Brendon McCullum retains full confidence in Jos Buttler as England's white-ball captain, describing him as his country's best-ever limited-overs cricketer.
McCullum has won plenty of admirers for his aggressive approach to Test cricket in just over two years in charge of England's red-ball side, and earlier this week his remit was expanded to include coaching the ODI and T20I teams until 2027.
The move comes after Matthew Mott quit in the wake of England's semi-final exit at June's T20 World Cup, while they also surrendered their 50-over crown in meek fashion at the 2023 World Cup in India, losing six of their nine games.
While those disappointing tournament performances saw Buttler's leadership placed under the microscope, McCullum is confident he remains the right man to lead the team.
One of the New Zealander's main aims upon taking his new role, which he will formally start in January, is to get Buttler enjoying his cricket again.
"I am very confident in Buttler as captain," he said at a press conference at The Oval. "What I want from Jos is for him to enjoy the next few years.
"If he retired tomorrow, he would probably go down as the greatest white-ball player England have produced so there is a chance, for however long he plays, to not protect anything and play with a smile on his face.
"My job is to push him towards that. He has been a little bit miserable at times, he is not naturally as expressive as some, but he has done a great job.
"He has won a World Cup as captain and been part of World Cup-winning teams previously. He is a gifted player and a fine leader."
Buttler has been ruled out of England's upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia with a calf injury and could also miss the five ODIs that follow.
McCullum's ultra-attacking approach to Test cricket coaching has been dubbed "Bazball", with England winning 19 of 28 Tests under him and averaging 4.57 runs per over, compared to 3.09 in their 29 Tests immediately prior to his appointment.
He intends to bring a similar fearlessness to the white-ball game, saying: "I will bring the positivity and style I like to operate with across all formats and I think it will give us a good chance of being successful.
"The white-ball side has been through a dynasty. They have won World Cups and some once-in-a-generation players have come through at the same time. Now a natural regeneration is required and that's the bit that excites me."
McCullum added he sought the approval of Test skipper Ben Stokes before committing to the new role, and he hopes Stokes could yet be persuaded to return to limited-overs cricket, having prioritised the longer format during an injury-hit spell.
"In terms of white-ball, why not? We will see where he sits. He loves big moments and big stages but our players can't play everything," McCullum said of Stokes.
"There will be some bilateral series where we can't have all our best players at the same time but when it comes to major events and big series, those players are very much in discussions."
'It's the right call' - Walker accepts England omission
Kyle Walker believes Lee Carsley made "the right call" leaving him out of England's party for their upcoming Nations League matches.
Carsley named his first England squad last week, with Walker one of the notable absences after being a pivotal figure under Gareth Southgate.
The right-back made 70 appearances under the previous manager, starting 64 of those, and featured in all seven of England's games at Euro 2024 as they reached the final.
However, since returning to Manchester City after an extended break, Walker has played just two minutes in the Premier League, coming off the bench in their 3-1 win over West Ham last weekend.
Walker admitted that while he was unhappy to be left out of the fold, he understood why he was not given a place.
"I'm disappointed," Walker said on his BBC podcast. "You have to accept it and just try to prove them wrong.
"With a new manager, you are always expecting a few changes. I'm disappointed because to represent your country is always the highest thing.
"But I haven't played any minutes this season, so you have to take it on the chin. I've not performed at any level since coming back from the [Euros], so I think it's the right call from him."
England start their Nations League campaign against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday before hosting Finland on Tuesday.
Seales among nominees for ICC Men’s Player of the Month for August
West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has been named as one of the three nominees for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for August.
The 22-year-old Trinidadian quick is in the shortlist after finishing with 12 wickets in the series against South Africa including nine in the second Test in Guyana that helped him attain a career-best 13th position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings and become the top-ranked bowler in the format from the West Indies.
Part of that nine-wicket match in Guyana was a career best 6-61 in the second innings, his second five-wicket haul in just his 15th Test match.
Seales’ competition for the award will be South African spinner Keshav Maharaj and Sri Lankan all-rounder Dunith Wellalage.
Maharaj, who is in line for a second Player of the Month award after having won earlier in April 2022, was the Player of the Series in the two ICC World Test Championship matches against the West Indies with 13 wickets.
He grabbed four wickets in each innings of the drawn Test in Port of Spain, which included three of the top four batters in the first innings and four of the top five in the second. He chipped in five scalps in the second Test in Guyana that his side won by 40 runs.
Wellalage made it to the men’s shortlist for his performances in ODIs.
The left-hander was Player of the Series in his side’s 2-0 series win over India with scores of 67 not out, 39 and two. He also finished with seven wickets including a haul of five for 27 in the third match.
Sixes rain down as Amazon Warriors defeat Patriots by 40 runs at Basseterre
Defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors made it two wins in two games with a comfortable 40-run win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in match seven of the 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Basseterre.
Electing to bat first in rainy conditions could have been seen as a risk but Imran Tahir’s Warriors had no such qualms as they set about posting a sizeable score of 266-7 off their 20 overs. A rope had been dragged around the wet outfield before play began but the showery conditions failed to dampen the Warrior’s run rate.
In fact, Shimron Hetmyer took the ground conditions out of the equation all together by blitzing 11 sixes to all parts of the stadium to rack up 91 runs off just 39 balls. An incredible display of hitting in an innings that didn’t include a single four. It proved to be a decisive knock from Hetmyer who was later awarded Player of the Match.
The Warriors’ total was the second highest in CPL history, just one run behind the score made by the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Jamaica Tallawahs in 2019. The match also had a record for sixes in a CPL match, with 42 Republic Bank Maximums flying out of Warner Park.
In response, Patriots captain Andre Fletcher led by example at the top of the order by compiling 81 off 33 balls but when he was well caught by Dwaine Pretorious off the skiddy spin of Gudakesh Motie in the 13th over the Patriots chase lost its impetus and wickets fell steadily throughout.
A late delay for another rain shower couldn’t save Fletcher’s side as after a short break Pretorious served up the coup de grace by bouncing out Mikyle Louis to seal the win with 12 balls to spare. and condemn the Patriots to their third straight defeat.
Spin proved to be a decisive factor in the high scoring match, with Warriors captain Tahir bowling a pivotal double wicket maiden in the 10th over, outfoxing both Josh Clarkson and Odean Smith in a matter of balls. He ended with three wickets as did Motie with his cunning slow left arm.
The Warriors look a strong outfit with bat and ball as they set about trying to go back-to-back in this year’s CPL while the Patriots will be looking to bounce back against the Barbados Royals on Friday.
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