England were grappling with a selection quandary on the eve of their crucial World Cup clash against South Africa, with captain Jos Buttler weighing up Chris Woakes’ role as leader of the attack.
Woakes’ new-ball skills have been a reliable centrepiece of the side ever since their white-ball reinvention eight years ago, but he has suffered an uncharacteristic wobble since arriving in India.
Three loose starts from the usually dependable seamer have undermined England’s efforts so far and an economy rate of 7.5 an over, coupled with two wickets at 67.50 each, tells a concerning story.
But with victory a must in Mumbai on Saturday following defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, taking the most established pace bowler out of the firing line would still represent a significant call.
Buttler acknowledged Woakes’ long-term record and recent dip in form represented a conflicted picture and is set to thrash the matter out with head coach Matthew Mott.
“He’s been a fantastic performer for an incredibly long time for England in all the formats and especially in one-day cricket,” he said.
“But we’re all honest guys, right? We’re all honest professionals who hold each other to high standards and individually expect a lot of ourselves. He knows he’s not performing quite how he would like to at the minute, and that’s frustrating, but there’s no judgement from our side.
“We always back all our players that are in our team – we picked them for a number of reasons and one because they’re high-class players and he’s certainly one of those.”
David Willey stands by as a specialist powerplay bowler, eager to showcase his left-arm swing on the World Cup stage after missing out on the 2019 tournament by a whisker, while Surrey’s Gus Atkinson has yet to feature.
Whatever happens, Ben Stokes is locked in to make his eagerly-anticipated return after missing all three games with a hip injury. And, with his stand-in Harry Brook providing the only bright spot of a botched chase against Afghanistan, a rebalancing of the XI could be under consideration. Sam Curran, light on runs and expensive with the ball, has left himself particularly vulnerable.
“I think I’ve got so many options within the squad, selection is always tough,” Buttler said.
“You’re working out the right balance, which is always venue dependent as well, and we’ve had a good chance to see the wicket here and gather a bit more information.
“Obviously Ben has trained really well and it’s great to see him back. He obviously brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well, so he’s someone who is always good to turn to.”
Both teams are looking to bounce back from stinging upsets last time out, with the Proteas’ implosion against the Netherlands somehow leapfrogging England’s reverse against Afghanistan in the pantheon of World Cup shocks within 24 hours.
The last time the two sides faced off at this storied venue, in the 2016 T20 World Cup, it was a classic encounter that saw England hunt down 230 – still their record chase in the format.
There are six survivors from that side still on parade seven years later, including Buttler. Now he is hoping England can relocate similar attacking instincts once again.
“There are great memories of that night, albeit a long time ago. It was one of my favourite games,” he recalled.
“I think this is one of the great grounds in India. I love playing cricket here. I think it’s a fantastic cricket wicket and, absolutely, it should suit us.
“We want to find ways to make a play, to put the opposition under pressure in lots of different ways. That doesn’t always mean hitting fours and sixes, it means can we push back when the opposition is on top or can we really take the initiative in different ways. That’s what we want to live by as a team.”
West Indies Academy secures first win of the season with 22-run DLS method victory over CCC
The West Indies Academy recorded their first win of the 2024 CG United Super50 Cup season with a 22-run DLS method win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine on Monday.
CCC, who were also seeking their first win of the season, were first dismissed for 174 in 39.5 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Experienced opener Kieran Powell top scored with 46 off 42 balls including eight fours while Shaqkere Parris made 40 and Johann Jeremiah hit 33.
Jediah Blades continued his good form with the ball this season with 3-23 from six overs and was well supported by Zishan Motara who took 3-31 from his 10 overs.
Joshua Bishop also bowled well with 2-25 from 6.5 overs.
In reply, the Academy were 167-7 off 40.5 overs, 22 runs ahead of the DLS par score when the rain brought an end to proceedings.
Andrew Rambaran and Johann Layne put together a crucial eighth wicket partnership, helping the Academy recover from 118-7 in the 29th over.
Rambaran finished 37* while Layne finished 25* off 28 balls including two fours and two sixes.
Earlier, Rivaldo Clarke top scored with 38. Romario Greaves was excellent with the ball for the CCC with 5-45 from his 10 overs while the other two wickets were split between Akeem Jordan and Abhijai Mansingh.
Full Scores:
Combined Campuses and Colleges 174 off 39.5 overs (Kieran Powell 46, Shaqkere Parris 40, Johann Jeremiah 33, Jediah Blades 3-23, Zishan Motara 3-31, Joshua Bishop 2-25)
West Indies Academy 167-7 off 40.5 overs (Rivaldo Clarke 38, Andrew Rambaran 37*, Johann Layne 25*, Romario Greaves 5-45).
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
Molineux stars with 64 as Melbourne Renegades Women win second match in a row
Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin’s Melbourne Renegades Women got their second win in a row in the Women’s Big Bash League thanks to a brilliant batting display from captain Sophie Molineux against Adelaide Strikers Women at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Sunday.
The Renegades, chasing 158 for victory, found themselves 52-5 in the ninth over when Molineux came to the crease to join Dottin.
The pair put on a crucial 79 runs before Dottin fell for 20. Seven runs later, Molineux fell for a match-winning 32-ball 64 including nine fours and three sixes.
Eventually needing six runs off the final over, Nicole Faltum and Sarah Coyte guided the Renegades to victory.
Darcie Brown, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Jemma Barsby took two wickets, each, for the Strikers in their efforts to defend what looked like a match-winning total.
Earlier, captain Talia McGrath led the way with 64 off 44 balls including eight fours and a six while Orla Prendergast supported well with 31 as the Strikers made 157-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.
Molineux took 2-39 from her four overs while Georgia Wareham and Alice Capsey split two wickets. Matthews and Dottin when wicketless in seven overs between them.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
