Campbell suffered a cardiac arrest in England last month when visiting after the Netherlands' tour of New Zealand.
He has only recently been removed from an induced coma by doctors with no signs of any brain damage, and follow-up tests led to the conclusion a heart attack did not cause the cardiac arrest.
The 50-year-old is expected to re-join the Netherlands camp ahead of their three-match ODI series against West Indies, which starts on May 31, before Eoin Morgan's England visit for three 50-over games in June.
Campbell, who was appointed as the Netherlands coach in 2017 after playing for both Australia and Hong Kong at an international level, was quick to pay tribute to the medical staff who looked after him.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank the amazing doctors and nurses at the Royal Stoke Hospital critical care unit for their incredible professionalism, kindness and compassion," he said.
"I also want to thank Beci Bassett, a parent at the adventure playground in Cheshire who immediately administered CPR. Her courage and quick intervention quite simply saved my life.
"My wife Leontina was at my bedside hour after hour and kept our families informed of my progress. She dealt bravely with every development thrown her way. LT, I thank you and love you.
"LT was joined early on by my great mate Simon Millington, who flew out from Nevada to be there for her and her family and assisted them throughout the ordeal. For this, I will be eternally grateful.
"Finally, I want to say a big thank you to all my well-wishers from around the world. The amount of messages of love and support my family and I received was extremely humbling."
Langer resigned this month after only being offered a six-month contract extension on the back of a 4-0 Ashes thrashing of England.
The former Australia opener had also masterminded a T20 World Cup triumph in the United Arab Emirates last year.
Eyebrows were raised over Langer's dramatic exit, but Australia Test captain Cummins said the feeling in the dressing room was it was the right time for a new coach to be appointed.
New chair Henderson does not want a repeat of the way the situation was played out so publicly.
He told reporters: "It got messy in terms of things playing out in the media. But the board's role was to receive recommendations from management. We made our decision based on that.
"With any significant decision like that boards should reflect on that process that was involved.
"It is unfortunate that a bit of that played out in the media, and we will reflect on whether that should have been accelerated through the summer."
Henderson will look to bring stability after taking over from interim leader Richard Freudenstein, who stepped in following Earl Eddings' resignation.
The new chair has vowed to be transparent in a new era for Cricket Australia.
"My communication style will be to be open, transparent, hopefully consistent," he said on Thursday.
"I work in health care. We've negotiated a pandemic in the last two years. That's required a fair amount of resilience. So within the bounds of the confidentiality of boards, I hope that there's a really open and transparent way forward."
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated its disappointment after New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced the team would be returning home.
Pakistan and the Black Caps were due to meet in three ODIs and five T20Is, with the first fixture set for Friday in Rawalpindi, but the entire tour has been called off.
Neither team left their hotel on Friday morning and spectators were not allowed to enter the stadium.
A statement from NZC declared the team had decided to withdraw from the tour "following an escalation in the New Zealand government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground".
NZC chief executive David White said: "I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option."
The PCB did not agree with NZC's decision, however, insisting the Pakistan government had been in contact with New Zealand's government to appease any fears over the security and safety of the travelling party.
"Earlier today, New Zealand Cricket informed us they had been alerted to some security alert and have unilaterally decided to postpone the series," a PCB statement read.
"Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams. We have assured New Zealand Cricket of the same. The Pakistan prime minister [Imran Khan] spoke personally to the prime minister of New Zealand [Jacinda Ardern] and informed her that we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team.
"The security officials with the New Zealand team have been satisfied with security arrangements made by the Pakistan government throughout their stay here.
"PCB is willing to continue the scheduled matches. However, cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last-minute withdrawal."
Pakistan did not host Test matches from 2009 to 2019 after a terror attack on the touring Sri Lanka team, which left six players, two staff members and an umpire wounded, and eight others – six Pakistani police officers and two civilians – dead.
After posting 273-8 in their 50 overs, New Zealand looked to be on the point of victory when they reduced India to 153-7 in reply.
Yet Ravindra Jadeja and Navdeep Saini led a gutsy fightback that came to a head with India needing 23 runs to win from the final two overs.
By then they were nine wickets down and Jadeja holed out to Colin de Grandhomme on the long-off boundary in the last act of a gripping contest.
New Zealand's success gave them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series, following an opening win at Seddon Park on Wednesday, and the runs that set the platform for this latest victory were hard earned.
Opener Martin Guptill made a run-a-ball 79 before being run out in the 30th over, after he and Ross Taylor chased a chancy single.
Taylor (73 not out) and Kyle Jamieson (25no) later shared in an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 76 that allowed New Zealand to post a testing score, just as India threatened to bowl them out in the low 200s.
A mid-innings collapse had seen New Zealand crumble from 157-2 to 197-8, with five batsmen in succession dismissed for single-figure scores.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal snaffled three wickets while Jadeja (1-35) kept the run rate down, with India hoping they had reined in New Zealand sufficiently.
Shreyas Iyer was then the only batsman in India's top six who could hold his head high. He made 52, but one aggressive shot too many proved his downfall, a rash swipe at a straight ball from Hamish Bennett resulting not in the intended cut to the boundary but a clip through to wicketkeeper Latham.
Amid a string of failures with the bat, Virat Kohli had his wickets clattered by Tim Southee and KL Rahul edged a delivery from De Grandhomme into the stumps.
It fell to the lower order to dig India out of trouble, with the eighth-wicket pair of Jadeja and Saini taking the fight to the Kiwis.
The tourists required 85 runs from the last 10 overs and threatened to get them. Saini clubbed two huge sixes, but Jamieson bowled him after the second of those, ending an entertaining innings of 45 and a 76-run partnership.
A misfield led to Chahal being run out, and it effectively came down to Jadeja versus the New Zealand attack. A lusty hoick from the left-hander proved to be his last of the match, dismissed for 55 with Jimmy Neesham's full toss lashed into the grateful hands of De Grandhomme.
The series concludes in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday.
Taylor put on a masterclass as his unbeaten 109 helped New Zealand – playing in their first one-dayer since the dramatic defeat to England in the Cricket World Cup final last year – to a four-wicket triumph in Hamilton.
The result came after a 5-0 defeat to India in the Twenty20 series, though Taylor believes having added experience in the one-day squad was a decisive factor in a high-scoring contest.
"We lost in a clean sweep in the T20 series, but all we talked about was the new personnel coming in – there was no hangover for them," Taylor told a news conference.
"I'm sure it must play on their mind a little bit, they're human and towards the end we lost a couple of wickets but at the same time, our last ODI was a World Cup final.
"A lot of guys have played in a lot of pressure situations. There's probably more experience in this side than the T20 side and I think that showed. But it's only one game, there's still a long way to go in the series.
"The older you get the better you deal with different situations. I had a lot of help out there.
"It's small margins, it could have been a different result but that's cricket, it's why we love the game. Those little things went our way today and in the T20 series they didn't."
Without injured captain Kane Williamson, stand-in skipper Tom Latham put India into bat, but the decision appeared to have backfired when the tourists reached 347-4.
However, inspired by Taylor – who was ably supported by Henry Nicholls (78) and Latham (69) – the Black Caps managed their highest successful run chase in ODI cricket.
"It's the tough thing about playing in some of these grounds in New Zealand, you don't know what a par total is," Taylor said.
"I think there were some great contributions through the whole order and even the bowlers, because it looked like India could get 360, 370 at one stage so it was nice for us to just keep it under that 350 psychological mark.
"If anything, what made that chase a little easier for us was left-right combinations. We knew there was one short boundary and we were able to use that to our advantage."
Taylor has established himself as a Black Caps great, scoring a record 18,074 runs in 445 appearances for his country.
The classy 37-year-old made his New Zealand debut back in 2006 and has gone on to become the only player to feature in 100 games in all formats.
Taylor has crafted an incredible 40 hundreds for the Black Caps and made 93 half-centuries, averaging 44.87 in Tests, 48.20 in ODIs and 26.15 in Twenty20 Internationals.
The former New Zealand captain announced on the eve of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh that his international career will end in 2022 following ODIs versus Australia and the Netherlands.
"It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have," he said.
"It's been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way.
"But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me. I want to thank my family, friends and all those who have helped me get to this point.
"There'll be plenty of time for more thank yous and reflections later in the season – but for now I want all my energy and focus to be on preparing and performing for the Black Caps this summer."
Black Caps head coach Gary Stead said: "Ross has always been a hugely respected member of the side and we’re thankful for his contributions to the Black Caps over an incredible career.
"His skills and temperament as a batsman have been world-class and his ability to perform at such a high level for so long speaks volumes of his longevity and professionalism.
"His experience has held the side together on countless occasions and his catching record [346, the most by a New Zealand fielder] speaks for itself. There's no doubt we’re going to miss him when he's gone.
"Seeing him hit the winning runs in Southampton to help win our first ICC world title is a moment I will never forget and I'm sure it's the same for many of the fans.
"I know Ross is really focused on performing well in these remaining series and going out on the right note."
Among the many highlights in Taylor's career was his 290 against at the WACA in November 2015, the highest Test score by a visiting batter in Australia.
The Black Caps pulled out of a limited-overs series in Pakistan at the last minute due to a government security alert.
Kane Williamson's side will be back in the country to play two Tests and three ODIs from December next year to January 2023.
They will then return for five ODIs and as many Twenty20 Internationals in April 2023 to make up for not facing Pakistan this year.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said: "Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations It’s good to be going back."
Raja the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, said: "I am pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations, and thank Martin Snedden and his board for their understanding and support.
"This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have, and reconfirms Pakistan's status as an important member of the cricket fraternity."
The fast-bowling trio missed the ODI games against India on home soil through injury, though Boult did feature in the two Tests that followed against the same opponents after recovering from a broken hand.
As well as Boult, Ferguson suffered a calf strain while Henry broke his thumb as the Black Caps were blighted by absences during a 3-0 Test series defeat in Australia.
However, they are all available for the upcoming three one-dayers against their trans-Tasman rivals. The first two fixtures take place in Sydney on March 13 and 15, with the finale in Hobart five days later.
Seamers Hamish Bennett and Kyle Jamieson are also in a 15-man squad, along with spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi.
"Playing Australia in Australia is one of the great challenges in world cricket and you know you will be severely tested in all aspects of the game," said Black Caps coach Gary Stead.
"Our one-day unit is a pretty settled one with plenty of experience and I think that showed in the recent series against India.
"It’s great to welcome back the class of Trent, Matt and Lockie who spearheaded our run to the Cricket World Cup final last year.
"Kyle's made every post a winner since his international debut this season and he’ll be a handy asset to have in Australia."
New Zealand ODI squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor
The two teams had been hopeful of ensuring the decider would produce an outcome, with the tourists 219 all out at Hagley Oval as Washington Sundar posted 51 and Daryl Mitchell took 3-25.
But with just two more overs needed for the Black Caps to reach the DLS threshold of 20 overs in response, the heavens opened to ensure yet another washout and a 1-0 series win for Kane Williamson's side.
Finn Allen's 57 had helped New Zealand to 104-1, putting them in a strong position to go on and win the match regardless.
Across six limited-overs matches, it marks the fourth instance of rain significantly impacting proceedings, with three no results and a fourth decided by DLS.
India had benefited in the Twenty20 International series, themselves winning 1-0.
Pooran will take over the captaincy for the West Indies ODI and T20I teams after being Pollard’s deputy over the last year. The appointment will include the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in October 2023. Shai Hope has been recommended to stand as vice-captain of the ODI team.
CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said: “We believe Nicholas is ready for the challenge of leading our white ball teams given his experience, performances, and the respect he has within the playing group. The Selection Panel believes that Nicholas has matured as a player and were impressed with his leadership of both teams when Kieron Pollard had been absent. The experience he has gathered playing in various franchise leagues around the world was also a factor in the decision to recommend him for the T20 captaincy.”
Pooran has already captained the West Indies Men in Pollard’s absence, leading them to a CG Insurance T20I Series win at home against Australia in 2021.
The left-handed wicketkeeper/batsman has eight half-centuries and an ODI century to his name. He has also scored eight T20I half-centuries for the West Indies Senior Men’s team. He first burst onto the cricket scene representing the West Indies Under-19 team at the 2014 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, smashing 303 runs from six matches.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt congratulated Pooran on his appointment saying, “Nicholas Pooran is a specially gifted cricketer, and the right person to take over the white ball captaincy. We are confident that he will continue to climb the leadership learning curve speedily, and successfully. I appeal to all West Indies cricket stakeholders to give Nicholas the support and encouragement that he deserves.”
Pooran expressed his delight in his appointment saying, “I am truly honored to be appointed captain of the West Indies team. I am following the footsteps of several giants of the game who have created an amazing legacy for West Indies cricket. This is indeed a prestigious role, a pivotal position in the West Indian society, as cricket is the force that brings us all West Indians together. To be named captain is indeed the highlight of my career so far and I want to drive the team forward to accomplish great things on the field for our fans and loyal supporters.”
His first outing as captain will be the three away ODIs against The Netherlands in Amstelveen starting May 31 which form part of the ICC World Cup Super League.
The 24-year-old Nissanka was out for 137 just as Sri Lanka approached the winning line, but by that point it was too late for Australia.
Chasing down Australia's 291-6, Sri Lanka reached their target with nine balls to spare, posting 292-4 to achieve their highest successful run chase against Australia in ODIs.
Captain Aaron Finch made 62 for Australia, with Alex Carey weighing in with 49 and Travis Head cracking three sixes in his 70 not out.
Yet it proved well within Sri Lanka's reach as Nissanka shared a stand of 170 for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, before Mendis retired hurt on 87 at the end of the 38th over, seemingly troubled by a leg muscle injury. It ranks as the highest second-wicket stand by a Sri Lanka pair against Australia in ODI games.
Australia won the opener to the five-match series at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday, but Sri Lanka got back on level terms with victory at the same ground in the Kandy suburbs on Thursday.
Both were rain-affected games, but the wet weather held off at the R Premadasa Stadium and the home crowd relished the sight of Nissanka and Mendis setting about a largely impotent bowling attack.
There was a late wobble as Dhananjaya de Silva (25), Nissanka and Dasun Shanaka (0) were dismissed, with David Warner taking a terrific one-handed catch on the run and over his shoulder to dismiss the century maker, but Australia's hopes were soon extinguished as they slipped 2-1 behind in the series.
Nissanka shows he belongs
In 14 previous ODIs, Nissanka had a best score of 75. In his first nine matches at this level, he scored a not-so-grand total of 86 runs; however, he found his feet with two half-centuries against Zimbabwe in January, and after making 56 followed by 14 in this series, he turned it on in grand style on Sunday.
Happy hunting ground
Sri Lanka's men have now won three of their last four ODIs against Australia at the R Premadasa Stadium, and nine of their last 12 at the venue against all opposition. This win, following the victory on Thursday, means Sri Lanka have won back-to-back ODIs against Australia for the first time since January 2013.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are in the process of recruiting separate head coaches for the Test and limited-overs teams after sacking Chris Silverwood.
Rob Key opted to move away from having one head coach to be in charge of every side following his recent appointment as managing director of England men's cricket.
McDonald was appointed as Australia head coach for all formats last month and he believes it is important to have just one boss.
Asked if there was any prospect of him going for a job with England, he told SEN: "No I don't think there was a risk.
"I think the way that they're going to set-up, structure up, is clear. I think they're going to go for a split coaching role. My views on that differ slightly.
"My belief is to still have that one coach and share the workload within that. I think for me the continuity of messaging is critical. But also the priorities shift. And people probably don't like me saying this, but the priorities do shift at certain times. You can't be everything to everyone.
"For example, Pat Cummins, on the back of three Test matches in Pakistan, at the end of that he's severely fatigued and then the white-ball team gets compromised because Pat Cummins isn't playing. But he's not ready to perform in that environment.
"If you had split coaches, which format takes priority? So, I think the ability to have one selection panel, one coach to work through that, give the direction to what the priorities are at the time and managing the overall squad as such and then someone, potentially a Michael Di Venuto or another assistant coach, coming in to allow the head coach to balance the workload but still stick on the same path.
"For example, we're going to build towards the 2023 World Cup, am I going to do every one-day game leading into that World Cup? There's no chance of that. So I think that the continuity of messaging for me is important."
England are aiming to avoid a series defeat in their third ODI match against Australia after being consigned to a 68-run defeat at Headingley on Saturday to see the tourists take a 2-0 lead.
Rashid along with Jofra Archer are the only survivors of England's 2019 World Cup-winning squad as England aim to rebuild their white-ball sides.
With captain Jos Buttler sitting out the ODI series against Australia through injury, 36-year-old Rashid is the oldest player in a fresh-faced squad by five years.
While newcomers Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox and John Turner are taking their first steps on the international stage, Rashid remains an integral part of England's future.
Tuesday's clash in Durham will be Rashid's 138th cap for England, but the spin bowler has no plans to follow fellow spinner Moeen Ali into retirement.
"I have not thought about it [retirement] yet," Rashid told the BBC.
"Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies - that is my ultimate aim.
"I have not thought about retiring or calling it a day any time soon."
Having failed in the defence of both their white-ball world titles in the past year, England are rebuilding with a view to the Champions Trophy in February.
Both Joe Root, who was rested before next month's Test tour of Pakistan, and injured captain Jos Buttler are expected to be in England's future plans.
However, the Headingley defeat against Australia was England's 10th in their past 14 ODIs, but Rashid insisted that they have the talent coming through to improve.
"There have been big changes, new batters, new bowlers," Rashid said. "It will take time. It will always take time when it is a rebuilding process.
"We have got every base covered in terms of bowling, batting, keeping.
"Everything is there for us. All we have to do now is play the game of cricket, enjoy it, string a few games together of winning and then off we go."
Six days before the Test series starts at Supersport Park, Cricket South Africa (CSA) revealed matches will be staged behind closed doors in order to protect the players.
The Proteas and India will play three Tests and as many ODIs without fans in attendance.
A CSA statement said: "Cricket South Africa (CSA) has noted the interests of cricket fans and other stakeholders on the scheduling and the release of the details of ticket sales, in connection with the forthcoming India vs Proteas tour that is scheduled to begin in less than a week.
"Regrettably, CSA wishes to inform the most ardent fans of cricket as well as all sports lovers that owing to the increasing COVID cases around the world, and the fourth wave locally, the two cricketing bodies have taken a joint decision to protect the players and the tour by NOT making tickets available for the India vs Proteas offerings.
"This decision was taken in order to avoid any breaches that could compromise the tour from a COVID-risk perspective and to also maintain a hazard-free bubble environment."
Pholetsi Moseki, the CSA acting chief executive officer, said: "We acknowledge the interest expressed by the fans and other stakeholders on being able to return to stadiums and want to assure all cricket fans that this decision was not taken lightly, but was instead taken in the best interest of the game and in the interest of the health and safety of all patrons.
"Consequently, we urge all sport lovers to exercise absolute care, during these extraordinary times.
"I also wish to take this time to urge all South Africans to continue spreading the positive messages of VACCINATION, VACCINATION AND VACCINATION, because this is the only way that we can truly get our country back into its high economic activity, which will assist government to open up the economy and all its forms of economic activity, including allowing greater numbers of fans back into stadiums."
World champions England flew home on Thursday despite two 'unconfirmed positive' coronavirus cases in the touring party being confirmed as false positives.
The one-day series was initially delayed and then cancelled due to positive tests within the bio-secure bubble.
A South Africa player and two hotel staff members were discovered to have COVID-19, forcing games scheduled for last Friday and Sunday to be postponed before the 'unconfirmed positive' tests in the England party were reported.
Judge Zak Yacoob will not accept that the hosts should take any blame for the ODI series not going ahead on a day it was confirmed Sri Lanka will arrive for two Tests in South Africa - the first of which starts on Boxing Day.
"What I want to negate is an idea that our provision of services was substandard and that there is any justification for the English saying they did not want to participate and go home," the chair of CSA's interim board said in a virtual news conference.
"The facts are that ultimately, they were negative [test results]. We have gone into our protocols and we think that our protocols have been very good.
"There may have been an issue of psychological troubles. People may have felt nervous about false positives. Our position is that we do not wish to blame the English, but we wish to say absolutely and completely that any notion that they went away because it was in any way our fault, is completely wrong.
"There is an awkward narrative coming out that third world countries can't manage these things properly. I can say we have been managing the virus much better than England."
He added: "Many aspects of the operational side are not working and I don't want to go into details of that because then those in charge of the operational side will start running to the newspapers to say how bad the board is.
Judge Yacoob, however, acknowledges CSA should possibly have imposed stricter rules on the England party.
"The only criticism I can make, and I am not even authorised to make it, is that we were too lax with the English and their desire to do things which in our strict view they shouldn't be doing," he said.
"We were stronger on preventing our players from doing things and we allowed the visitors a little more laxity. There's a courtesy thing, because they are visitors and so on."
With little margin for error as the Proteas battle to qualify for this year's World Cup in India, Rassie van der Dussen made a brilliant 111 and David Miller 53 as the hosts posted 298-7 at Mangaung Oval on Friday.
Jofra Archer (1-81) was expensive on his long-awaited international return in Bloemfontein, where Sam Curran (3-35) was the pick of the England bowlers.
Roy struck a sublime 113 from 91 balls, combining with Dawid Malan (59) for an opening stand of 146, but the world champions collapsed to 271 all out to go 1-0 down.
Paceman Nortje claimed 4-62, while Sisanda Magala (3-46) and Kagiso Rabada (2-46) also played a big hand as the tourists capitulated and South Africa made a great start to the three-match series with so much at stake.
Captain Temba Bavuma (36 off 28 balls) and Quinton De Kock (37 off 41) put on 61 for the first wicket before both were both sent packing by Curran.
Van der Dussen and Miller added 110 for the fifth wicket, the number three pacing his knock superbly, with Archer given the treatment in his first England match for almost two years.
It had looked like being a procession for England when South Africa-born Roy and Malan got them off to a flyer, only for the latter to strike a Magala bouncer high in the air for Bavuma to take.
Magala also removed ODI debutant Harry Brook after Nortje saw the back of Ben Duckett, but Roy raced to his hundred in only 79 balls as the boundaries flowed.
England were 196-4 in the 30th over when Rabada dismissed Roy and Jos Buttler kept them ticking along with a patient 36, but they crumbled after Nortje had the skipper caught behind in a brilliant spell.
Tabraiz Shamsi sealed a stunning win by getting Olly Stone caught and bowled in the 45th over.
Roy returns to form in spectacular fashion
Opener Roy was left out of England's T20 World Cup-winning squad last year, but he showed what he is capable with a powerful knock that included 11 fours and four sixes.
He has now passed the 4,000-run milestone for England in ODIs with 4,106 in total. Among England batters, only Joe Root (91 innings) reached that mark in quicker time than Roy's 105 innings.
Rapid Nortje burst decisive
Van der Dussen was outstanding with the bat as he ensured South Africa posted an imposing total, but it did not look like being enough as England appeared to be cruising to victory.
That was until the rapid Nortje came to the fore with a brilliant spell, taking 3-14 in four overs to turn the tide and rock England. Buttler, David Willey and Archer – out for a duck on his return – all fell to the fired-up fast bowler, who totally changed the game.
Holder was replaced as captain of the ODI team last September by Kieron Pollard but was retained as a player. According to the former skipper, the transition from that leadership role has been tough.
"To be quite honest, it has been tough transitioning back just as a player," Holder said on TalkSPORT recently.
According to the former skipper, first he had to contend with getting back into the team.
"In hindsight, it has been tough trying to understand how to get back in as just a player," he said.
The switch from Holder to Pollard had caught the former by surprise, learning of it during last year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League, a tournament he went on to win as captain of the Barbados Tridents.
"Yeah, it was an interesting time for me. I had found out earlier in the tournament that we have moved as one-day international captain. For me, it was just trying to win it [the CPL]," he said.
Just prior to the switch and since, Holder has not proven very effective in the ODI version of the game, but says this is not a bother for him because he is acutely aware of his own ability.
Many had suggested that Holder’s place in the team was in question and he would not be in it were he not captain.
To date, Holder has taken 136 wickets in 111 innings at an average of 36.38, but in his last eight innings with the ball, he has not been able to get near those figures.
In 10 innings prior to losing the captaincy, Holder had seven wickets at an average of 69.85, while in the eight he has played since, he has picked up six at an average of 66.16.
"Performances obviously haven't been there as I would've probably liked, but I'm not too disheartened," Holder said. "I don't beat myself up. I don't get too worried because I know my ability. I know what I can produce. I just know that an innings is around the corner, a bowling effort is around the corner."
According to the Test skipper, he may have been suffering from a bit of burnout, having played 62 matches in 2019.
"I felt I needed the break after the India series [in December] particularly, just to refresh," Holder said.
"I had played every single series in the entire year, I played county cricket as well, and my batteries needed a little bit of a recharge. Obviously, I needed some time to go and think about how I wanted to go forward as a player and try to work out again how just to be a player as opposed to being the captain."
Harmison had always intended to retire from one-day international cricket after the 2007 World Cup but brought the decision forward after not being included in the 16-man squad to compete in the New Year triangular tournament with Australia and New Zealand.
“After careful consideration and having taken advice from several people who have been close to me throughout my career, I have decided to retire from one-day International cricket with immediate effect,” the then 28-year-old said.
“This has been a difficult decision but I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can and believe that concentrating solely on Test cricket is the best way forward for me during the next phase of what will hopefully be a long England career.”
Harmison made his ODI debut in December 2002 in a 43-run victory over Sri Lanka in Brisbane, claiming the prized wicket of Kumar Sangakkara as the first of 76 scalps in 58 ODIs.
He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in October 2013 at the end of Durham’s title-winning season, saying he had delayed his announcement so as not to take any of the attention away from his county’s achievement.
The England captain pulverised a world record 17 one-day international sixes out of a team total of 25, another new benchmark in the format, while his 57-ball ton was the fourth quickest in the tournament’s 44-year history.
Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers cleared the boundary rope 16 times in an innings, but Morgan’s feat was even more remarkable as it came only days after he limped off against the West Indies with a back spasm.
“Never have I ever thought I could play a knock like that. I’m delighted that I have,” Morgan said. “All the work over the last four years, over the course of my career, it all comes to the front now.
“The last four years I’ve probably played the best in my career. But that hasn’t involved the 50 or 60-ball hundred.”
Any lingering fears over Morgan’s back injury were subsequently allayed following a knock that relegated hefty contributions from Jonny Bairstow (90) and Joe Root (88) to footnotes in England’s 397 for six at Old Trafford.
Morgan was dropped on 28 in the deep by Dawlat Zadran off Rashid Khan, who came in for some heavy punishment from the Dubliner en route to miserable figures of 9-0-110-0.
Afghanistan were never likely to mount a serious challenge to the total as they crashed to a fifth successive defeat to remain rooted to the foot of the group-stage table. However, they managed to avoid being blown away and posted 247 for eight.
Morgan raced past Root in the 40th over, during which he became the eighth man to reach 200 ODI sixes. He converted 50 into 100 in just 21 deliveries, clearing the ropes three times in six Rashid Khan balls, and kept on swinging.
Morgan levelled the sixes record with back-to-back blows off Gulbadin, then brushed off Root’s dismissal by hitting a 17th hard over his fellow skipper’s head. He holed out next ball, finally falling short as he aimed over long-off.
England went on to be crowned world champions for the first time following a dramatic final against New Zealand at Lord’s that went to a Super Over and was eventually decided by boundary count.
Matthew Mott stepped down from the role earlier this week with immediate effect, having first taken charge of the one-day set-up in 2022 before leading England to T20 World Cup glory.
However, they endured a difficult 2023 Cricket World Cup, finishing seventh in the group, and failed to defend their T20 title earlier this year, scraping out of the groups before losing to eventual winners India.
Former England international Marcus Trescothick will take over as interim head coach, leading the team for the Australia series in September.
However, Morgan believes England have a ready replacement in McCullum if they can find a way to balance this job with his role as head coach at Test level.
"In my eyes at the moment, you would go to Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum," Morgan told Sky Sports.
"I say that because I believe he [McCullum] is one of the best coaches in the world. You can see what he did with the England Test team.
"Yes, the big question will be how he makes it fit over the course of the 12 months, but from Rob Key's point of view, he needs to make the job attractive.
"The option is not to have someone come in and let them grow in the job. You're talking about winning World Cups and winning Champions trophies.
"This is not an opportunity for a young guy to come in. You want the best person on the planet to come in and help Jos Buttler and the England cricket team get better."
McCullum has enjoyed an impressive two years alongside captain Ben Stokes at Test level, winning 17 of their 25 games, losing only eight and drawing one.
Most recently, they cruised to a 3-0 series win over West Indies, which saw debutants Gus Atkinson, who took a five-for in his first game, and Jamie Smith star in the comprehensive victory.
"I'm not sure McCullum has been given a lot of thought and if anything, he should," Morgan added.
"Key should have that conversation because we've seen a dramatic turnaround in the England Test team and the foil that he's made with Stokes.
"I've played under Brendon as a coach. We've seen what he's done in New Zealand cricket over the years and the success that he's had.
"He's a very versatile, more than capable coach who is highly, highly regarded, who ultimately has made the England Test team a better side, which is what you want from your head coach."
