Ben Stokes was “devastated” as England fell behind in the Ashes after a gripping climax to the first Test at Edgbaston but he was resolute that their style of play can topple Australia.
An unbroken 55-run stand between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon saw Australia snatch victory from under England’s noses in a dramatic denouement to an LV= Insurance series opener that ebbed and flowed.
While smarting from a two-wicket defeat leaves England with an uphill task, Stokes has seen enough from the last five days to convince him that their attacking approach can reap dividends in the weeks ahead.
The big question amid all the pre-series hype was how the philosophy styled under captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum would cope with the world Test champions, but from the moment Zak Crawley thumped the first ball of the match for four, England have shown they are up for the battle ahead.
“I am devastated we’ve lost that game but in terms of what it’s done for the series, it’s hard to not be too disappointed because it has set up a great series,” Stokes said.
“It’s not a psychological blow at all.
“We’ve lost but if you look at the way we’ve played, compared to how the last few Ashes series have gone, proves what we’re capable of doing against Australia.
“Losing sucks but the way we applied ourselves literally from ball one proves we’re able to stand up to Australia.
“Even if we’re on the wrong end of the result here, we proved we can go toe-to-toe throughout the whole game against Australia. We’ve got four games left and that’s what we’re going to be concentrating on.”
One of the major talking points from the Test came with England declaring late on day one on 393 for eight – despite Joe Root flying after bringing up his first Ashes century since 2015.
But Stokes was unrepentant – reasoning there was a chance to eat into Australia’s batting, which was ultimately unsuccessful – and argued doing so may have laid the groundwork for the thrilling finale.
“I’m a captain who saw it as an opportunity to pounce on Australia,” he said. “The way in which we played and took Australia on actually allowed us to be able to do that.
“If we didn’t declare, would we have got that excitement like we did at the end? I’m not 100 per cent sure but I’m not going to be looking back at this game as what ifs. We just didn’t manage to get over the line.”
After rain wiped out the morning session, Australia resumed on 107 for three in pursuit of 281 at the 25,000 sell-out in Birmingham, where both sides seemed to be in the ascendancy at various stages.
Stokes winkled out Usman Khawaja as Australia lurched to 209 for seven then 227 for eight after Root snared Alex Carey but Cummins (44no) and Lyon (16no) defied the building tension to see Australia home.
The match-defining partnership might have been broken but Stokes was unable to hang on to what would have been a wonder catch when Lyon was on two.
Stokes admitted his thoughts drifted back to Headingley in 2019, when he and England were reprieved after Lyon flubbed a run-out chance at a crucial stage.
“It’s amazing how the world comes around and I drop that catch and then he’s not out at the end,” Stokes said. “It’s mad how things go round. It was in my hand, just didn’t managed to stick.
“It was an emotional roller coaster to be out in the middle, especially the person having to make decisions but I couldn’t be more proud of the way in which we’ve operated from the start of this game.”
Russell defends CPL's contribution to regional cricket but open to suggestions on improvements
With their long-term agreement with Cricket West Indies (CWI) heavily scrutinised by government leaders and cricket stalwarts, chief executive, Pete Russell of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) defended the product’s positive contribution to cricket in the region.
Addressing the gathering on Friday’s final day of the CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, Russell said the CPL is one of CWI’s largest domestic commercial partners.
While noting that CPL contributed significantly to player economic welfare, with nearly US$28 million spent on salaries since the start of the tournament in 2013, Russell, also revealed that cumulative losses, across both the league and franchises for the past 11 years, stand at US$40 million.
“Dennis O’Brien and Digicel have been the principal investors, not only investing in the league from day one but they also spent money on sponsorship and media rights. The franchises have also pumped in significant money, money that helps pay players and coaches, as well as investing in local businesses around the region that help make the games happen. All the franchises have made losses.
“So, on the positive side, Cricket West Indies has been paid close to US$17 million in sanction fees, so over the past 12 years CPL would be one of CWI’s largest domestic, commercial partners. Caribbean players have taken home US$27.7 million in player salaries since the tournament’s inception, all paid for by the franchises,” Russell declared during the event held in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Each year, it takes US$25 million to run this tournament over five weeks. CPL and the franchises bear all these costs. There is no financial burden on CWI or the territorial boards, so the risk is 100 per cent ours.
“So that is our starting point each and every year. So as you can imagine, the commercial challenges are considerable just to break even,” he added.
Russell’s response came as government leaders and West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd, suggested that the 50-year contract between CPL and CWI be re-negotiated.
The issue of the league’s ownership was also called into question, as they view was largely expressed that there would potentially be more development and earnings for players, if CWI controlled the tournament.
But, Russell, a member of the CPL management team rebutted.
“What is interesting is that other leagues around the world are following the lead of CWI. They are also looking for third-party investors to help fund their leagues. The English Cricket Board are in the process of selling The Hundred, the Australian Cricket Board are courting outside investors for the Big Bash, Cricket South Africa sold all their rights to host broadcaster Supersport, and the new American Major League Cricket is 100 per cent privately owned,” Russell shared.
“In time, only the IPL will end up being 100 per cent owned by its domestic board and that is simply because they can afford to do so. So, trust me when I say, ownership isn’t everything, and smart stewardship and partnership can yield better results. But of course, we’re always happy to listen to any suggestions on how we can improve things,” he ended.
IPL: Royals extend lead at the top after Samson and Jurel see off LSG
Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel combined for an unbeaten partnership of 121 as Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
The Royals have now won eight of their nine matches in the 2024 campaign and are almost certain to be involved in the playoffs after chasing down their victory target of 197 with an over to spare in a seven-wicket triumph.
Another Royals win had looked unlikely when they fell to 78-3 in their run chase after Jos Buttler (34), Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Riyan Parag (14) all fell in quick succession shortly before the halfway mark.
But Rajasthan captain Samson fought back as he blasted 71 runs from 33 balls including seven fours and four maximums, while Jurel bounced back from a poor period of form to finish unbeaten on 52 from 34.
LSG reached 196-5 from their innings courtesy of a fine knock from their own skipper, KL Rahul. He reached 76 from 48 before eventually falling to Avesh Khan (1-42) in the 18th over.
Deepak Hooda made it to 50 as LSG rallied from 11-2, but ultimately their competitive total was within reach of the visiting Royals.
Data Debrief
This is the second time in as many home games Rahul has passed fifty, after he scored 82 against Chennai Super Kings last week.
Samson (385) and Rahul (378) are second and third respectively in the race to win this season’s orange cap, although RCB’s Virat Kohli continues to set the pace with 430 runs.
They also narrowly trail Kohli (40) when it comes to the most fours hit in this season’s competition, with Samson on 36 and Rahul just behind with 34.
Babar's captain's innings leads Pakistan to victory as series drawn with New Zealand
Babar Azam top scored as he led his Pakistan team to a nine-run victory over New Zealand in Lahore that saw the five-game T20I series end in a draw.
Babar hit 69 runs off 44 balls before being bowled by Ben Sears, smashing six fours and two sixes to take his team to 123/3 at the time of his dismissal.
Fakhar Zaman (43 from 33) and Usman Khan (31 off 24) also chipped in with important innings as Pakistan ended on 178/5.
With a target of 179 to secure a 3-1 series victory, New Zealand's run chase faltered almost immediately as opener Tom Blundell was removed within the first over with his team having managed just five runs on the board.
Blundell's fellow opener Tim Seifert steadied the ship with a vital 52-run innings off 33 deliveries before being bowled by Usama Mir, but Shaheen Shah Afridi led the way for Pakistan, finishing with figures of 4-30 to stem the New Zealand run chase
Josh Clarkson's 38 off 26 set up a nervy conclusion, but Pakistan held on to avoid defeat in the T20 series as the teams share the spoils at two wins apiece after the first game was abandoned.
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