England’s World Cup title defence is already on rocky ground after a shock at the hands of Afghanistan left them with two defeats from their first three matches in India.
Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the key issues underpinning their early struggles at the tournament.
A step too far?
The epic drama of 2019’s Lord’s final was the crowning achievement of England’s golden generation in white-ball cricket, so it is hardly surprising so many of that squad are back for another bite of the cherry.
But with eight thirty-something survivors from the squad four years ago, there is a growing feeling that too many of the team are past their peak. How many of the world champion team can truly claim to be better than they were last time around? How many have half an eye on retiring from 50-over cricket sooner rather than later?
The bar has been fiendishly high to break into this set-up for years, but head coach Matthew Mott may reflect that a greater injection of fresh blood would have helped.
Hip, hip but no hooray for Stokes
It is hard to overstate Ben Stokes’ value to English cricket over the past decade. He carried the side home in the 2019 final, performed a similar trick to land the T20 crown last year and has reinvented the Test team as captain through sheer force of will.
When he decided to reverse his ODI retirement for one more tilt at the 50-over trophy, it looked like England had rediscovered the ace in their pack.
But the red flags over his fitness have been there for at least two years and it was hardly a jaw-dropping surprise when he picked up a hip complaint on the eve of the tournament. His skill and scrapping qualities have been sorely missed and the team are already at make-or-break point before he has even taken the field.
Eyes off the prize
England are not alone in struggling to grapple with the complexities of the global calendar, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that they arrived in India undercooked as a one-day unit. Having played 88 ODIs in the 2015-19 cycle, they dropped to 42 in the run-up to this edition. That may have been symptomatic of a wider trend but the sidelining of the domestic Metro Bank Cup, now seen as a development competition alongside the glitz of The Hundred, was all about priorities.
England have also pivoted their focus to Test cricket once again, which had not always been the case in Eoin Morgan’s era. That meant key players like Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Stokes were occasional visitors to the one-day set-up rather than mainstays.
Alternatives were capped but rarely empowered, while Jason Roy played more times than anyone else from tournament to tournament only to miss out on the final squad.
Stepping back from attack
There was a story during the lead in to the last World Cup that new scorecards were printed to account for the possibility of a side, most likely England, scoring 500 in an innings. The print shops of India are making no such considerations now.
Whether it is pitches, balls or bowlers evolving, it feels an more even game these days but England have been left on the back foot in both of their losses so far.
For a side whose 2019 World Cup success was owed to a boundary countback, they are beginning to look surprisingly shot shy. New Zealand hit nine more fours and two more sixes in Ahmedabad and unfancied Afghanistan cleared the ropes eight times to England’s one in Delhi.
While ‘Bazball’ has re-energised the red-ball side, Mott must make sure things do not go in the opposite direction under his watch.
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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