England take on T20 World Cup champions in five-match series to start new coach’s tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2025Brendon McCullum’s era as England’s white-ball head coach gets underway in Kolkata on Wednesday, with a promise to carry over his Test team’s focus on aggression and entertainment, both in their upcoming series against India and on into the Champions Trophy, and a faith that captain Jos Buttler’s “best years are yet to come”.McCullum’s unveiling in the role has been a long time coming. His new deal, as England’s dual red- and white-ball head coach, was announced back in September, and he has since overseen consecutive Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand while Marcus Trescothick covered the one-day role in an interim capacity.Now, however, McCullum is straight into the hot seat, with a five-match T20I campaign against the newly-crowned T20 World Cup champions, followed by three ODIs against the finalists of the last 50-over World Cup in 2023, ahead of their Champions Trophy opener against Australia in Lahore on February 22.Speaking at Eden Gardens ahead of the first T20I, McCullum described England’s batting as being “as powerful as anyone’s in the world”, but said that, at this stage, he was more focused on freeing up his players to perform at their best, rather than gunning for outright victory.Related

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“Obviously, we want to win every game we play, to try and be successful, and that’s ultimately the mission for us,” he said. “But our conversations and the language which we use within the dressing-rooms is quite different.”It’s about trying to get the best out of the talent that sits within the dressing room, trying to gel the guys as best we can, trying to work out complementary skills, and how we how we play the style of cricket that gives us our greatest chance.”I’m desperate for us to play a really watchable brand of cricket,” he added. “With the talent we have, there’s no reason why we can’t. We’ve got a batting line-up which is as powerful as any batting line-up in the world. We’ve got gun spinners, very good fielders and guys who bowl absolute rockets with the ball, so you’ve got options there to be able to entertain and give yourself the greatest chance of success.”McCullum takes over a white-ball set-up deep in the throes of transition, with the team having lost both its 50- and 20-over World Cup titles in the space of seven dispiriting months in 2023-24. His selections for this campaign, however, made it clear that he intends to use his joint coaching role to unify the Test and one-day set-ups, with eight of his 15 selections for the ODI squad having featured in the longer format in the course of 2024.One man who stands apart in that regard, however, is the captain Buttler, who played the most recent of his 57 Tests on the 2021-22 Ashes tour. Speaking back in September, McCullum memorably declared that his first task would be to cheer up his “miserable” captain, who at the time had been struggling with a long-standing calf injury.”He’s smiling, that’s good. He’s very happy at the moment,” McCullum confirmed, adding that his pre-existing relationship with Buttler, forged during his own playing days at the IPL and around the world, had enabled them to hit the ground running as a captain-coach combination.Buttler returned from injury on England’s tour of the Caribbean last year•Getty Images

“Obviously we’ve known for a couple of months that this was going to unfold, so there’s been plenty of time to chat to Jos over the last couple of months,” McCullum said. “When I took over the Test job, Stokesy and I knew each other and there was a mutual respect, but wouldn’t say we were friends necessarily, even though it’s now a really tight personal relationship, as well as a working relationship.”With Jos, we actually start from a slightly stronger base. Jos and I have been friends for a long time, we’ve often shared some of the philosophies of game, and that friendship gives us really good base to be able to be able to get things going pretty quickly with this team.”He’s in really good space. He’s excited about the team, and the opportunity that sits in front of us, I’m sure we’ll see Jos really enjoy himself over the next couple of years, and hopefully finish with a real strong enjoyment for the game at the back end of his career.”McCullum also confirmed that Buttler would once again be relinquishing the gloves, in order to lead the team from the field rather than behind the stumps, with Phil Salt likely to continue in the role he took on for both series in the Caribbean in November.”It’s really a really positive thing for us, because it gives Jos the opportunity to have the last say with the bowler, and to have that relationship built at that last second, rather than from 22 yards away,” McCullum said. “We’ve got great keeping options within the side as well.”At the age of 34, and as a double World Cup-winner, Buttler has little left to prove as one of the modern greats of the white-ball game. But, having witnessed the success and enjoyment that Stokes has got from leading the Test team over the past couple of years, McCullum believes there’s scope for Buttler to put a cap on his own career in a similar manner.”I think his best years are definitely ahead,” he said. “Sometimes, when you get the opportunity to lead in the latter part of your career, you can be a little bit desperate for success and that can create frustrations, and it doesn’t become quite as enjoyable.”But if you can let yourself go a little bit, with nothing to prove other than trying to get the best out those around you, sometimes that can lift your game up a bit more. Those are the conversations Jos and I have had. He’s fully on board with that, he’s excited about the next little while, and I’m sure you’ll see him smiling.”It’s going to be a tough tour. We’re taking on a very good India side, and I’m sure we’ll play what I hope is a very watchable style of cricket. I’m sure there’ll be some times we don’t quite get it right but, hopefully, we’ll chisel away at that over the next few weeks and be in good shape come the Champions Trophy.”But we are very much focused on this series, knowing India are a very good cricket team, particularly in their own conditions.”

Bangladesh’s defeat to West Indies in the third ODI meant they finished below New Zealand, who are now assured of a berth in the World Cup

Mohammad Isam25-Jan-2025Bangladesh missed direct qualification for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup after their eight-wicket defeat against West Indies in Basseterre on Friday. They finished on 21 points in the Women’s Championship table, level with New Zealand who had more wins – nine opposed to Bangladesh’s eight – and secured the sixth and final direct spot.New Zealand joined Australia, India, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka in getting automatic places in the World Cup, scheduled to be held in India later this year. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will have West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland for company in the World Cup qualifiers. Scotland and Thailand will also join the competition, with two teams out of these six qualifying for the main event.The third ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies, however, ended up being a meek affair. Batting first, the visitors were bowled out for 118 runs in 43.5 overs. Sharmin Akhter top-scored with 37. Bangladesh were looking good at 94 for 3, before collapsing badly. They lost their last seven wickets for just 24 runs in 13 overs.Karishma Ramharack took a four-wicket haul for the second successive game, this time conceding just 12 runs in her 6.5 overs. Zaida James took two wickets.West Indies reached their target in 27.3 overs, with Qiana Joseph making 39 and Deandra Dottin remaining unbeaten on 33. Marufa Akter and Nahida Akter took a wicket each.Bangladesh’s tour of West Indies continues in Basseterre where they will play three T20Is on January 27, 29 and 31.

An injury to Fakhar Zaman hampered Pakistan’s chase from the outset as they stare at a difficult ask to stay in the Champions Trophy

Deivarayan Muthu19-Feb-20254:20

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Pakistan had to wait for nearly three decades for a global tournament to return to their country, but New Zealand spoiled their party on the opening day of the Champions Trophy, handing the co-hosts a 60-run loss in Karachi. In a short, sharp tournament, where each team plays just three group-stage games, a defeat like this might jeopardise Pakistan’s chances of making the semi-finals. Will Young and Tom Latham were the architects of their team’s victory, both batters scoring outstanding hundreds to set up the dominance that followed but there was also a little bit of luck.Two balls into the game, Fakhar Zaman suffered an injury while chasing a cover drive from Young and was forced off the field for large parts of the first innings. As result of the time spent off the field, Fakhar, whose big hitting is exactly what was necessary for a big chase, could not open the batting in their pursuit of 321. And when he came out to bat at No. 4 – Pakistan were 22 for 2 in ten overs at the time – he was visibly hampered while running between the wickets. New Zealand’s offspinners, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips, kept hiding the ball away from his reach and made life even more difficult for him. Fakhar’s tortured stay eventually ended when Bracewell bowled him with a non-turner for 24 off 41 balls.Just like Fakhar, most of the Pakistan batters failed to get out first gear, including Babar Azam who needed 81 balls for his fifty. New Zealand’s attack was depleted by the injuries to Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, but their spinners made up for that on a pitch that offered turn and variable bounce. The spinners were so good that New Zealand didn’t need Nathan Smith, their third seamer, until the 31st over. By then Pakistan’s asking rate had almost touched ten an over.New Zealand were also depleted by the injury-enforced absence of Rachin Ravindra, but Young and Latham scored tone-setting hundreds before Glenn Phillips provided an electric finish. In all, New Zealand plundered 113 off their last ten overs to finish with 320.That total, however, had looked so far away when New Zealand were reduced to 40 for 2 in the ninth over and then 73 for 3 in the 17th over. That’s when Young got together with Latham to repair the early damage and then boss the middle overs.Young has spent much of his international career on the fringes. He might not have played this game had Ravindra been fit and despite his maiden international hundred away from home, he might make way for Ravindra once the allrounder recovers. In Kane Williamson’s absence, Young had emerged as the Player of the Series in New Zealand’s historic 3-0 sweep of India in India but was left out for Williamson in New Zealand’s very next Test against England at home. However, whenever Young gets an opportunity, he’s ready to take it, like he demonstrated once again on Wednesday.After Devon Conway was undone by a carrom ball from mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed for 10 and Williamson fell for his first single-digit ODI score in six years, in the next over, Young reined himself in and saw off challenging spells from Abrar and Naseem Shah.Tom Latham and Will Young paced their centuries perfectly•Associated Press

Young brought up his third fifty-plus score in nine innings in Pakistan and converted it into a century. He got there in 107 balls in the 35th over, with Ravindra warmly applauding him from the dressing room.As for Latham, he rattled off his own hundred off 95 balls and remained unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls. It capped a remarkable turnaround for him after he had come into the tri-series final on the back of three ducks, stretching back to the Auckland ODI against Sri Lanka in January. After being assisted by multiple reprieves on his way to 56 in the tri-series final against Pakistan, Latham reminded the world of his full range. He played a variety of sweeps, including the reverse, off a variety of lengths to disrupt Pakistan’s spinners. Fifty-two of his 118 runs came square or behind square on the leg side.After Young holed out for 107, Latham forged 125-run partnership with Phillips for the fifth wicket off just 74 balls. Having been on 10 off 18 balls, Phillips surged to his fifty off his next 16 balls. He had launched Shaheen for back-to-back sixes and then when he shaped to ramp Haris Rauf over short third, he ended up toe-ending it to the fielder for 61 off 39.Phillips wasn’t done though. He produced the play of the day when he leapt to his left from point, stuck out one hand above his head and held onto a screamer to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan for 3 off 14 balls on the last ball of the first powerplay. Will O’Rourke had already dismissed Saud Shakeel, the makeshift opener in place of Fakhar, for 6 in the fourth over. Matt Henry, who had missed the tri-series final with a knee niggle, also kept it tight in the first powerplay, which yielded Pakistan only 22 for 2.It was Pakistan’s lowest score in the first ten overs since March 2019 and third lowest in the history of the Champions Trophy. There would be no way back for them, despite late blows from Khushdil Shah, who hit 69 off 49 balls, and the lower order. Pakistan were ultimately bowled out for 260 in the 48th over.In his first match at a global event as New Zealand captain, Santner came away with three wickets though he took some tap at the end. For the third time in a space of two weeks, New Zealand put Pakistan away with ruthless efficiency and embellished their status as title contenders.

With India vs England series renamed the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, he wanted to preserve the legacy of the former India captains

Sruthi Ravindranath19-Jun-2025Sachin Tendulkar wanted to ensure that the Pataudi name would remain wedded to India vs England men’s Test series. So together with the BCCI and the ECB, he came up with the idea that the winning captain be granted a medal in the former India captain’s honour.Previously, an India tour of England would involve them playing for the Pataudi trophy. But now, it has been renamed to Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, honouring Tendulkar and James Anderson. While taking pride in that, Tendulkar spoke of how he wanted to preserve the legacy of one of India’s greatest leaders.”I remember some time ago,” he told ESPNcricinfo, “when the Pataudi Trophy was retired by ECB and BCCI, and then a few months down the line, when I was informed about this – the trophy being named after the two of us – that came as a pleasant surprise. The call that I made immediately after that was to the Pataudi family and I spoke to them; [I] also spoke about keeping the Pataudi legacy alive, [and] said, ‘I’ll have some ideas. I will come back to you’.Related

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“I shared my thoughts with BCCI and ECB. I thought the outcome was very good. We decided that the Pataudi Medal of Excellence would be given to the winning captain because he was known for his leadership skills. The legacy is kept alive. I’ve always believed that someone who’s contributed to Indian cricket and cricket across the globe should always be respected and remembered.”The new trophy features imagery of Anderson and Tendulkar in action, along with their engraved signatures. They are the most-capped players in the history of Tests: Tendulkar played 200 matches, and Anderson 188.”It’s a reflection of our contribution to our respective nations in Test cricket,” he said. “I’ve played for 24 years, and Anderson played for 21 years. So both of us put together, it’s a substantial number of years – 45 years put together of international cricket, especially Test. That makes me feel happy. I know the appreciation is in a different way as naming the Trophy after us.””It’s a proud moment for me and my family to have this iconic series named after Sachin and myself,” Anderson said in a statement. “The rivalry between our two nations has always been something special – full of history, intensity and unforgettable moments.”To be recognised in this way is a real honour. I’m looking forward to seeing the next chapter unfold in England this summer. It promises to be compelling, competitive cricket – exactly what you’d expect from two great sides. This is elite sport at its finest.”Tendulkar, who first faced Anderson in Tests in 2006, said playing against the fast bowler was an “integral part” of his career, recalling the “challenging” times playing in tough conditions in England.”In 2003, I played against him in South Africa during the World Cup,” Tendulkar said. “In England, I played against him in 2007. But along the way, there have been many battles, and some ended up in a good result, some didn’t. But all in all, when you look back, you feel that I enjoyed those challenging moments, and that’s what one prepares for.”That journey was a beautiful [one], and in that, multiple experiences taught to me so much in life. And playing in England was an integral part of that, and Anderson was an integral part of it.”The first Test between India and England begins at Headingley on Friday.

West Indies captain ponders where his batters go from here after being bowled out for 27

Alex Malcolm15-Jul-2025West Indies captain Roston Chase has described his side’s capitulation against Australia in Jamaica as “heartbreaking” and “embarrassing”.West Indies were bowled out for the second-lowest total in Test history at Sabina Park to lose the third Test and concede the series 3-0 in the process.Chasing 204 to win on the third day, West Indies were bowled out for 27 in 14.3 overs to set a host of new and unwanted records. The total was just one run better than New Zealand’s Test-record low of 26 in 1955 but it was 20 runs short of West Indies’ previous worst total of 47. It was the first time in Test history a team recorded seven ducks in an innings and the six runs made collectively by West Indies top-six batters was the lowest in any innings in Test history.Related

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Mitchell Starc also took the fastest Test five-for ever, claiming the first five wickets of the innings in just 15 balls after picking up three wickets in the first over.Speaking after – at both the post-match presentation and the press conference – Chase was despondent.”It’s disappointing,” Chase said. “We’ve been putting ourselves in positions to win games, and then we just lay down and not put up a fight in the last batting innings. It’s quite heartbreaking, because I think we did it in all three Tests, and we’re not really learning from our mistakes. So that’s something we have to really look at.”Obviously being bowled out for less than 30 is quite embarrassing.”Chase thought the target of 204 was achievable and did not offer any excuses in regards to the surface, despite no batter in the match reaching 50. It was only the seventh time since 1900 and the third time since 1981 that no player had scored a half-century in a Test with at least two completed innings.”I thought it was realistic,” Chase said. “I mean, the wicket was a good wicket, still a good batting wicket. I didn’t think there was too many devils in the wicket, like the last two games where the ball was rolling or bouncing inconsistently. So yeah, we thought 204 was quite gettable. But then, obviously, with the start and stuff being [11 for 6] or something like that, it’s very difficult to really get those runs from there.”It capped off a horror series with the bat for West Indies’ new-look line-up. They posted scores of 190, 141, 253, 143, 143 and 27 across the series. Brandon King was the only West Indies batter to score a half-century, posting the highest individual score on either side with 75 in Grenada. He was also the only West Indies batter to average more than 20 for the series with 21.50, discounting Anderson Phillip making 10 and 11 not out in his only Test in the series in Grenada. Australia had four batters average more than 30, but Travis Head was the only one to score more than 200 runs and average more than 32 thanks to his twin half-centuries in Barbados. Head, Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja were the only players in the series to face more than 300 balls across six innings.Brandon King surveys the wreckage after becoming the third dismissal in Mitchell Starc’s opening over•AFP/Getty Images

Chase did note that the pitches were tough overall for the batters but he did not want to take away too much from the performance of his bowlers.”I think the pitches were very tough,” he said. “I don’t want to say they were too in favour of the bowlers, but they were very tough because, as you can see, this is probably the first series I’ve ever played [where] no batter got a hundred for each side. So that’s something that I’ve never really seen in a Test series. So that just goes to show how dominant the bowlers were.”Chase conceded that West Indies faced a huge challenge to rebuild from here. They do not play Test cricket again until October and face entirely different conditions in India when they do.”We need to really take a deep look at ourselves as batters,” Chase said. “The next series from here is quite a while. So we have time on our side. So I think that’s what we need to really do, really have a look at our batting this series and see where we can improve and how we can put 300 run totals on the board.”Obviously India is going to be different conditions, probably more spinner-friendly. So I think if you can have some batting camps around playing spin bowling and stuff like that, I think that will be ideal for us going into those conditions.”

England’s poor 50-over form continues as South Africa claim first ODI series win in country since 1998

Matt Roller04-Sep-2025Matthew Breetzke had not been born when South Africa last won a bilateral ODI series in England. By extending a remarkable start to his career in the format, he helped them clinch this one with a match to spare. On his return from a hamstring injury, Breetzke hit 85 to underpin South Africa’s total of 330, before their bowlers closed out a tense win under the floodlights.Breetzke, 26, was born five-and-a-half months after South Africa’s 2-1 triumph in the 1998 Texaco Trophy but will now lift the series trophy in Southampton on Sunday after his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead at Lord’s. Unlike in Leeds, England at least competed but none of their three half-centurions – Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler – kicked on past 61.The chase went down to the final ball, which Jofra Archer needed to hit for six to take the game into a Super Over. But his inside-edged hoick off Senuran Muthusamy brought only a single and South Africa were deserving winners, backing up the thrashing they inflicted on Tuesday with a clinical, calculated performance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This was an eighth defeat in 11 ODIs for England in 2025, and their captain Harry Brook refused to blame fatigue after an exhausting summer. “In my eyes that’s just an excuse,” he said. We’re good enough and fit enough to be able to keep playing for the time being… Chasing 6.5 an over from ball one is a tough task. But that’s exactly why we’ve picked this side: we’ve a long batting order. To get within one blow of that score is a really good effort.”South Africa had been stuttering at 93 for 3 after 19 overs when Tristan Stubbs joined Breetzke, but a fourth-wicket partnership of 147 off 126 balls laid a strong foundation before Dewald Brevis’ cameo launched them towards 300. They fell four runs short of the record ODI total at Lord’s, which has stood since the 1975 World Cup, but this was clearly a fighting effort.Breetzke’s innings was the highest by a South African in an ODI at Lord’s, and he achieved the unprecedented feat of passing 50 in each of his first five innings in the format. By the time he fell 15 runs short of a second hundred, he had taken his ODI aggregate to 463 and executed South Africa’s clear plan to put England’s part-time spinners under severe pressure.England got away with picking only four frontline bowlers in their 3-0 win against West Indies in June, but South Africa were merciless in targeting Bethell and Will Jacks; with Root curiously unused, they returned combined figures of 1 for 112 from their 10 overs. Brevis was particularly severe on Bethell, hitting him for consecutive sixes, while Stubbs laid into Jacks.The margin of victory obscured the fact South Africa were ahead of the game from the moment Nandre Burger had Jamie Smith caught behind off the first ball of the chase. Root dominated the scoring in a second-wicket stand of 66, with Ben Duckett desperately out of form at the other end; his dismissal for 14 off 33, bowled reverse-sweeping Keshav Maharaj, was a mercy kill.Jofra Archer nearly took England over the line•AFP/Getty Images

Where Duckett looked exhausted by his non-stop summer, Bethell had been short on time in the middle and was pushed up to No. 4 to take on South Africa’s two left-arm spinners. Temba Bavuma responded by bringing on Aiden Markram’s offspin, but Bethell slog-swept and pulled sixes as his two overs cost 27 runs.He brought up a 28-ball half-century by launching Burger over mid-on, five balls after Root had cruised to his own off 57. But they fell in quick succession, too: Bethell sliced the relentless Corbin Bosch to backward point, and Root was beaten in the flight by Maharaj to be stumped in an ODI for the first time in a decade.Brook and Buttler added 69 for the fifth wicket, launching sixes off Bosch and Muthusamy respectively. But Muthusamy found extra bounce to have Brook chipping to cover, and despite Buttler’s outrageous reverse-slap for six on his way to 50 – a landmark he celebrated with a look to the skies after his father’s recent passing – the required rate climbed past nine an over.Lungi Ngidi got the big wicket of Jos Buttler at the death•AFP/Getty Images

The game looked as good as won when Lungi Ngidi flummoxed Buttler with a dipping slower ball, and Burger removed Jacks and Brydon Carse in the same over to leave 40 required off the last three. Despite Archer’s best efforts – with two lusty sixes and a pair of reverse-slaps for four – they always looked like falling short.It looked like an important toss when Brook put South Africa into bat, with the start delayed by 15 minutes after a morning of heavy showers. Archer and Saqib Mahmood – recalled at Sonny Baker’s expense – both found extravagant seam movement early on, but Markram and Ryan Rickelton were equal to it, adding 73 for the first wicket.Rickelton fell for 35, top-edging Archer behind to Buttler, before Adil Rashid struck twice in quick succession, with Bavuma done on the outside edge and Markram furious with himself after chipping back a return catch on 49. But that only brought Breetzke and Stubbs together, whose partnership took the game away from England – and they never quite recovered.

Thrilling century stand with Seren Smale reels in revised target with five balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025Lancashire 172 for 5 (Lewis 75, Smale 47) beat Warwickshire 283 for 7 (Freeborn 60, Surenkumar 49, Kalis 43) by five wickets (DLS method)Lancashire Women won an exciting rain-affected Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Warwickshire Women at Sale by five wickets.Warwickshire had posted 283 for 7 from their 50 overs but the Lancashire innings was halted halfway through the sixth over with the score 20 for 1 due to increasingly heavy rain. Set a revised target of 172 to win in 22 overs, a thrilling partnership of 106 off 73 balls between Gaby Lewis and Seren Smale set Lancashire on their way with victory achieved with five balls to spare.That outcome leaves Lancashire, who had already clinched a top-four spot, in third place, one point behind second-placed The Blaze going into the final round of group games on Saturday when they travel to face leaders Hampshire, who they trail by four points. Warwickshire finish their campaign with a trip to Taunton to face Somerset.Emma Lamb and Lewis began the Lancashire reply just as light drizzle began to fall and the pair had made 13 when Lamb drove Phoebe Brett to Issy Wong at mid-on for 4 midway through the fourth over. The rain began to fall more heavily at that point and after twelve further deliveries had been bowled the umpires halted play with Lancashire 20 for 1.Play resumed after a two-hour delay with Lancashire now needing a further 152 off 16.3 overs, and Lewis and Smale put bat to ball in emphatic fashion, reaching their 50 partnership off 45 balls with Lewis reaching her half-century off 42 balls.The century stand arrived just 25 balls later as Warwickshire struggled to contain the pair, Lewis smashing ten fours in making 75 off 53 balls before hitting Amu Surenkumar to Sterre Kalis at point with Lancashire 119 for 2 and five runs ahead on DLS.Fi Morris added a whirlwind 14 off eight balls while Smale was bowled by Georgia Davis for 47 off 39 balls to reduce the hosts to 143 for 4 with 29 needed from 23 balls.Ailsa Lister and Ellie Threlkeld steered Lancashire to within two runs of that target when Lister was caught for 16, but Threlkeld (13 not out) hit the winning runs at the start of the last over to seal victory.Warwickshire had built a strong-looking total of 283 after being put in to bat, built on a series of good partnerships.Abbey Freeborn top-scored with 60 and marshalled the visitors innings beautifully, while Surenkumar and Kalis contributed 49 and 43 respectively before captain Davis thumped a rapid unbeaten 31 over the closing overs.After Kate Cross had Ellis caught at midwicket with her fourth delivery, Meg Austin and Surenkumar fashioned a good recovery with 61 runs in 11 overs until Austin was drawn forward by left-arm spinner Hannah Jones and smartly stumped by Threlkeld for 32.Surenkumar had driven and pulled effectively in hitting eight fours before lbw for 49 after misjudging the length to pull against Fi Morris with Warwickshire 115 for 3 midway through the 20th over.Kalis was quickly into her stride, hitting her fourth ball faced for six off Morris, to up the tempo alongside Freeborn as the pair struck the ball positively in posting their fifty partnership off 65 balls.Kalis was undone by spin and bounce from Emma Lamb’s second ball and bowled for 43 off 52 balls, but Freeborn and Nat Wraith quickly established another good partnership to take the visitors past the 200-mark in the 38th over.The pair had added 52 inside nine overs before Wraith attacked the first ball of Jones’ second spell and was stumped for 29 with Warwickshire 220-5 in the 42nd over.And the visitors lost further wickets in the quest for late runs. Issy Wong made 12 while Freeborn – Warwickshire’s leading run scorer this season in the competition – reached her half century from 74 balls before falling for 60 off 86 balls.But Davis added a final flourish by hitting an unbeaten 31 off 21 balls alongside Hannah Hardwick to set Lancashire a challenging target.

Last season, Arsenal did an Arsenal and started badly. They started really badly. They started so badly that Danny Welbeck drew comparisons with Thierry Henry as he was the only Arsenal player to show up week after week. Well, Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez.

Sanchez took to the Premier League like Arsene Wenger takes to silky attacking midfielders. He is simply made for the Premier League. He’s quick, sharp, skillful, stocky and strong, and has a dynamic haircut. He’s lethal on FIFA. He’s the kind of player everyone wants.

No one wants Ozil in their FIFA team – Ozil can’t shoot from distance, he can’t beat a man and he won’t just run through the defence when you hold the sprint button. All he can do is those poxy short passes you do in those five frustrating minutes of trying to be like Barcelona before you give up and stick on Yaya Toure and Paul Pogba.

No one wants Ozil, but Sanchez, Sanchez everyone wants. Even Arsene Wenger.

[ffc-gal cat=”arsenal” no=”5″]

If Wenger played FIFA I’d imagine him working meticulously on his short passing game, penning the opposition into their own half and getting his team to pass it around in an arc around the opposition’s 18-yard box. It would be the most boring game you’d ever watch, but it would be hilarious too – it would be hilarious watching Wenger get gradually more frustrated, as each time he lost the ball his opponent would break away and punish him on the counter. He’d rage quit before half time.

But even Wenger loves Sanchez. He’s the explosive spark in his team, that player who makes things happen, who runs in behind the defence and worries defenders with his pace. Or he picks the ball up from deep and worries defenders with his footwork, speed or just by his sheer directness. Or he simply standing in an attacking position and frightens the life out of the defenders by his very presence. He’s the ‘World Class’ player in Arsenal’s team of mere ‘Professionals’.

And so that’s why his less-than-World Class start to the season was worrying. In fact, it was worrying before that. It was worrying when he had to play a World Cup, and then an entire season for Arsenal, and then go off to the Copa America, and then come back and play for Arsenal again. Wenger managed it well, he gave the Chilean a few weeks’ grace to come back and recover before pulling on his Arsenal shirt again. But he wasn’t completely ready for the start of the season.

He didn’t hit the heights, and he was sluggish. He wasn’t awful, he just wasn’t as good as he had been. And it was perfectly understandable, he was beat. But he seems to be back.

Against Chelsea, Sanchez displayed one or two touches we’ve come to expect from him. Against Leicester, he almost looked back again. It’s just taken him some time to find his feet, but he might have found them again.

It’s a critical time for Arsenal. After two defeats in the Champions League, and two games against Bayern Munich coming up, and after defeat to Chelsea they now have Manchester United coming up at the weekend. It’s a crunch game, not just in terms of the season, but in terms of morale and form.

If Arsenal lose, not only does it mean they lose ground, but they lose yet another big, important game. The Gunners have had some sort of a mental block against big sides and big games over the past few seasons and have lost games when the pressure was on. This season they weren’t meant to have such mental problems, but this weekend is the test.

But now Arsenal have big players for these big tests, and it’s up to them to step up. Alexis Sanchez is one such big player, and if he’s well rested and if he’s found his explosivity, then he’ll be back to being the kind of player everyone wants in their FIFA team.

And if he’s back to that level, then he could be the difference between defeat this weekend – and a return to the questions of old – and a victory to re-establish Arsenal’s place in the title race.

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Cast your mind back to the last international break. Although it was just over a month ago, so much has changed since the final round of EURO 2016 qualification, with Liverpool an almost unrecognisable club.

With the tired Brendan Rodgers axed and replaced by Jurgen Klopp, there is a new ‘feel good’ factor at Anfield, and even the loss at home to Crystal Palace – the German’s only defeat in seven games – has done little to dent the optimism on Merseyside.

It’s still early days, but it’s clear to see that the football being played is more effective than witnessed during Rodgers’ latter weeks, with confidence a big factor. Ultimately that is the only difference at the moment, with Klopp working with the players he was left by the Northern Irishman, and with the January transfer window looming large, there have been, naturally, a host of links with potential additions.

Bundesliga players have made up the bulk of the speculation, but does the 48-year-old tactician really need to look back to Germany for major additions? Okay, one or two names may be needed to add a little more zip to the side, but Klopp actually has plenty of options at his finger tips already.

Proof that he’s looking at using what he has has emerged with reports that Jose Enrique is once again a first-team player after being axed by Rodgers, and with that in mind here are FIVE more names that show signings are not a complete necessity…

Dejan Lovren

Say it quietly, but Lovren has been much improved since Klopp’s arrival. During his albeit brief, outings, the much-maligned Croatian has appeared to be going back to basics, and that’s not a bad thing. It always felt like Rodgers was asking too much of the £20m signing from Southampton, whose game is not tailored to playing neat passes out of defence when under pressure. It could be argued that a defender worth such a fee should be able to play a bit of football, but the mistakes bred more mistakes and before fans, or Lovren himself, knew it a snowball of horror was rolling onto the pitch each weekend.

With Mamadou Sakho missing until the New Year fuel has been poured on the ‘new centre-back signing’ fire, but should Klopp be able to get Lovren’s confidence back, there’s no reason the player that impressed so much at Southampton will not come to the fore again.

Jordan Rossiter

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A controversial ‘three games in a week’ run in the England U-19 didn’t only erode the already weak relationship between the FA and Liverpool, but also ruled the teenager out of action with a hamstring injury. The 18-year-old has, as a result, been out of Klopp’s plans since mid October, but as the winter rolls on he’s getting nearer and nearer to full fitness, which will come as a boost for the German. Although still a little raw, the Merseyside-born midfielder has already drawn comparisons with Steven Gerrard thanks to his spiky edge and energy the centre of the pitch, and with Klopp known to be a manager who values passion for the club as well as technical ability, a link with the local community is sure to be valuable to him in the long run. It’s a bit early to talk Rossiter up as the saviour of youth football at Liverpool, but there’s no denying his talent, and it would be a shame to see another signing jetted in ahead of him so soon.

Joao Carlos Teixeira

Sheer weight of numbers means that the Portuguese playmaker went un-registered for the Europa League this season, but he has been given a look-in under Klopp already. During the League Cup win over Bournemouth the 22-year-old was one of a host of fringe players given a go, and really did impress as part of the attacking midfield set-up. His neat movement and technical ability came to the fore when his clever back-heeled effort at goal resulted in Nathaniel Clyne’s winner, and the confidence this is likely to have given him could ensure that he kicks on and gets game time as the fixture list swells through December and into January.   Given that he’s not much older than some regulars in the Reds’ first-team, one gets the feeling that this may be Teixeira’s last, and perhaps only, chance to make an impact at Anfield, so Klopp may be wise to give him a go rather than make an addition to his already plentiful ranks in January, especially as he has Lazar Markovic due to return next summer.

Connor Randall

Another handed his full debut against Bournemouth, Randall may well have found himself in the squad due to necessity, but he did impress against the Cherries. Injuries to the likes of Joe Gomez and Jon Flanagan and the frankly bizarre decision to loan Andre Wisdom to Norwich has left the Reds with only one recognised right-back in Nathaniel Clyne, which makes Randall the second in command. The 20-year-old offers the energy and drive Klopp is known to favour from his wide defenders, so he may just about get the chances he needs to push on due to circumstance.   It’s been shown in the past at Liverpool, and many other clubs, that full-backs don’t always have to be the best players on the pitch and can get by by working hard and keeping the shape, which bodes well for Randall as he looks to break through the ceiling between youth and senior action on Merseyside.

Jon Flanagan

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Almost a forgotten man at Anfield, Flanagan was a key member of the ‘so near, yet so far’ title challenge of 2013/14, but a knee problem picked up on the very last day of that campaign has kept him out of action ever since. The 22-year-old has been under the knife to solve his issues, and the hard work appears to be paying off with his long-awaited return scheduled for next month. Such an absence means that ‘Flanno’ is sure to be on the peripheries for a while as he gets back up to speed, but the 22-year-old’s ability to play in either full-back position may make his comeback feel like a ‘new signing’ for Klopp, who is criminally short of options on the left and right side of defence due to injuries.

Flanagan may not be the most technically adept defender and will not offer the pace of Alberto Moreno, but he’s a solid, reliable and young option with Merseyside heritage, which will make him appealing to his new manager.

Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane is worried that Liverpool players will be pumped by the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as the Reds new manager ahead of their clash this weekend, according to reports from the Guardian.

Kane was in the England camp with several Liverpool stars during the last two qualifiers, and the Spurs ace revealed that they could not wait to work for the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss.

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And although the 22-year-old expects a much more passionate Liverpool side when the Reds travel to White Hart Lane on Saturday, Kane actually believes that the Lilywhites’ high fitness levels would actually be a better fit for Klopp’s high pressing game.

“In the first couple of games after a managerial appointment everybody tries to impress so they will probably have that little 5% extra than usual,” he said.

“We expect that. The Liverpool players at England could not wait to get back to start working under him. But we have out-run every team we have played so far this season and that’s a sign we’re playing the manager’s tactics right and are fit enough to do it.

“And that’s what we have to do again on Saturday. Obviously Liverpool, with a new manager, will be up for it. But we know what we have to do.

“Nobody is really talking about us and the top four, and that’s probably a good thing. We haven’t lost in the league since the first game of the season. We’ve had a few draws where we should have won as well, but we are playing well and doing the right things.

“We have a fit young squad and we are training hard. We are happy to stay under the radar and keep putting in good performances because it’s very open this year. That’s down to the standard of the Premier League – anyone can beat anyone, and that’s been shown a lot this season.”

Tottenham are currently on a good run of form, winning three out of their last four games and will be looking to spoil Klopp’s Premier League debut.

Kane will also personally look to add to his goal-tally, only managing to score one league goal so far this season.

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