-batter Davies, who linked up with Southern Brave on Monday ahead of The Hundred, said he saw the move as a chance to press for England selection and that it was the right time “to look for a new challenge”.”Warwickshire are a massive club with a proud tradition of winning,” Davies said. “The Bears squad have potential to win trophies and I want to contribute to future success. At the same time, I remain totally committed to my ambition to play cricket for England and I believe that Warwickshire can help me do that. I have loved my time at Old Trafford and am now looking forward to an exciting next chapter in my journey.”Davies made his first-team debut in 2011, going on to become the first Lancashire keeper to score 1,000 first-class runs in 2017. He has made 90 appearances in red-ball cricket, scoring 4,682 runs at an average of 36.57 and he has 170 catches and 16 stumpings.Davies has also excelled in white-ball games as part of the Lancashire Lightning side that won the 2015 Blast. In T20s, he averages 27.40 with 42 catches and 10 stumpings and, in List A, he has made 1,380 runs at 32.08, with 48 catches and 11 stumpings.Davies has largely played this season as a top-order batter with Dane Vilas keeping wicket for Lancashire. Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson got the nod for England honours when a new-look white-ball squad had to be plucked from the counties for the recent ODI series against Pakistan following a spate of positive Covid tests within the original group.Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, described Davies’ signing as “huge” for the county.”Alex has firmly established himself as one of the best wicketkeeper-batters in the domestic game and he knows what it takes to win,” Farbrace said. “In the red-ball game Alex has broken Lancashire records, whilst in white-ball cricket he bats with a fearless approach that can change the course of games.”To have a player of his calibre want to join Warwickshire with an ambition to win trophies and push for international selection is a fantastic boost to everyone connected with the club. Aged only 26, we believe that Alex’s best years are ahead of him and we’re committed to giving him the best platform possible to push for a place in the England team across all formats.”Paul Allott, Farbrace’s counterpart at Lancashire, said: “We are sad to see Alex leave Lancashire, but respect his decision to move on. On behalf of everybody at the club, I would like to thank Alex for his commitment and efforts during his time at Emirates Old Trafford and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”

Before the second innings in Durban, the South Africa captain had 22 fifties but only two hundreds to his name

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Nov-2024Yes, it is a bowlers’ era, and sure, this is not the strongest South Africa batting order there has ever been, but eventually people are going to look across your stats, find the column under “Hundreds”, and check.Temba Bavuma is aware of this. Painfully aware.Before the second innings at Kingsmead, he had only two trips to triple figures, compared to 22 fifties. The rock to throw at him is that this is a poor conversion rate, even if many of those fifties came in difficult match situations. Both his team-mates and his opposition, for example, have praised his first-innings 70, for having taken South Africa from a truly modest total to a halfway-respectable 191, given the conditions.Related

• Leap and joy: Stubbs and Bavuma's centuries add colour to festive Kingsmead

• SA quicks leave SL on the brink after Stubbs, Bavuma tons

Still, that column on the stats page has eyes on it. And on Friday, at Kingsmead, he raised the count to three, hitting 113 against Sri Lanka. Will people wonder how he has been doing as captain and see that he averages 54.22? Will they wonder how many of his innings have come at No. 6 and lower (51 off 103 innings, by the way), and reason that these are not positions where centuries are harder to come by? Perhaps not many will. Hundreds are kind of a big deal.”Getting to a three-figure mark is always a lot more satisfying, personally,” Bavuma said, about making centuries vs important fifties. “When you bat in positions where the team is in trouble, and you get to a 50 to 60, I guess it’s good in terms of getting the team into a competitive position. But once you’re able to go over, you really get the team into a strong position.”Hundreds are a currency as a batter as well, I guess that increases that value. There’s obviously a lot of confidence that comes from scoring a hundred, and I think in terms of the batting line-up we’re getting to a stage where we’re starting to believe that in each innings, someone is able to go and get a hundred, so it’s good to add to that confidence.”

“Getting to the three-figure mark was quite nerve-racking. I went over to him and said, ‘Stubbo, please get me on strike. I can’t wait on this end'”

Bavuma’s approach to the hundred was fraught, however. Between getting to 80 and getting to triple figures, there was an edge that dropped short of the slips, a ball that jumped up and hit him on the glove, plays and misses, and an lbw shout and a review to the shot (it came off his glove) he got to triple figures off. Bavuma had, in fact, been asking for the strike.”I think I’m not too good when I get to the 80s and 90s. I’m going to try and get there [to a century] as soon as I can. They had the second new ball as well, and there was still something on offer for the bowlers. I was always looking to score.”Then, obviously, getting to the three-figure mark, it was quite nerve-racking. Against the spinner [Prabath Jayasuriya], I got one off the first ball, and then the next two balls Tristan Stubbs blocked. I went over to him and said, ‘Stubbo, please get me on strike. I can’t wait on this end.’ He was able to do that, so I was always going to play that shot.”The shot was a paddle sweep, and he just managed to get a glove to the ball before it hit him on the pads in front of the stumps.”It was a bit high risk, but the way the spinner was bowling, I was thinking of getting to that three-figure mark and then kind of starting again.”Sri Lanka reviewed that lbw, shout, but Bavuma had known he had got enough on it. He politely waited for the big screen to show the little spike as the ball brushed his glove.Then he celebrated his third hundred.

Erik ten Hag's job is at risk after Manchester United's slow start, however, the club are ready to be patient before making a decision on his future.

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• Ten Hag could be shown the door
• Man Utd ready to be patient
• Have two names lined up as replacements

• Imago
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ten Hag and Manchester United have had a very poor start to the season as they have only won three matches out of nine in all competitions. In the Premier League, the Red Devils sit 12th in the standings with just seven points from six games having suffered thrashings at the hands of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Ten Hag's potential sacking has been heavily discussed in public, however, INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are reportedly not going to be hasty with the decision.

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• THE EXPLANATION

  As per , the board are reluctant to pull the trigger because they are happy with the players they brought in in the summer – including Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte – and want to give them time to settle in, as they take a long-term view of the project.

  United are ready to afford Ten Hag at least two more games to turn things around – the Europa League clash against Porto and the Premier League meeting with Aston Villa this week. If results and performances do not improve in those two matches, the board may well review the Dutchman's position.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  has reported that if United part ways with Ten Hag, they will look to go all out for Inter boss Simone Inzaghi or ex-England manager Gareth Southgate, who remains without a job in coaching after departing the Three Lions following Euro 2024.

• WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  The Red Devils will take on Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, October 3 at Estadio do Dragao before they visit Villa Park to take on Aston Villa before the start of the international break. Whether Ten Hag is still in charge thereafter remains to be seen.

Tottenham Hotspur’s much-needed 2-0 win against Brentford yesterday could be the victory Thomas Frank needed to kickstart his career in charge in North London.

Xavi Simons and Richarlison’s first-half efforts were enough to secure all three points for the Lilywhites, subsequently securing the first league win since the end of October.

The win was just the club’s second home triumph of the campaign, with the only previous three points coming against Burnley way back on the opening day of the Premier League season.

However, it’s given the Dane the platform he needs to be a success in the role, especially after the pressure has ramped up on his shoulders over recent weeks.

Despite the win, numerous players once again struggled within Frank’s side, which could lead to the manager finally discovering his best starting eleven at the club.

Spurs’ poor performers against Brentford

Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has fallen way below his usual high standards over the last couple of weeks, with his showing against Brentford yet another disappointing one.

The Uruguayan international featured for 65 minutes before being withdrawn after losing possession on six separate occasions – just over once every ten minutes.

He also failed to complete any dribbles and was also dribbled past on one occasion, with youngster Archie Gray managing to outperform him during the meeting.

However, he wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with full-back Djed Spence also enduring an uncharacteristically poor performance on home soil against the Bees.

The full-back featured for the entirety of the win, but only managed to achieve a 40% success rate from the ten duels that he entered down the left-hand side.

He also failed to make any tackles, whilst not finding a teammate with any of his four crosses – subsequently highlighting his struggles at both ends of the pitch.

The Spurs player who needs to be dropped after Brentford

Since Frank’s appointment as Spurs manager, he’s often tinkered with his squad to try and stumble across his best starting eleven to lead the club up the Premier League.

Whether it be various different partnerships across the squad, or players operating in unnatural positions, the Dane has tried it all to push the side in the right direction.

Undoubtedly, the first home win since August yesterday demonstrated glimpses of a successful side, with the Lilywhites restricting the visitors to limited opportunities throughout.

However, that didn’t stop numerous players from struggling to make a positive impact, as seen with the aforementioned pairing of Bentancur and Spence.

They weren’t alone in struggling, with Randal Kolo Muani, another who was unable to produce his best performance of the season against Keith Andrews’ side.

The Frenchman was asked to operate off the left wing rather than his usual centre-forward position – something which no doubt affected his lack of impact on proceedings.

He featured for 74 minutes before being replaced, but his hard work and work rate only merely covered up his lack of tangible impact during the 2-0 victory against the Bees.

The 27-year-old only registered a total of 40 touches of the ball during his time on the pitch – with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario managing more with his total of 45.

He also failed to complete any of his five attempted dribbles, whilst none of his crosses were able to find the men in white – showcasing his lack of impact in the final third.

When he did have the chance to find the back of the net, Kolo Muani did squander his opportunity, resulting in the loanee registering a missed big chance.

Out of possession, he was just as lacklustre in North London, subsequently winning just two of the 15 duels he entered – resulting in a total of 88% of duels lost.

There’s little denying that Kolo Muani has been a decent option for Frank’s men this season, but his showing was one to forget yesterday – which could lead to him being dropped from the side.

It was certainly a positive afternoon for Frank’s men, but one that has raised another issue for him, with the manager desperately needing to utilise the Frenchman in a more central role going forward.

Better than Kudus: Spurs leading the race for "world-class" £70m superstar

Tottenham are looking to seal an audacious signing for Frank’s side this January.

By
Angus Sinclair

6 days ago

With the management needing to decide between Taskin and Nahid for the second Test, it shows that pace bowling in the country is currently in a good space

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2024It says a lot about a pace attack when the fastest bowler in the group, who took out the opposition’s best batter in a crucial moment in the first Test, is the one most likely to sit out for the next match. It also speaks richly of a pace attack when the top two wicket-takers of the last three years aren’t part of a match-winning overseas Test. There is enough ammunition with Bangladesh right now that they are not missing those sidelined by injury or those who need workload management. Welcome to the new-look Bangladesh pace attack.The man who changed that perception was Taskin Ahmed. His comeback story in 2021 was so inspiring that the rest of the pace attack followed in his footsteps. They started to win matches, which prompted the team management, hitherto so reluctant about pace, to build the attack properly. Taskin was picked in this Test squad with the caveat that he would only be available for the second Test. He is recovering from a long-standing shoulder injury and could replace Nahid Rana in the second Test in Rawalpindi.The tearaway Nahid, the first Bangladeshi fast bowler to reach speeds of 150kph in a Test match, removed Babar Azam to rock Pakistan on the fifth day. The hosts were 146 all out, their lowest total against Bangladesh.Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had given Nahid a relatively free hand to use his pace to his best advantage. When asked after the win about this particular facet, Shanto said: “We let him go. We allowed him to bowl fast, without worrying about leaking runs. Look who he got us. Babar Azam. So we were okay with his runs per over.”Taskin, more experienced than Nahid, could offer much more to Shanto. He is a proven force with the new ball, while also developing the delivery that wobbles. He has been known to bowl a hard length, but can often slip in the yorker, or bowl the bouncer at will. Taskin is the complete package, one who has been excellent in white-ball games too this year.Nahid, meanwhile, is still new but has already turned heads with his pace. However, his inexperience of playing only his second Test did show in the first innings when he leaked runs after Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud had reduced the hosts to 16 for 3. He is, however, a long-term prospect, and Shanto had enough faith in him to be the one bowling at Babar in the second innings.Nahid Rana clocked 149.9kmh in the same over in which he dismissed Babar Azam•Associated PressHailing from Chapainawabganj, Nahid is the second product of former fast bowler Alamgir Kabir, after Shoriful. Nahid didn’t take the conventional Under-19 route in Bangladesh cricket but has instead made his place after a superb season of first-class cricket, before getting a break in the BPL.But Bangladesh’s pace-bowling attack is more than just about speed. Shoriful has developed to become a mainstay in the attack, often using his angle with the new ball, and then coming around the wicket to strangle batters when the ball gets old. He is a workhorse too, and is already being talked up as Taskin’s heir.Mahmud is not far behind either. To his credit, he has improved across formats and his ability to move the red ball was impressive in his Test debut against Sri Lanka this year. Khaled Ahmed, the most experienced of Bangladesh’s fast bowlers in Pakistan, is missing out, but he cannot play himself down either. Khaled held his own in Bangladesh’s last overseas tour, in the West Indies, and is not far behind in the pecking order.In Islamabad, there are more fast bowlers with the Bangladesh A team. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who left a mark during the T20 World Cup and kept Shoriful out of the XI is around. As is Rejaur Rahman Raja, having warmed the bench for Bangladesh several times in the last couple of years. That he is still uncapped is a surprise given the number of squads he made it to. The selectors are also giving a run to left-arm quick Ruyel Miah, who can be called a late bloomer. He has toiled for several years in domestic cricket before finally getting this second-string call-up.The fact that Ebadot Hossain doesn’t even make the first half of the conversation is a testament to the fast-bowling group that is expanding every few months. Ebadot is still Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in the last three years in Tests, but he is still recovering from an ACL surgery and last played a Test in December 2022. For long, he had a very ordinary average and strike rate in Tests but has improved so much that he also made the white-ball set-up before his injury.With Bangladesh now eyeing an outright Test series win in Pakistan, they have a tough decision to take. Picking Taskin isn’t a difficult choice, but dropping Nahid most certainly will be. Still, they are likely to do it since Taskin is more than just about pace. But that Bangladesh have the luxury of making such decisions shows how much their pace unit has grown in recent years.

Jose Mourinho was booked for a remarkable laptop protest during Fenerbahce's Turkish Super Lig clash with Antalyaspor on Sunday.

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• Fenerbahce won 2-0
• Mourinho used his laptop to protest
• Placed it in front of television cameras

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho has made a name for himself when it comes to extraordinary touchline behaviour and he did so again on Sunday. The Fenerbahce head coach disagreed with an offside call during the game, as Edin Dzeko's strike was ruled out, and decided to pick up his laptop and place it in front of a TV camera, seemingly trying to prove that the official's decision was incorrect.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mourinho was subsequently booked by the referee, and his side went on to win the game. He was recently fined for missing a press conference, as he continues to be antagonistic towards the authorities in whichever league he is managing in.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Fener are currently second in the Super Lig, with 16 points from seven games. They are three points behind unbeaten leaders Galatasaray.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Fenerbahce play FC Twente in the Europa League on Thursday. They will then return to domestic action against Samsunspor next weekend as Mourinho seeks to add to his bulging trophy cabinet with a successful debut season in Turkey.

From overhead kicks, last-gasp winners and routine thumpings, the November international break was full of moments of jubilation. But, in between that jubilation, came the heartbreak of missing out on a place at the 2026 World Cup.

For many players, it was their final opportunity to reach football’s biggest stage, only to see it snatched from their grasp once more. Whilst Scotland may still be in party mode and Ireland preparing for the playoffs after Troy Parrott heroics, the likes of Hungary and Nigeria have been left to wonder what might have been.

With the tournament fast approaching, some of the world’s most impressive stars have now had their fates sealed and face the heart-wrenching task of watching on from home as their club teammates do what they can only dream of next summer.

From Victor Osimhen to Dominik Szoboszlai, we’ve taken a look at the best XI of players set to miss out on a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Goalkeeper and defence

GK: Jan Oblak (Slovenia & Atletico Madrid) – Part of Slovenia’s disastrous qualification attempts, Jan Oblak could do nothing but watch on as his side earned just four points from six games in a group with Switzerland, Kosovo and Sweden.

By the end of qualifying, the standings weren’t even close as Kosovo’s 11 points were enough to finish second and leave Slovenia in third to sum things up.

RB: Ola Aina (Nigeria & Nottingham Forest) – If Oblak’s situation was frustrating then Ola Aina’s was on a whole new level over the international break. The right-back could only watch amid his recent injury woes, as Nigeria crashed out of qualifying in a disastrous penalty shoot-out.

The Super Eagles’ manager, Eric Chelle, limited his penalty options by taking off attacking players to hold on for the shoot-out, before suffering the consequences.

CB: Willi Orban (Hungary & RB Leipzig) – As Parrott wheeled away in celebration for Ireland, Willi Orban was one of several Hungary players suffering the heartbreak of late defeat.

They had their World Cup fortunes in their grasp, only for it to be snatched away in the most harsh way possible. Now, the RB Leipzig man, at 33 years old, may never get the chance to feature in the tournament.

England 2026 World Cup Squad Tracker

Who is in line to make Thomas Tuchel’s 26-player squad?

By
Charlie Smith

Nov 13, 2025

CB: Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia & Nottingham Forest) – It makes Serbia’s struggles all the more confusing, the fact that they also had a defender of Nikola Milenkovic’s calibre at their disposal, but it sums up his season. The Nottingham Forest star has struggled to replicate last season’s form at club level and took that form into the international break.

LB: Milos Kerkez (Hungary & Liverpool) – It’s been a difficult season for Milos Kerkez. The left-back has failed to hit the ground running at Liverpool and recently lost his place back to Andy Robertson. Now, he’s had his World Cup dreams shattered to coincide with his dream move slowly but surely becoming more of a nightmare.

Midfield

CM: Carlos Baleba (Cameroon & Brighton) – Carlos Baleba is undoubtedly destined for big things, but the world stage will have to wait for his presence as Cameroon crashed out of qualifying against DR Congo. At 21 years old, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder will still have more opportunities in his future and those may yet coincide with an impressive move at club level.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary & Liverpool) – Szoboszlai was lost for words after Parrott’s late winner. When his side took the lead before half-time, the Hungary captain would have had his sights set on the World Cup.

Just 45 minutes later, however, he saw his dreams torn apart in cruel fashion. A rare standout for Liverpool this season and often dragging Hungary to victory, Szoboszlai has certainly been hard done by.

RM: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon & Man Utd) – Like his international teammate and potential future club teammate, Belaba, Bryan Mbeumo will be missing the 2026 World Cup.

At the peak of his powers and with everything beginning to come together at Old Trafford, there would have been plenty of hope around Cameroon that the winger could drag them through the qualifiers. Ultimately, though, he struggled to land a mark on DR Congo.

LM: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia & PSG) – As talented as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is, Georgia were always likely to be underdogs in World Cup qualifying. They finished third in Group E and won just once in six games, as Spain and Turkey took the top two spots, and they were forced to settle for third ahead of Bulgaria.

Attack

ST: Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Galatasaray) – The biggest stage has continuously passed Osimhen by in recent years. Since falling out with Napoli, he’s played much of his club football at Galatasaray, despite endless rumours linking him with some of Europe’s biggest clubs and leagues. Now, he’s set to miss the World Cup and didn’t even get to take a penalty for Nigeria as they crashed out after he was substituted off.

ST: Serhou Guirassy (Guinea & Borussia Dortmund) – Serhou Guirassy is quietly one of the most impressive strikers that European football has to offer. He’s consistently starred in the Bundesliga in recent years, yet won’t get the chance to do the same for Guinea next summer. His side finished fourth in Group G, despite losing just three of their 10 games.

2026 World Cup groups predicted by AI

U.S. international Christian Pulisic, battling the flu, came off the bench and scored twice in 10 minutes on Monday night to spark AC Milan’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Torino, sending the Rossoneri back to the top of Serie A. His introduction in the 66th minute proved to be the catalyst for a remarkable turnaround at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

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  American makes immediate impact with equalizer

  With the visitors trailing 2-1 despite Adrien Rabiot's spectacular first-half strike, the 27-year-old American needed just 60 seconds to make his mark on the contest. After Alexis Saelemaekers delivered a precise cross from the left flank, Pulisic showed his predatory instincts by arriving at the perfect moment to fire home the equalizer.

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• Pulisic completes remarkable turnaround

  The American's decisive contribution came just 10 minutes later when he fired Milan into a 3-2 lead with another clinical finish. In the 77th minute, midfielder Samuele Ricci found Pulisic inside the Torino penalty area, and the forward made no mistake with his left foot, beating goalkeeper Franco Israel to complete the comeback. The goal sent the traveling Milan supporters into raptures and silenced the Torino faithful who had been celebrating what seemed like a comfortable lead earlier in the match.

  The dramatic comeback seemed unlikely after Torino had established a commanding 2-0 lead within the opening 17 minutes. Croatian international Nikola Vlasic opened the scoring in the 10th minute from the penalty spot after a Milan defensive error. Then veteran Colombian striker Duvan Zapata doubled the advantage just seven minutes later with a clinical finish that left goalkeeper Mike Maignan with no chance.

  Milan appeared disorganized defensively until Adrien Rabiot provided a lifeline with a spectacular long-range strike in the 24th minute that reduced the deficit to 2-1. Despite this boost, the visitors continued to struggle creatively until Pulisic's introduction.

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  Victory propels Rossoneri back to Serie A summit

  The dramatic win carries significant implications for Milan's title aspirations, propelling them back to the top of the Serie A standings with 31 points from 14 matches, level with Napoli but ahead on goal difference. The Rossoneri face Sassuolo next on Dec. 13 before going on the road to face Napoli on Dec. 18 in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal.

Struggle to find right balance against Australia highlights team’s lack of 50-over nous

Matt Roller20-Sep-2024This was a missed opportunity for England, throwing away a chance not only to go 1-0 up in the series but to make a statement in doing so. They were bowled out for 315 after winning the toss at Trent Bridge against an Australian attack that featured only three frontline bowlers: one of them, Ben Dwarshuis, was injured after four overs, while Sean Abbott’s five overs cost 50.From 168 for 1 in the 25th over, and 213 for 2 in the 33rd, England suffered a major collapse against occasional bowling. Between them, Australia’s spinners bowled the final 18 overs of the innings, 30.4 overs in total, and took nine wickets – a national record, with Marnus Labuschagne (3 for 39), Travis Head (2 for 34) and Matthew Short (1 for 68) supplementing Adam Zampa’s 3 for 49.The game turned on Ben Duckett’s soft dismissal, chipping a slow, short googly back to Labuschagne for 95 – or “that ‘seed’ that I hit back to him,” as Duckett later joked. “I was trying to set myself up to go really big… The fact they bowled spin for the rest of the innings was tough to watch.” Harry Brook fell in the same fashion to the same bowler for 39.Related

• 'Just do it' – Brook to trust his instincts on England captaincy debut

• Travis Head, Test opener? 'Keep the chatter: it makes it interesting'

• Head's unbeaten hundred completes Australia fightback after spinners star

Those wickets seemed to be the result of lapses in concentration – perhaps even an overcorrection to the tempo of ODIs. None of England’s XI had played a 50-over game at any level since December, and were conscious of how long they had to bat. Duckett predicted that Brendon McCullum would have told him, “If you ever get that ball again, hit it for six.”Less so for England’s middle order, and Liam Livingstone in particular. After Jamie Smith had swung Short straight to long-on, Livingstone decided that the first ball of Zampa’s final three-over spell was a chance to exert some pressure: instead, he skipped down and holed out, leaving Jacob Bethell to bat with the lower order for the final 7.5 overs.England’s battle to find the right tempo was embodied by Adil Rashid, the leading ODI run-scorer in their inexperienced XI. He walked out at No. 11 and hit his first ball down long-on’s throat to leave the final two balls of Head’s 50th over unbowled. Since 2019, England have struggled to locate the ‘cruising speed’ that defined their middle-overs batting under Eoin Morgan.Brook’s own reflections had a bullishness that evoked Morgan’s responses to England defeats under him. “We’re out there to score runs,” Brook said. “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the infield, who cares? Another day, that could go for six… They hit quite a few up in the air and they landed safely, so a little bit unlucky at times for us.”The challenge for Brook himself, as well as his team-mates, is adjusting to a format that he hardly plays. This was England’s first ODI of 2024, and their domestic 50-over competition has overlapped with the Hundred for the last four years: the clash rules out not only the current crop of internationals, but the majority of the next generation too.Take Jordan Cox, England’s spare batter on Thursday: he has only played four List A games in his career – three of them for England Lions- compared to 125 T20s. “It is slightly different because most of us don’t play a lot of 50-over cricket now,” Duckett said. “It’s only when you are playing for England. But I think that’s something that you’ve almost got to pick up straightaway.”Duckett’s first innings as an ODI opener – he had batted at No. 3 or 4 in his previous 11 games – was a qualified success. “I’d have taken it at the start of the day,” he said. “But in a losing cause and not going on to get that big score, it’s slightly frustrating.” The contrast with Travis Head, who batted through Australia’s chase for 154 not out, was obvious.His promotion to open ahead of Will Jacks was founded in a recognition that ODI openers have the opportunities to dictate games, and the signs through his innings – low-risk attacking shots in the Powerplay, then dominance against spin – were positive despite the anticlimactic end. “I really want to go and score hundreds at the top of the order,” Duckett said.”Today highlighted that big scores are a massive part of playing 50-over cricket,” Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim coach, said – and the simple truth is that England’s batters have rarely made them. Only two England players have reached 150 in an ODI innings in the last five years: Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.Both players would add heft to England’s middle order for February’s Champions Trophy and their absences added to the sense of a team in a strange period of transition. This series should represent the start of a new era for England’s white-ball set-up but with a stand-in captain and coach, it feels like an afterthought at the end of a long season.

Youngster backs up first-innings 39 with 41* in match-winning stand with Steve Davies

ECB Reporters' Network02-May-2021Lewis Goldsworthy completed a memorable first-class debut as Somerset clinched a four-wicket LV=County Championship victory over Middlesex at Taunton.Having contributed an invaluable 39 to his side’s first innings, the 20-year-old Cornishman shared an unbroken match-winning stand of 86 with Steve Davies to take the Cidermen to their target of 207 soon after lunch.Goldsworthy finished 41 not out and Davies unbeaten on 44, while Tim Murtagh had figures of 4 for 53 at the end of an absorbing contest, sadly played out in front of empty stands at the Cooper Associates County Ground.Somerset took 21 points from their third group win in four games, while Middlesex, who had bossed much of the game, had to be content with seven.The home side began the final morning on 104 for 4, needing a further 103 to win. Tom Abell, unbeaten on 43 overnight, got the run-chase underway with a two through midwicket off Murtagh.George Bartlett launched his innings with a sweetly-struck off-side boundary in Tom Helm’s opening over. On 47, Abell survived a confident shout from Murtagh for lbw, umpire Ian Gould remaining unmoved. Bartlett’s second boundary was another well-timed stroke, this time pulling Helm through mid-wicket.Abell edged Murtagh just short of second slip before Gould upheld a second lbw appeal from the same bowler, with the Somerset skipper one short of a half-century and 89 runs still needed.Murtagh’s next over saw Bartlett depart in the same fashion for 12, playing across the line, and at 123 for 6 Somerset looked in serious trouble.It was another major test for the temperament of diminutive debutant Goldsworthy as he was joined by the experienced Davies. As in the first innings when coming in at 98 for 4, the youngster passed with flying colours, getting into line with solid defensive technique against some probing seam bowling.Murtagh completed a fine eight-over spell from the River End before Davies lifted some of the pressure with two cover-driven fours in the same Martin Andersson over.Goldsworthy produced the shot of the day, savagely pulling Steve Finn to the mid-wicket boundary for four, with the sound of a pistol crack as bat met ball.Both batters demonstrated the patience to await a loose delivery and, while each played and missed occasionally, they gradually sucked the life out of the Middlesex seam attack.Goldsworthy brought up the fifty stand with a boundary to thirdman off the returning Murtagh.By lunch the partnership was worth 65 and Somerset were within 19 runs of what for more than two days had seemed a highly unlikely victory.After the break, Middlesex turned to legspinner Luke Hollman in a last throw of the dice.But Davies and Goldsworthy remained unperturbed and the latter sparked loud celebrations on the home dressing room balcony when striking the winning boundary off a Hollman full-toss.