England face a battle with the elements as they try to force victory in the fourth Ashes Test and keep their hopes of a series win alive.
Only 30 overs were possible on Saturday, with plenty more rain forecast on what could be a frustrating final day at Emirates Old Trafford.
Australia are more than happy to settle for a draw that would see them retain their 2-1 lead and the urn, meaning England will be forced to make the running in whatever windows of play are possible.
They have already been frustrated by a 103-run stand between centurion Marnus Labuschagne and Mitch Marsh, but saw their prospects rise when Joe Root had the former caught behind.
There is little margin for error after their 275-run first-innings lead was whittled down to 61 by the tourists, who will resume on 214 for five.
View from the dressing room
Labuschagne scoffed at the very notion that Australia might make a bold bid for a win of their own on day five, making it clear England could expect nothing but resistance.
Tweet of the day
Leading meteorologist Simon King predicted no play at all over the weekend but is hoping to be proved wrong for the second day in a row.
England see the light
Midway through Saturday’s play, match officials Joel Wilson and Nitin Menon informed England captain Ben Stokes that the light had deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer use his fast bowlers. That meant spin from both ends, with an out-of-sorts Moeen Ali backed up by Root. England were frustrated with the decision and will be hoping to use their full attack in any victory push, particularly the raw pace of Mark Wood. Wilson was also lampooned for wearing sunglasses at the same time that he was adjudicating on the quality of the light and may be advised against a repeat performance.
All eyes on Anderson
Things have yet to click for England’s record wicket-taker this summer, with just four wickets at 76.75. He has been pushed to the periphery at key stages and while the 40-year-old would love to be the man to drive the team onwards on his final Ashes appearance at his home ground, he may have to wait his turn. The Lancashire faithful will be with him all the way, but Anderson needs to find his missing X factor in a hurry to give them the show they want.
Cashback for the crowd
After a thrilling series of daily entertainment, Saturday’s ticket holders were forced to watch the weather wipe out two full sessions. Supporters were treated to just 30 overs of action in the middle, but their disappointment was mitigated by the news they would receive a 50 per cent refund. Just one more delivery would have taken them beyond the cut-off point. For once, England’s slack over-rate offered something for fans to feel good about.
Windies captain Shai Hope stresses need for efficient execution to clinch series decider against England
West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope has once again stressed the importance of executing efficiently in order to clinch the series decider against England in a crucial contest at the iconic Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday.
Scheduled for a 1:00 pm start, the day-night match has stirred excitement among fans, with Hope rallying his side to draw from their recent performances and focus on building momentum for a strong finish in the three-match series.
The series is currently locked at 1-1 after the West Indies won the opening contest by eight wickets, before England topped the second by five wickets.
“It’s the biggest game of the series because we unfortunately conceded the last game, but this is a great occasion for us; we understand that we have a lot in front of us and we understand that we have to play good cricket to get over the England team,” Hope said in a pre-game interview.
Reflecting on the second ODI, where he led by example with a brilliant 117, Hope underscored the significance of consistency in both batting and bowling.
His century, along with half-centuries from Sherfane Rutherford (54) and Keacy Carty (71), were standout moments in a match that tested the resilience and skill of the West Indies lineup. However, the bowling department failed to deliver as England’s captain, Liam Livingstone, struck an unbeaten 124 to get his team across the line.
“I’ll continue to preach that we need consistency in order for us to consider ourselves an elite team. We have to string performances together; it can’t always be one game or two games in a series; we have to seal it,” Hope said.
“We have to play good cricket all the way through, and it is important that we understand the condition, the times of the game that we are supposed to be pressing and supposed to be relaxed. So, we have to be more consistent disciplined with our skills and make sure when we get to those crucial points of the game we press on,” he stressed.
That said, Hope believes that his team is mentally primed for the challenge.
“We are always mentally ready; I think that these most recent months we have been playing some really good cricket. We’ve had our ups and downs yes, but we can definitely see some improvements in the different stages in the game. For us, we have to ensure that we always have that positive mindset regardless of what we do in the field,” the Barbadian said.
“We have to believe in our skills both inside and outside to ensure we have all the capable assets to go out there and perform for the West Indies. But the feeling is always good; the guys are raring and ready to go; we understand what is at stake, and this is basically a final for us,” Hope added, emphasizing that while the rivalry adds an edge to the contest, they are not letting it overshadow their approach.
West Indies are currently 3-2 ahead in the head-to-head of the last five ODI meetings between the two teams dating back to December 2023.
“You have an understanding of the history, but the past is the past because you have to go out there and play what is in front of you. You have to stay in the present, but we know what we are playing for. We know the amount of history that there is in our rivalry, so it is something that we have in the back of our minds, but not something we let get the better of us,” Hope ended.
One brings two: Scorpions build on victory over Academy with 19-run DLS method win over Volcanoes
The Jamaica Scorpions entered this year’s CG United Super50 Cup after a winless season last year and lost their first game to the Barbados Pride to increase that streak to eight.
They broke that streak in their last game with an 80-run DLS method win over the West Indies Academy on Saturday.
On Tuesday, they got their second win in a row, another DLS method victory, this time by 19 runs over the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Queen's Park Oval.
The Scorpions, after winning the toss and batting first, reached 155-4 in the 31st over before rain brought their innings to a close.
Kirk McKenzie, on the back of 90 against the West Indies Academy on Saturday, was 59* off 75 balls at the time of the stoppage while captain John Campbell made a 49-ball 41.
Darel Cyrus had figures of 2-21 off 5.1 overs.
The Volcanoes, chasing a revised total of 205 off 30 overs for victory, were dismissed for 186 off 29.3 overs.
Captain Sunil Ambris led the way with the bat for the Volcanoes with 59 while Shamar Springer and Kavem Hodge hit 37 and 36, respectively.
Marquino Mindley was the pick of the Jamaican bowlers with 4-33 from six overs while Tamarie Redwood and Odean Smith each had figures of 2-31 from six overs and 5.3 overs, respectively.
Full Scores:
Jamaica Scorpions 155-4 off 30.1 overs (Kirk McKenzie 59*, John Campbell 41, Darel Cyrus 2-21)
Windward Islands Volcanoes 186 off 29.3 overs (Sunil Ambris 59, Shamar Springer 37, Kavem Hodge 36, Marquino Mindley 4-33, Tamarie Redwood 2-31, Odean Smith 2-31).
The win moves the Scorpions into fourth on the points table with 20 behind the Barbados Pride (31), Leeward Islands Hurricanes (26) and the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force (25).
Hope says Windies women's return to Test cricket a step in the right direction; Graves hopes Hayley Matthews gets to play format at home
With West Indies women set to make a return to Test cricket after a 20-year hiatus from the sport’s longest format, men’s ODI captain Shai Hope welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.
Hope’s comments came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced its line-up for the Blockbuster Women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025-2029.
The Maroon women reignite the region’s Test status when they play host to Australia for one match in 2026, 50 years after the Caribbean team made its Test debut against the Australians in 1976.
England women play against the West Indies in 2027, and this will be the first meeting between the two teams in this format since 1979. It was also confirmed that the West Indies women will travel to South Africa for an away Test in 2028.
Shai Hope.
WI women have not played a Test match since 2004. Their short record from four Test series stands at three draws and one loss to England.
The Maroon team played Australia (0-0) in 1976, India in 1977 (1-1), lost to England (2-0) in 1979, and drew against Pakistan (0-0) in 2004. The 1976 match against Australia was the last time West Indies played a Test match at home.
“It is always a step in the right direction. Anytime you get opportunities to excel and improve,” Hope said on Tuesday ahead of his team’s decisive ODI clash against England in Barbados.
“I think it is going to be great for the women’s game because anytime you’re playing the longer format, it tests your skills in a different way, and you can always use what you learnt from that format into the other formats. So I think it is a step in the right direction, and I wish them all the best,” he added.
Johnny Grave, whose tenure as Cricket West Indies CEO ended last week, raised the prospect of the Windies playing a Test at the iconic Kensington Oval, Barbados.
“When you have an iconic player who will go down in history of our game, in Hayley Mathews (Barbados), it seems right she will have the opportunity to wear a maroon Test cap and lead her team out, hopefully at her home ground of the Kensington Oval at some point in a Test,” Graves told the Stumped podcast.
“Our philosophy has been that red-ball cricket is where you can build your technique, hone your defence and look to score all around the wicket. If that is what we believe for the men, then it has to be the case for the women,” he added.
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