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England and South Africa frustrated by Durban downpours

A succession of downpours in Durban delayed play, then interrupted the action after South Africa began their innings, and finally brought about a soggy end to the contest.

England were seeking victory at Kingsmead to make up for their thumping seven-wicket defeat at Newlands on Tuesday, while the hosts were aiming for a win to seal a series success.

Play began almost two hours later than planned due to the wet weather, and South Africa reached 37-1 in 6.3 overs – Joe Root bowling dangerman Quinton de Kock for 11 - before heavy showers forced the players off.

A no-result outcome looked inevitable as the outfield took a drenching, but an early-evening inspection saw the umpires give the go-ahead for play to resume, with the match cut to 26-overs-a-side.

South Africa pressed on and Reeza Hendricks reached an unbeaten 35, but the fall of Temba Bavuma lbw to Chris Jordan for 21 - leaving the home side 71-2 - coincided with the return of rain.

Confirmation of the abandonment came just over 20 minutes later, with the teams now heading to Johannesburg for Monday's final match in the rubber.

England announce 24-man training group ahead of Ireland ODIs

Paul Collingwood will take charge of the group, which will live and train on-site at the Rose Bowl in Southampton ahead of the series, which starts on July 30.

Only eight of the players who were part of the 15-man squad that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup are included.

Seven players – Henry Brookes, Sam Hain, Laurie Evans, Phil Salt, Brydon Carse, Richard Gleeson and Tom Helm – have not represented England in any format.

Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone have previously won Twenty20 caps, while David Willey returns after missing out on last year's World Cup squad.

Alex Hales, who has not been included in a squad since he tested positive for a recreational drug in April 2019, was left out, with national selector Ed Smith touching on the batsman's omission.

"I have nothing to add to what Eoin Morgan has said about Alex," Smith told Sky Sports.

"We know how good a player he is, we know what happened, Eoin has been very clear about his comments and we support that."

Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali were left out of England's squad for the three-Test series against West Indies but are included in the training group, as is Jason Roy.

England appoint Kiwi McCullum as Test head coach

The 40-year-old was confirmed on Thursday as Chris Silverwood's successor and will take up his first coaching role at international level.

Former Black Caps captain McCullum had been considered a strong candidate to coach England's white-ball teams, having been employed by Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.

Rob Key decided to bring in separate Test and white-ball head coaches after he was appointed as managing director of England men's cricket last month.

Key led the interviews for both roles this week, and it is former wicketkeeper-batter McCullum who has been given the opportunity to turn England's fortunes around in the longest format under new skipper Ben Stokes.

McCullum said: "I'd like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era.

"In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on.

"I've enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I'm no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can't wait to get started.

"Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us."

England appoint Mott as limited-overs head coach

Rob Key, the new managing director of England men's cricket, decided to split the coaching roles and appointed New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum as Test head coach last week.

Paul Collingwood, interim head coach following the dismissal of Chris Silverwood, was thought to be the leading candidate for the role with Eoin Morgan's limited-overs sides.

However, Mott has landed the job, and it was confirmed on Wednesday that the 48-year-old has signed a four-year deal. 

Mott was appointed as Australia head coach in 2015 and subsequently guided them to the Women's World Cup title last April, losing just two of their past 42 ODI matches.

He is expected to be in place for the world champions' three-match ODI series against the Netherlands in Amsterdam next month.

Mott said: "I am delighted to accept the opportunity to take this white-ball role with England. Whilst I am Australian, I have deep connections, and several of my closest friends are in the UK, having spent considerable time in Scotland, Wales and England, both as a player and coach.

"When this role became available, I was attracted by the chance to work with such an established and successful team under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan and now Rob Key, whom I have always admired as an excellent cricket mind.

"The idea of the split roles and the chance to work alongside Brendon McCullum in his red-ball role is an opportunity that I am incredibly enthusiastic about and certainly provides the right balance for my family as we embark on this exciting journey.

"It was always going to take something special to leave the role that I have loved for the past seven years with the Australian Women's team. However, I genuinely believe that the time is right to play a role in helping the England Men's ODI and T20 group continue to evolve as one of the best teams in the world.

"I am fully aware that this team has been functioning well and part of my initial plan is to work with the playing group and support staff on how we can firstly maintain, then enhance, the success they have started to build over the past few years.

"Since the excitement of accepting this role, I, like many people around the world, have been trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of my great mate Andrew Symonds. The support of his beautiful family and close friends in the coming days will be vitally important, so I respectfully request some time to process his passing and the immense loss before making any further comment on the role at this stage."

Mott has previously worked in the head coach roles at New South Wales and Glamorgan, while he has also had a few brief spells working with Australia A.

A former top-order batter for Queensland and Victoria, he was among the names floated as a potential successor to Justin Langer to coach the men's side for Australia.

In 2009, Mott was also an assistant coach in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders, who McCullum played for in the inaugural edition of the competition before later coaching the franchise.

Mott will be aiming to deliver T20 World Cup glory in Australia this year before they defend their ODI World Cup title in India in 2023.

England are in the 'box seat' against New Zealand, claims Overton

Seeking a 3-0 whitewash with victory in Yorkshire, England claimed a lead of 31 runs as they were bowled out for 360.

Jonny Bairstow added to his overnight 130 to reach 162, five short of his best ever total for England in the longest format, while Overton missed out on a debut Test century when he was caught on 97.

New Zealand fell from 152-2 to 168-5 after a rain break in the evening session to leave Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell looking after a lead of 137 when rain stopped play.

Overton was understandably disappointed to narrowly miss out on a century, but believes his knock has helped give England the edge going into the final two days.

"It's been good fun. Obviously I was very disappointed getting out on 97, but I feel like I've contributed to the team," he told reporters.

"It's always a challenge when you first go into something, but I feel I've done okay. I'd like to take a few more wickets, but I'm more than happy to get 97. I didn't think I'd get anywhere near that, especially coming in at 55 for six.

"I think that last session put us right in the box seat. We would like to go back out there at the end but couldn't quite get out there with the covers needing time to get them off.

"But we're in a great position going into tomorrow and hopefully we can get the two early wickets, the two key wickets. But we feel like we're in a good place. And if we can get those two early, then we're in a great place to win the game."

The Headingley crowd was in particularly raucous mood on Saturday, and Overton credited England's swashbuckling approach as key to the electric atmosphere.

"I've definitely not experienced anything like that before," he added. "The closest I've had was a Surrey against Somerset game, Ryan Patel getting things going down at third man. That was loud but it was nothing like this.

"Ben Stokes has got the ethos of trying to be entertainers for everyone and he said in the changing room earlier that the way me and Jonny played had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

"That's entertaining cricket and that's what we want to be doing. I like to think I'm quite an entertaining cricketer."

England assistant Carl Hopkinson insists Netherlands clash is no ‘dead rubber’

As the tournament finally edges towards the business end, the defending champions have long since become an afterthought in the wider context of the competition.

They have lost six of their seven games and saw their last mathematical chance of a miracle wiped off the table by rivals Australia in Ahmedabad last week.

The best they can hope for now is avoiding a first ever ODI defeat to the Dutch, the only associate nation competing in India, and keep their prospects of reaching the 2025 Champions Trophy alive.

They need a top-eight finish to book their spot, meaning there is no leeway for wallowing in their dreadful form when they take the field in Pune on Wednesday.

The appearance of Hopkinson, a low-key member of the backroom team responsible primarily for fielding, suggested the squad were not keen on issuing their own public call to arms, but he has no qualms about their motivation.

“I don’t think there’s ever a dead rubber when you play for England, to be honest. I think the lads are completely up for it,” he said.

“We’ve got two games in which we need to win both to qualify for the Champions Trophy, so I think that’s there for everybody to see. The guys are going to be obviously up for it and I think we’ll be good.

“We need to win and win well to qualify for the Champions Trophy, which is what we need to do.”

On his unexpected role as carrier of the England message, he added: “I’m not quite sure why I’m the man to explain, (but) I’m an assistant coach with the England team and I’m more than happy to come out and speak about our campaign so far.”

England have named an unchanged side for the last three games, losing emphatically to Sri Lanka, India and Australia, and could belatedly mix things up.

Harry Brook is on hand to add ballast to a badly under-performing top six, but could be added in place of all-rounder Liam Livingstone rather than one of the specialist batters.

Livingstone adds an extra spin option but has not been able to carry his share of the run-scoring load, with just 60 runs in six innings.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, who has been managing a sore knee, could also miss out with Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson snapping at his heels for a chance.

Wood is the fastest seamer in the squad by a distance, consistently clearing 90mph, but has struggled to keep a lid on his economy rate and has only six wickets at 58.16.

Carse and Atkinson are both likely to form part of England’s white-ball future, leaving captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott to decide whether now is the time to blood them in a game with live stakes.

Ben Stokes’ fitness was under observation on the eve of the match, with the Test captain carrying various niggles. He missed the first three games here with a hip problem and is set to undergo surgery on his long-standing left-knee injury when he gets back to England.

Former England quick Steve Harmison told the PA news agency this week that the team management should instruct Stokes to leave the camp and go home early in a bid to fast-track his recovery for the new-year Test series in India.

But Hopkinson suggested that idea was not under consideration.

“Knowing Ben, he’ll want to try and play the next game in front of him and try and win that for England,” he said.

“He’s about winning games of cricket for England, so I’d imagine that’s what he’ll be thinking about first and foremost.

“Once he’s obviously made that decision to have the operation, that’s obviously booked in and that’s what he’s going to do, but it’s not before this tournament finishes.”

England assistant Jeetan Patel says Ben Stokes wicket ‘written in the stars’

Ben Stokes bagging a wicket with his first ball in 251 days was described as “magical” by England assistant Jeetan Patel on an otherwise difficult day in Dharamsala.

England appeared bereft after a wicketless first session on day two of the fifth Test as hundreds from Rohit Sharma (103) and Shubman Gill (110) carried India into a position of outright dominance.

Stokes had one trump card left and used it in the second over after lunch, bowling competitively for the first time since July 1 last year and producing a beauty which thudded into Rohit’s off stump.

India closed on 473 for eight and a lead of 255 after England fought back in the final session, while Stokes’ instant impact and his five-over spell which yielded one for 17 augurs well for the future.

“He’s a freak,” said Patel. “It was almost written in the stars that he was going to bowl a jaffa first up. It’s magical, isn’t it? It’s so nice to see him back.

“He came on to bowl when the English crowds are waking up; they’re flicking on the TV and the first thing they see is Ben Stokes bowling a really good delivery to Rohit Sharma.”

Stokes has been a specialist batter for the last eight months and had surgery in November to remove a bone spur and reinforce his meniscus with stitches to try to resolve a longstanding left knee issue.

Stokes had made a “pinky promise” with England’s physiotherapist Ben Davies not to bowl on this tour but he has progressed well enough in his recovery and been operating at full tilt in practice recently.

Having teased the possibility of resuming his all-rounder status in recent weeks, the England captain broke his vow to Davies and showed he was worth the wait but barely acknowledged his breakthrough.

“We all know how we can round our attack out, especially in conditions like these where you’ve usually got two spinners, two seamers and then you want your third in Stokesy,” said Patel.

“It was nice to see him back at the crease but we’ve just got to be careful we don’t push him too far, it’s still early days. It’s exciting to see him support the bowlers on a day where it’s a hard slog.”

England’s hopes of a consolation win to end the series with a 3-2 loss steadily slipped away on Friday, with the efforts of Rohit and Gill added to by debutant Devdutt Padikkal (65) and Sarfaraz Khan (56).

All of India’s top five made fifty-plus scores but they lurched from 376 for three to 428 for eight as Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley made inroads, plugging away despite toiling for much of the day.

Off-spinner Bashir was tireless and claimed 44-5-170-4, while slow left-armer Hartley was similarly resolute and snared Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the same over in his 39-3-126-2.

The pair’s prospects of game time for their counties this summer are uncertain, with Bashir behind Jack Leach in the Somerset pecking order, while Hartley’s Lancashire have signed Nathan Lyon.

“My work continues when they are not with England,” said former New Zealand off-spinner Patel. “I am not the sort of bloke who is going to leave them in the lurch.

“It’s probably too far away to talk about it. But it would be nice to see these guys get more opportunities to bowl, get more overs in them, because they obviously have something to offer.”

England batsman Crawley a doubt for first India Test after suffering wrist injury

Crawley slipped outside the dressing room in Chennai on Tuesday and it is feared he may have suffered a fracture just three days before England start a four-match series with Virat Kohli's side. 

He must now wait for scan results to discover the extent of the injury, which he suffered on the eve of his 23rd birthday. 

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "Zak Crawley did not train today at England's practice session in Chennai. 

"He slipped outside the dressing room yesterday (Tuesday) and has injured his right wrist. 

"We are waiting on the results of scans and will know more tomorrow, ahead of our final practice. There is nothing further to add at this stage." 

Crawley opened in Sri Lanka in the absence of Rory Burns, but looked set to move to number three at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium after Jonny Bairstow was rested. 

England will have to rethink the order if he is unavailable, although there was positive news over Ollie Pope, who has recovered from a shoulder injury and could make his comeback after being added to the squad.

England batsman Jason Roy pulls out of IPL for personal reasons

The 31-year-old had been due to play for new franchise Gujarat Titans in the competition, which runs from March 26 to May 29.

However, Roy announced in a statement on his personal Instagram account on Tuesday that he will no longer be taking part in a blow for the Titans.

It is the second time Roy has pulled out of the competition, having also done so in 2020 after being picked by Delhi Capitals.

Roy, who welcomed his second child in January, said: "It's with a heavy heart I have decided to pull out of this year's tournament.

"I want to thank the management and the captain Hardik [Pandya] for putting your faith in me and picking me in the auction.

"However, with everything going on in the world over the last 3 years, it's added up and taken its toll on me. I feel it's only right I spend some quality time with my family. 

"As well as spending time working on myself and my game over the next couple of months leading in to a very busy year.

"I will be following each game of the Titans and backing them to lift the trophy in their first year of the tournament.

"Thank you everyone for the continued support and I hope you can all respect and appreciate my decision."

Roy played in the Pakistan Super League last month and is in contention to feature for England in the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

England batsmen feeling the heat in the nets, says Woakes

Joe Root's side begin a three-Test series against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Wednesday, having come from behind to defeat West Indies 2-1 last month.

Woakes starred in their series-clinching victory in Manchester, collecting 5-50 as the tourists were rolled for 129 in their second innings.

Stuart Broad joined James Anderson in the 500-wicket club last time out and the presence of two all-time Test greats in the squad is only one of the complications faced by the Warwickshire all-rounder.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood represent two genuine pace options, given their capacity to consistently hit speeds in excess of 90mph, while Sam Curran provides valuable variety with his left-arm swing bowling.

The upshot is a battery of seamers trying to impress, with England's batsmen bearing the brunt in the nets.

"It makes practice intense," Woakes told a news conference. "I think the batters will speak volumes on that.

"Down at the Ageas Bowl when we were training in prep for the West Indies series, it was extremely high intensity practice and the nets were doing a bit as well, so the batters found it hard work.

"The bowlers are trying to force their way into the team and that is only a good thing.

"I hope that I have done enough to be in that starting XI. But competition is high at the minute, we've still got two of England's greats charging in and taking wickets every time they play, and we've got exciting fast bowlers as well.

"It's not an easy team to just be cemented in. My record in England is brilliant, I'm obviously pleased with that, I want to keep getting better and improving myself and every time I get the opportunity to play for England, whether it is home or away, I'm giving 110 per cent and trying to do my best for the team."

Given such impressive reserves, it feels high time for England to improve their efforts in the opening matches of series – their loss in Southampton to West Indies following similar opening-game reverses against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia over the past 12 months.

"I'd love to be able to put my finger on it, I'm sure the management and the team would as well," Woakes said.

"It's getting to the stage where it isn't just a coincidence. We want to put that right.

"It's a new series, we'll try to make sure we're as well prepared as possible. We know the conditions here at Old Trafford, so there are no excuses."

Woakes was unsure whether Ben Stokes will be fit to bowl this week having been restricted to batting duties due to injury in the final test with West Indies.

England batter Harry Brook withdraws from IPL following death of his grandmother

The England and Yorkshire batter pulled out of England’s recent Test tour in India in January, citing personal reasons, and in a social media post revealed the reason at the time was because his grandmother “was ill and didn’t have long left”.

In a post on Instagram, the 25-year-old confirmed that he would not be joining up with Delhi Capitals, saying: “I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL.

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“I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone.

“Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this.

“I lost my Grandmother last month – she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather.”

Brook pulled out of England’s five-Test tour to India before the squad flew out from their training camp in the United Arab Emirates.

He added: “I made the decision to leave the India Test tour the night before we flew from Abu Dhabi to India because I was told for the first time that my grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left.

“Now that she has passed my family & I are grieving and I need to be around them.

“Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental wellbeing and that of my family’s, honestly nothing is more important to me than family.

“So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it’s the right decision for me. I’m young and hope to have many, many more years of cricket to come which I intend to make the absolute most of.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you.”

Brook, who has made four centuries in 12 Test appearances for England, played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL last season.

Delhi Capitals are due to play their first match of the new season against against Punjab Kings on March 23.

England batter Ollie Pope to miss rest of Ashes summer with dislocated shoulder

Pope suffered the injury while fielding early in the second Test at Lord’s, and later aggravated the problem after a miscommunication with match officials led England to believe they were not permitted to use a substitute fielder in the second innings.

Scans on Monday revealed that he would require surgery and he will now be out for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. In the short term England are likely to draft in Dan Lawrence, the spare batter in their 15-man squad, for Thursday’s third Test at Headingley.

He won the last of his 11 Test caps last March and has not played since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge of the side. England have decided not to call up any additional batting cover.

A statement from the ECB read: “England and Surrey batter Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the rest of the LV= Insurance men’s Ashes series after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last week.

“Scans in London on Monday revealed the full extent of the injury and he will miss the rest of the summer campaign and will require surgery. He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation.”

England batter Tammy Beaumont believes players feel the pressure of Test matches

England have mostly played Test matches on home soil, the last in June when Australia won by 89 runs at Trent Bridge.

The last time England played red-ball cricket overseas was in January 2022, when they played out a dramatic draw against Australia.

Women’s Test matches are usually one-off games as part of a multi-format series and Beaumont thinks players feel more nerves around the longest format due to the fact they do not come around that often.

She told a press conference: “You certainly feel more anxious around a Test match week.

“You have the likes of me, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt who have been playing international cricket for 12-14 years and we haven’t even played that many Tests, maybe 10 or 12, so if you think of that as white-ball cricket that is your first year.

“So, there are more nerves because we haven’t had the opportunity to master it. You are constantly a young player in Test cricket, no matter how old your body feels. In the men’s game 10 Tests is not even a career, it’s a start.

“I love Test cricket and each and every one of us would love to play more Test cricket and I’m almost interested to see what India do with the Australia Test match straight after, so if that goes well, I could see a future doing two-Test or three-Test series against the top nations, which I think would be amazing.”

England finish their tour of India with the Test after they sealed a 2-1 win in their recent three-match T20 series at the Wankhede Stadium.

Despite the gap between Tests, Beaumont will be looking to transfer some of her form from the summer.

The right-hander hit 208 against Australia, becoming the first English woman to score a Test double-century.

She added: “(We’re) not coming in with too many preconceived ideas of how the pitch is going to play or what a Test match in India might look like.

“We have found the wickets have played nicely and there’s a bit in it for the bowlers and batters, so not thinking you have to work on playing spin so much but it’s been a really good preparation period.

“Talking about something that happened six months ago (her double-hundred against Australia) can’t really count as form but certainly nice to know that was your last Test match and you go in with a lot of confidence.”

This will be England’s first Test in India since 2005.

Beaumont is hoping they can continue the momentum of interest injected into women’s cricket from the summer following the success of the Ashes and The Hundred.

“It’s good that we got the broadcast deal so people can watch it back home,” she said.

“On the whole it has been really positive as we got a lot of sellouts in the Ashes and into the Hundred the crowds every week were a record crowd.

“I think people are really taking notice of women’s cricket in England which is good to see and hopefully they will be right behind us for the Test as well.

“We want to inspire the next generation of female cricketers, not only in England but across the world, so we will be playing a way of cricket that people will want to watch.”

England beat Netherlands by six wickets to claim series win

The tourists posted the highest score in ODI history of 498 in Friday's first match, but they only required 236 runs to chase down their opponents' total in Amstelveen on Sunday.

However, after making a positive start to their response with Jason Roy (73) and Phil Salt (77) putting on a 139-run opening stand, England began to falter.

Captain Eoin Morgan again went for a duck and Liam Livingstone (4) followed, but Dawid Malan (36 not out) and Moeen Alli (42 n.o.) helped England claim victory with 29 balls to spare.

The start of play was delayed due to overnight rain, with the match reduced to 41 overs per side as a result.

Picking up from where they left off after their record win last week, England took the Netherlands' first three wickets for just 36.

New captain Scott Edwards spearheaded a recovery for the hosts with 78 off 73 balls, having earlier been given out before the leg before wicket decision was overturned.

Edwards was run out by David Willey, who ended with figures of 2-46 with the ball, while Adil Rashid also claimed the wickets of Max O'Dowd (7) and Tim Pringle (0).

England, who handed Roy his 150th ODI outing and Jos Butler his 100th, were on course for an easy win in pursuit of 235-7 until a flurry of wickets made things interesting.

Shane Snater caught his cousin Roy and then Morgan, either side of Salt being sent packing by Aryan Dutt, before Pringle took Livingstone from his first ball.

Yet Mooen and Malan steadied the ship to steer England to victory.

Edwards digs deep for the Dutch

Replacing former skipper Pieter Seelaar, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, Edwards stepped up for the Netherlands after electing to bat first, with his knock including three sixes.

That was the highest score of the day, though it was not enough to prevent the Dutch from slipping to an 11th successive ODI loss – not since between February 1996 and February 2003, a run of 12 matches, have they endured a longer losing run.

Morgan frustrated

Morgan was in need of some runs to get himself back into form after registering a first golden duck in the format since September 2017 in Friday's opener.

But he scored another zero, this time when attempting to hit Tom Cooper across the line but only succeeding in giving Snater a simple snare, and questions might be asked over his place in this England team.

England beaten in dramatic T20 opener as Australia tighten grip on Women’s Ashes

Australia were cruising on 130 for two before stumbling to 140 for five and while they needed just a single off the last five balls, a four-wicket victory was not secured until the penultimate delivery.

Beth Mooney’s 61 not out off 47 balls, plus cameos from Tahlia McGrath (40 off 29) and Ashleigh Gardner (31 off 23), underpinned the successful chase as England fell 6-0 down in the multi-format series with 10 points to play for.

Having also been beaten in the lone Test, England face having to win all five remaining matches – two T20s and three ODIs – to win the series against a side who are world champions in both formats.

Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn each took a couple of wickets to take this match to the wire, but Georgia Wareham was able to scramble a single after punching to cover to get Australia home.

Sophia Dunkley had earlier top-scored with 56 off 49 balls in England’s 153 for seven, a total in which only three of the home side’s batters reached double figures, while they were grateful for Amy Jones’ unbeaten 40 off 21 balls having lost four wickets for 12 runs in front of a 19,527 attendance.

England big-hitter Bairstow ruled out of T20 World Cup

Bairstow has been in stunning form for England in 2022 and was named in their T20 World Cup squad on Friday.

Yet he will now miss the series-deciding Test against South Africa and the tournament in Australia after sustaining what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) described as a "lower limb injury".

England's statement confirmed Bairstow had suffered the injury while playing golf in Leeds on Friday, in what they labelled "a freak accident".

Bairstow will see a specialist next week but was immediately ruled out of action for the foreseeable future. 

Ben Duckett has been called up in his place for the Test match against South Africa, while England will name a replacement in their World Cup squad in due course.

Bairstow has been England's standout performer this year, scoring 1,344 runs across all formats, hitting five Test centuries in the process.

England bowled out for 132 by West Indies in T20I series decider

Two days on from recording their highest ever T20 score, England came up against a more disciplined bowling performance by their opponents on the same pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.

Motie was the pick of the attack with three for 24, which included a peach of a delivery to bowl England dangerman Phil Salt, who followed up his back-to-back hundreds with 38 off 22 balls.

Salt was undone by drift then sharp turn as he lost his middle stump, although he was still England’s top-scorer for a third game in a row as they were all out for 132 in 19.3 overs in this series decider.

Five of England’s top-six departed to spin, with Hosein claiming two for 20, on a pitch that provided some help. Liam Livingstone (28) and Moeen Ali (23) put on a stodgy 40 for the tourists in the middle.

Where they had clubbed 20 sixes in their 267 for three on Tuesday, England amassed just five this time.

It was a particularly shabby end to their innings as they lost their last five wickets in 19 balls for the addition of just 11 runs, with all-rounder Andre Russell taking two dismissals in two balls.

England could not even bat out their overs as Sam Curran, one of only five batters to pass double figures, clothed Jason Holder to long-off to depart for 12.

England bowled out for just 156 in must-win World Cup clash with Sri Lanka

Knowing defeat in Bengaluru would leave them with one win in five and end any realistic hope of reaching the semi-finals, they batted calamitously and were rounded up in just 33.2 overs of self-inflicted pain.

Ben Stokes top-scored with 43 but even he barely laid a glove on the opposition, looking short of fluency throughout a 73-ball stay. Six players were dismissed in single figures, with Adil Rashid’s comical run out at the non-striker’s end summing up a shoddy performance.

England’s increasingly confusing selection continued as they dropped rising star Harry Brook, leaving them with a conspicuously ageing side comprised entirely of thirtysomethings for the first time ever in one-day cricket.

With up-and-coming seamer Gus Atkinson also benched, Liam Livingstone – who turned 30 in August – was youngest player on the teamsheet and they batted like a side long past their peak.

They now face the embarrassment of being ousted from the tournament they won four years ago by Silverwood, the man who was supposed to lead England in India before being sacked after the Ashes debacle of 2021/22.

England bowler Archer out for remainder of season, ECB confirm

Paceman Archer has not played for England since March 2021, in a T20I against India in Ahmedabad.

The 27-year-old has only featured four times since for his county Sussex, last playing in July last year.

He underwent surgery in May on a long-standing elbow problem, and needed a second operation to try and fix the issue in December, having missed the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.

That was expected to keep him out until June, though Archer had hoped to return to action for Sussex in the T20 Blast later this month. However, he failed to feature in second-team warm-up matches and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now confirmed the seamer is facing another long spell on the sidelines.

"After being diagnosed with a stress fracture to the lower back, England and Sussex seamer Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the rest of the season," a statement from the ECB read.

"No timeframe has been set for his return. A management plan will be determined following further specialist opinion over the coming days."

News of Archer's injury is a fresh blow for England, who are without a host of fast bowlers for the first Test against New Zealand in June.

Ben Stokes, who has replaced Joe Root as captain, is unable to call on Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Matthew Fisher or Saqib Mahmood, who like Archer has a stress fracture in his lower back and will not play again this season.

England bowler Archer to undergo surgery on right elbow

The 26-year-old was last week ruled out of England's two-Test series against New Zealand after suffering a setback on his return to domestic action for Sussex.

Archer, who previously had an operation on a hand injury at the end of March, was unable to bowl during the final two days of the County Championship match against Kent.

Having managed just two matches since being given an injection for the long-standing issue in March, it has now been confirmed Archer will go under the knife. 

A short statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday read: "Jofra Archer has been reviewed by a medical consultant in respect of his right elbow soreness.

"He will now proceed to surgery tomorrow. Further updates will be released in due course."

Archer has 42 wickets at an average of 31.04 in 13 Test appearances for England, who face New Zealand in a two-Test series next month as part of a busy schedule until the end of the year.

England play white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as five Tests against India, ahead of the T20 World Cup and Ashes Tour of Australia.