Oct
8
England reveal South Africa squads
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The England selectors today announced 16-man Test and one-day squads under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss for the tour of South Africa, which begins next month.
The Test squad contains three uncapped players; Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davies, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid and the Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright. Durham pace bowler Liam Plunkett has also been recalled to the Test squad.
Essex opener Alastair Cook has been named as vice-captain of the Test squad and has also been recalled to the one-day squad, together with Lancashire quick bowler Sajid Mahmood. Jonathan Trott, who made a century on his Test debut in England’s victory over Australia at the Brit Oval this summer, wins a place in both squads.
ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: “Andrew Strauss has made an outstanding impact as England captain over the past nine months and he will again lead the side in both five-day and one-day cricket in South Africa.
“Paul Collingwood led the side in the World Twenty20 this summer and he will continue to captain in this form of the game as we go forward this winter.
“We are delighted to welcome Steven Davies and Luke Wright into the Test squad for the first time. Steven is a player of great potential who has been a consistent performer for his county and he will act as understudy to Matt Prior in South Africa.
“The retirement of Andrew Flintoff has created a vacancy for an all-rounder in the squad and while we do not see Luke Wright as a like-for-like replacement for Andrew, we are excited by the way in which his all-round game continues to develop and believe he can make an impact at Test level.
“Kevin Pietersen is making good progress with his recovery from surgery on his injured Achilles. He will join up with the rest of the squad in South Africa following the first two Twenty20 internationals and his fitness will be reassessed ahead of the one-day series.
“Stephen Harmison has not been included in the Test squad because we feel his form has not been consistent enough over the past 12 months to justify a regular place in the side and we want to give an opportunity to other players to make a case for selection.
“Liam Plunkett has worked hard to improve all aspects of his game since he last played for England and his selection is reward for consistently putting in strong performances for Durham both with bat and ball. He will provide strong competition for a place in our pace attack this winter.
“Sajid Mahmood is another player who has had a taste of international cricket before and will be equally keen to make an impression in the one-day arena after continuing to show good form with Lancashire.
“Alastair Cook has shown great determination to improve his one-day game this summer, made runs at domestic level in both 50-over and Twenty20 cricket and the selectors believe now is the right time to re-introduce him to our one-day side.
“Likewise, Jonathan Trott who has made an immediate impact in our Test side and has also shown through his performances at domestic level that he has the talent and temperament to succeed in the shorter forms of the game.
“Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah will, of course, be disappointed not to be included in either squad but they are both high class players and will remain in the selectors’ thoughts as we go forward.
“Monty Panesar has struggled to find his best form this summer but he will play domestic first-class cricket in South Africa over the winter and we will continue to monitor his progress closely.”
Test squad:
Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain)
Alastair Cook (Essex, vice-captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Steven Davies (Surrey)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Liam Plunkett (Durham)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)
One-day squad:
Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Joe Denly (Kent)
Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)
Itinerary:
Nov 1: England squad arrives in SA
Nov 6: President’s XI - 50-over tour match, OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein
Nov 8: President’s XI - 50-over tour match, De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley
Nov 10: South Africa A - 20-over tour match, OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein (d/n)
Nov 13: 1st Standard Bank Pro20 International, Wanderers, Johannesburg (d/n)
Nov 15: 2nd Standard Bank Pro20 International, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Nov 17: South Africa A - 50-over tour match, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom (d/n)
Nov 20: 1st MTN one-day international, Wanderers, Johannesburg (d/n)
Nov 22: 2nd MTN one-day international, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Nov 27: 3rd MTN one-day international, Sahara Park, Newlands, Cape Town (d/n)
Nov 29: 4th MTN one-day international, Sahara Oval, St. George’s, Port Elizabeth
Dec 4: 5th MTN one-day international, Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban
Dec 9-10: SA Airways XI, tour match, Buffalo Park, East London
Dec 11-12: SA Airways XI, tour match, Buffalo Park, East London
Dec 16-20: 1st Castle Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Dec 26-30: 2nd Castle Test, Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban
Jan 3-7: 3rd Castle Test, Sahara Park, Newlands, Cape Town
Jan 14-18: 4th Castle Test, Wanderers, Johannesburg
Jan 19: England squad departs
Sep
28
In the space of 48 hours, England have beaten two of the pre-tournament favourites with an ease that even their most fervent fans could never have imagined. South Africa have been pushed into the abyss, and Sri Lanka cling on by just a fingernail. If New Zealand beat England on Tuesday, the fancied Lankans too can head home. And though England have already sealed their semi-final place, Daniel Vettori and his side will expect no favours from a team that made Graeme Smith’s world leaders look pretty ordinary.
“I hoped, but obviously we were pretty down in confidence after the Australia one-day series,” said Andrew Strauss when asked about clinching the qualification with a game to spare. “I think one of the things we’ve done since coming here is to go out and show people what we can do, and not die wondering. That’s come out in both the games we’ve played.
“That batting performance today was, I think, the best I can ever remember from England. Owais [Shah] took control of the situation, clearing the boundary that many times. It was a gem of an innings, well backed up by Paul Collingwood and then Eoin Morgan impressed again at the end. It was a fantastic batting performance.”
England hit 12 sixes, a record for them in a one-day international. Half of them came from Shah’s bat. “The Australia series wasn’t good for any of our batsmen, really,” Shah said. “Coming out here, we were probably in a dangerous place, with our confidence low. We lost pretty badly [6-1] to Australia, and we needed to go out there, play with freedom and express ourselves. We just backed ourselves to go out and play our shots, as you saw today with Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood in awesome touch. We put some really good partnerships together.”
Strauss reckoned that a change in the mental approach had made all the difference. “We can play the shots,” he said. “We do skills practice. The only thing sometimes is our mindset, whether we loosen the shackles and say: ‘Let’s go out there and take the game to them’. Fair play to Owais. He came in and whacked a six and just went with the flow after that. He really changed the momentum of the game because it looked like we were losing it. He and Colly played the spinners exceptionally well, which was crucial.”
Shah has been the subject of much criticism in recent times, for soft dismissals and shambolic running between the wickets. He insisted though that he had never viewed the trip to South Africa as an entrance into the Last Chance Saloon. “I didn’t think I was playing for my career,” he said. “If you get dropped, you get dropped. That’s life. If that’s the way the selectors want to go, that’s fine. As far as I’m concerned, I try and play every game as if it’s my last.
“Even the other day against Sri Lanka, I felt that the correct thing to do was to bat through and try to see us home. Today, we had different conditions, a flatter wicket and I decided to take the attack to the bowler. And it came off.”
Given his own problems with cramps over the years, it was predictable that Shah would be asked about it, given what had happened with Graeme Smith at the end of the game. “As far as cramp was concerned, it was about preparing well and hydrating,” he said. “I’m really happy with the way I batted today. It was probably one of my best innings for England. I faced a few balls and didn’t feel like the pitch was doing much laterally. I backed myself to play a few shots.”
England had suffered a setback in the build-up to the game, with Matt Prior being taken ill, but Strauss refused to rule his first-choice wicketkeeper out of the competition. “He was pretty sick this morning, but these things can change very quickly,” Strauss said. “Hopefully, he’ll recover pretty quickly and be fit for the New Zealand game.” Steve Davies, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper, has been called up as a replacement.
In Prior’s absence, Morgan kept wicket, with the highlight being a stupendous off-balance throw to run out the dangerous Albie Morkel. “I think the fact that none of us really noticed him [Morgan] today speaks volumes for how good a job he did,” Strauss said. “It was an exceptional performance from him behind the sticks.”
In front of the wicket though, Morgan did far more than just catch the eye, clattering a stroke-filled and innovative 34-ball 67. “I’ve always felt that he’s had the attributes to do well at this level,” said Strauss who plays alongside him at Middlesex. “He’s got a huge array of shots. He’s a very calm individual and he seems to be in control of his game.
“It always takes a bit of time for guys to get used to playing international cricket. He’s shown glimpses before and out here, these last two games, he’s been as impressive as any 23-year-old I’ve seen. We’re not going to put a lot of pressure on him. He’s still learning but it’s great to see him coming through.”
There were suggestions that Sunday’s victory was a warning shot across the bows with England scheduled to start a tour of South Africa in November. Strauss though was hesitant to look that far ahead. “It was a big match for us today, against the best one-day side in the world,” he said. “So to win it and play in the manner that we did is clearly going to help our confidence, come that one-day series in a few weeks’ time.”
Sep
26
Sangakkara lauds Strauss’s gesture
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Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has praised his England counterpart Andrew Strauss for recalling his batsman after he was run out during a Champions Trophy match here on Friday.
Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews turned England fast bowler Graham Onions to square-leg and completed a first run comfortably but collided with the bowler going for a second.
Wicket-keeper Matt Prior effected the run out after receiving the throw.
Mathews stood briefly at the pitch before walking back to the pavilion, but Strauss called the batsman back in a rare sporting gesture.
“It was an excellent gesture of sportsmanship and in the spirit of the game. It might have been an accident but, at the end of the day, the right thing was done,” said Sangakkara.
The England skipper justified his decision. “I didn’t see it because I was watching the ball at the time. I then had a chance to look at the replay and the umpires said ‘Well, it’s up to you if you want to call him back’,” said Strauss.
“My feelings on it were that it just didn’t look right. I also thought he was going to get back for the two quite comfortably if he hadn’t collided.
“I would certainly say that I don’t think Onions did anything wrong. There was no malice there at all. Other captains would be quite within their rights to not call him back.”
Following a similar incident last year at the Oval, former England captain Paul Collingwood was criticised for not calling back New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott who had collided with paceman Ryan Sidebottom.
“But I just felt, possibly having seen Colly castigated for doing it a couple of years ago, it probably wasn’t the right thing to do,” said Strauss.
Collingwood, named man of the match for his impressive 46 in his team’s six-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Friday, said he was not involved in the decision.
“I tried to keep out of it,” said Collingwood.
“I just left him to make his own decision. But he was straight in there, had a look at the replay and said ‘We’ll bring him back’.”
Mathews, who was then on 51, failed to make the most of the opportunity as he added just one more run to his score before being caught behind off Luke Wright.
Sep
24
England handed Borthwick boost
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England’s injury concerns have eased after medics confirmed captain Steve Borthwick will be available for the autumn internationals.
Borthwick has been diagnosed with a sprained rib cartilage, which could rule him out of Saracens’ Guinness Premiership clash Gloucester this weekend but is not a long-term problem.
The England skipper suffered the injury in Saracens’ game against Harlequins on Saturday but he refused to be substituted until the victory had been assured.
The news will come as a relief to England manager Martin Johnson, who has already lost inside centre Riki Flutey and full-back Delon Armitage to shoulder injuries.
Borthwick has started the season in impressive form and Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter outlined at the weekend how big a loss he would have been to both club and country if the injury had proven more serious.
“He is playing really well, which is fantastic for England. He is a serious world-class international lock,” said Venter.
“If you talk about a disciplined, honest, hard-working individual then Steve Borthwick fits that bill 100%. I have been very blessed to have a captain like that.
“In our first two games this season Steve had the most contributions and the second most contributions. We measure everything - tackles, ball carries, his rucking, his defensive play - and he is right at the top of our team.”
Sep
19
Collingwood returns refreshed
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England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has revealed his body felt like it was “slowly shutting down.”
Collingwood revealed his body felt like it was “slowly shutting down” before sitting out the past three one-day internationals against Australia.
“My left knee was a concern”
The 33-year-old had not missed a match of England’s heavy summer campaign, which began way back in June with the two-Test series against West Indies, until he was ordered by England’s medical team to rest after the third ODI at the Rose Bowl.
Collingwood admitted at one point during that match he had felt like he might not be able to get up after falling in the field as a host of “niggles” started to take their toll.
He is set to return from a 10-day break for Sunday’s final match of the series at his home ground at Chester-le-Street and admits he is glad for his brief spell out.
“There were a few niggles that could have got me into a lot of trouble if I continued playing,” he admitted.
“My left knee was a concern, as well as the right Achilles and the left adductor. There were a few areas that were building up all the time.
“There was one point where I fell on the floor in the field at Hampshire where I felt as though I wasn’t going to get up. There were areas that were slowly shutting down across my body, so hopefully this week I’ve been able to get them going again.”
James Anderson was also told to take time out after Southampton, the seamer sat out two games before returning to take four wickets at Trent Bridge on Thursday night, and Collingwood said England could look to rest players more regularly.
“I think in the future there will be more rotations,” he said.
“It was the medical staff’s decision”
“We haven’t really gone down that path in the past; it’s something that Australia have done pretty well over the past few years so I think that’s an area where they will go down.
“It’s making those sensible decisions at the time. I could have continued and fight through it, but there’s times when the body is showing signs.
“It was the medical staff’s decision, they came up to me and said I was looking jaded. The medical staff that we’ve got in place now understand the level of commitment that you’ve got to put out on the park.”
In Collingwood’s absence England’s woes in the one-day arena have deepened to find themselves on the brink of a record-breaking 7-0 series loss heading into tomorrow’s game at Riverside.
And while Collingwood has returned to an England dressing-room low on confidence he believes he can help restore some much-needed belief to not only avoid a whitewash against Australia, but to also lift the team for next week’s Champions Trophy in South Africa.
“It is amazing when you go away for a week and you come back and you’re energy levels are recharged - hopefully I can come back and filter some of that to the other guys,” he said.
“Like I’ve said to them (the players) it only takes one performance, we’ve been in these situations in the past. It just takes one person out of the team to go out there and put that one special performance in, and sometimes, that gives the confidence that’s needed to get the ball rolling again.”
Sep
11
Ponting’s chance for early revenge
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Ricky Ponting returns to lead Australia on Saturday, knowing he gets an immediate chance to exact revenge on England.
Ponting, 34, was granted a fortnight rest period following the 2-1 Ashes Test series loss - and his colleagues opened up a 3-0 NatWest Series lead in his absence.
They need to win only one of the final four matches, to seal the series - ironically thanks to the form of Cameron White, the man deputising for Ponting at number three in the order.
“Cameron’s played really well”
Twenty-six-year-old White has scored 200 runs in three innings, including a maiden one-day international hundred in the floodlit win at the Rose Bowl in midweek, and is now expected to switch to number seven.
“I might have to take someone down at training to get myself back into the side,” joked Ponting.
“Cameron’s played really well. I’ve been impressed with how he’s played in all three innings. I thought the way he controlled the innings for us the other night and his own innings was very good.
“He’s been in and around the side for a few years and been waiting for an opportunity to bat a little bit higher up the order.
“I think he showed us all over the last couple of weeks he’s more than capable of batting anywhere in the order - and that’s a real ‘positive’ for us and makes selections for Saturday’s game a little more difficult.”
Australia have now won 10 of their last 13 one-day internationals against England - although Ponting has observed from afar that, as in the Test campaign, there appears to be little between the teams.
“Clarke has done a good job captaining the side”
“The results have been one-sided, but the games have been closer than the results indicate,” he said.
“One-day cricket is a bit like that - the team that just grabs an opportunity when it comes up quite often goes on and wins games. They are probably a little bit more unsettled than we are at the moment.
“There’s a number of reasons why - we’ve played good cricket, and Michael Clarke has done a good job captaining the side.”
Ponting is certainly in better spirits than when he returned home in the immediate aftermath of that Ashes defeat.
“The reaction was pretty much what I expected,” he reported. “I don’t think there was anything that really shocked me too much about the way things were back in Australia.
“I think everybody in Australia really appreciated how good a series it was and how tight a contest it was through the whole series.
“For me it was all about clearing my mind and making sure that when I got back here I was ready to play well again.
“I feel terrific; I’ve had a few good sleeps over the last couple of nights, so I’ll be up nice and early and ready to go in the game.”
Australia also have a significant date at Lord’s next year, with one of the two neutral Tests against Pakistan scheduled for headquarters.
“This is one of the great places in the world to play Test cricket,” said Ponting.
“We’ve had a great time over here this tour and we are looking forward to playing Pakistan here in 10 months’ time. It will be enjoyable.
“It’s very significant for them (Pakistan). I’m sure they’d rather be playing here than not playing at all. That’s exactly the way we feel about it as well.
“Pakistan at the moment is obviously a fairly difficult place to tour for a number of reasons - and I think to be able to play Pakistan in neutral venues is something that’s going to be great for the game.”
Sep
8
Stuart Broad to miss third ODI
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England all-rounder Stuart Broad will take a few days rest and will not play the third NatWest series match against Australia.
England all-rounder Stuart Broad has been granted a few days rest and will not feature in tomorrow’s third NatWest series match against Australia at the Rose Bowl.
Broad, 23, sustained a neck strain in the opening match of the series last Friday which caused him to miss the second game at Lord’s on Sunday.
Although England are 2-0 down and Broad is a major player in their one-day plans, it was decided to allow him further recuperation time given the heavy scheduling over the next month.
Broad will rejoin the party on Thursday evening in anticipation of featuring in the fourth match of seven at Lord’s on Saturday.
In the meantime, England will effectively pick from a 13-man squad, with Kent opening batsman Joe Denly unavailable for Wednesday’s day-nighter due to his knee injury.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Graham Onions joined up with the party this morning at the Rose Bowl to bolster the options in the attack.
Sep
8
Beckham open to BPL return
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David Beckham has opened the door for a return to the Premier League.
Beckham will win his 114th England cap tomorrow night if introduced during the World Cup qualifier with Croatia at Wembley.
But if he is to remain at the forefront of Fabio Capello’s plans for South Africa 2010, the 34-year-old knows he must return to Europe.
A short-term deal is already in place for Beckham to join AC Milan once more.
However, there are alternatives beyond that, which include Premier League offers, even if Beckham remains committed to Los Angeles Galaxy.
“I have got plans,” said Beckham.
“I will finish the MLS season. After that, everybody knows that I’ll be coming back to play somewhere.
“LA Galaxy know that. If it upsets a few people, I can’t do anything about it.
“I keep saying how much I enjoy playing over there and how committed I am to the Galaxy, I think I will be back there after the World Cup.
“But there is a possibility that the contract might break in the autumn and I do have options.
“Milan have made me aware that they want me to go back there and I’m more than happy with that.
“But I have also had another three or four offers, so when the time is right, I will decide.”
The prospect of Beckham being back in the Premier League, even if he will have turned 35 by that point, is an appealing one, especially as for all his platitudes for LA Galaxy, a section of the club’s support have turned against him.
By then he could have become the first England player to have appeared at four World Cup finals.
Although he remained rooted to the bench during an international for the first time in 11 years on Saturday as England overcame Slovenia, evidence provided by the past 12 months suggests Beckham’s name is already pencilled in for one of the 23 spaces Capello will have available, providing England get the win they need from their final three matches.
Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon might all be able to provide blinding speed and the ability to beat a man but none can match Beckham’s experience or accuracy from set-piece situations.
That priceless attribute could allow Beckham to achieve a personal milestone at the expense of someone who have never been to one. Not that the former Three Lions skipper would feel bad.
“I wouldn’t have any reason to feel guilty,” said Beckham.
“The manager will pick a squad he thinks he needs for games. If I’m in it, then great. If I can come on with the experience I have and help the team, I will.
“If I’m not, it’s good for the other players.”
Sep
8
Lampard happy with striking options
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Frank Lampard believes England coach Fabio Capello has “two great options” at his disposal.
He feels England are fortunate to be able to select Jermain Defoe or Emile Heskey for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier with Croatia at Wembley.
Defoe has begun the current campaign in stunning form with Tottenham and he took his England goal tally to five in the last three internationals by netting against Slovenia on Saturday.
All of those appearances were as a second half substitute and Capello admits the former West Ham player is giving him food for thought.
But Heskey’s physical presence may prove invaluable against Croatia despite his shortage of goals and he was a key figure in the 4-1 win in Zagreb last September.
Lampard, who played alongside Defoe during his West Ham days, said: “The manager has to make the decision and we’ve got faith in him because he has shown he makes right decisions.
“Both players have made great cases to play on Wednesday. Jermain has hit the headlines recently because of his goal scoring.
“I’ve known him since he was 16 and believed he would eventually go to the top because he is a natural goal scorer.
“But Emile is also making a great case because of the way he has constantly played for England for a very long time.
“The manager has great options there, two different styles of player and it’s down to him which way he goes.”
Lampard is also backing another ex-club team mate in Glen Johnson after he came in for criticism for being partly at fault for the solitary Slovenian goal in their 2-1 defeat at Wembley.
Lampard said: “Jonno is a fantastic right-back. Everyone at some stage who is an England player comes under scrutiny and no one can have perfect games all the time.
“His form at club level has been fantastic for the last 18 months and has got him a well deserved move to Liverpool.
“His England form has also been good and he has given us an extra dimension down the right.
“We have always had left backs who have been good at getting forward in Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge. Now Jonno is giving us that on the right.”
Lampard is determined to make-up for the misery of England failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championships after being beaten 3-2 by Croatia at Wembley.
He said: “That will only play on our minds in a positive way because it was a low point for all of us and the nation and we won’t forget that.
“We hope we can put that right on Wednesday and qualify for the World Cup finals with a couple of games to spare.
“It will be nice to go into that game having a lot of confidence and also not a depleted squad which was the case two years ago.
“People go on about the past matches between the countries but all we have to concentrate on really is the game coming up on Wednesday.”
Sep
7
Revenge not on Beckham’s mind
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David Beckham has denied that England will be driven by revenge when they host Croatia at Wenmbley on Wednesday.
The last time the sides met at the famous London venue Slaven Bilic’s men memorably won 3-2 to end England’s bid to qualify for Euro 2008.
This time around it is England who can damage Croatia’s hopes of qualifying for a major tournament, after their seven wins from as many games has them in the box seat in Group Six.
Victory against Croatia will secure England’s place in next summer’s finals in South Africa and Beckham said it was that, rather than revenge, that would inspire his team-mates
“This game is not about revenge, it is not about putting to rest what happened last time we played Croatia (at Wembley),” said Beckham.
“It was a very tough time for the players and everyone involved in the England team.
“It was tough for the fans too. From a fans view they probably want us to beat Croatia for the revenge side of things.
“But for the players we know that if we win then we will qualify for the World Cup finals, that’s the incentive. Trust me that is all the players and the management staff will be thinking about.”
Beckham admitted the fateful night against Croatia in November 2007 was one of the low points of his career, with the defeat spelling the end of Steve McClaren’s time in charge.
Fabio Capello has since taken over and Beckham said his tenure has helped restore belief in an England team short on it after their Euro 2008 disappointment.
“What Fabio Capello has brought into squad and the nation is belief,” he added.
“After the last qualification campaign, when we didn’t qualify, that belief and trust was lost from the fans and that hurts players.
“This qualification campaign has brought belief back into fans and the players. That’s what we needed to get back.
“We needed to get back to playing the football we knew we could play but we also needed the belief of the fans.”