Ben Stokes believes he has been putting too much emphasis on England's next Ashes series and plans to start keeping a check on expectations ahead of facing Australia.
England play their most fierce rivals Down Under for a five-match Test series starting late in November 2025.
But before then, they have a one-off Test with Zimbabwe and a marquee series against India, while their finale in New Zealand begins on December 13.
Captain Stokes conceded he has mainly been looking a little too far ahead.
In quotes reported by BBC Sport, the all-rounder said: "In interviews in the summer and stuff like that a lot was pointed towards the Ashes, which was a long way away.
"You do always have one eye on that but we have six more Tests before that.
"It's just making sure I keep my focus on being in the here and now and what we've got coming up, and when the Ashes is our next series, then we will focus on it.
"Through my own fault I maybe spoke a little too much about the Ashes and putting too much emphasis on that series considering how much cricket we had to play before that.
"Every Englishman and Australian knows the Ashes is a big series for both teams, but toning down on the expectations on that series is something I will be better at in the build-up.
"In leadership roles, you can differ from where you first started and think that's the right thing to be saying or be thinking about, which then takes you away from what has been a successful mindset. It's a learning curve as a leader, I guess."
Stokes and the England decision-makers opted to blood new talent this year, with Jamie Smith chosen as first-choice wicketkeeper, Shoaib Bashir as primary spinner instead of Jack Leach, while veteran James Anderson retired from five-day duty, albeit the decision was almost made for him.
"We had to make some decisions around what we think is best for the team going into that Ashes series. We want to go out there and we want to get that urn back," Stokes added.
England are looking to complete a series whitewash of New Zealand when they face the Black Caps on Wellington in the upcoming third Test.
Dream debut: Jangoo hits magnificent 104* to lead West Indies to 3-0 ODI series sweep over Bangladesh
On the back of a magnificent debut century by Amir Jangoo, the West Indies completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep over Bangladesh with a four-wicket triumph in the third game at Warner Park in St. Kitts & Nevis on Thursday.
The hosts entered Thursday’s encounter with the series victory already secured and their team selection reflected that with four changes made to the side that won on Tuesday. Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze and debutants Jangoo and Jediah Blades replaced Jayden Seales, Evin Lewis, Justin Greaves and Marquino Mindley in the eleven.
Captain Shai Hope won the toss and decided to have a bowl first, a decision that looked like the right one when Alzarri Joseph removed both Tanzid Hassan and Litton Das without scoring in the third over with the score on jut nine.
However, that proved to be the most success the hosts would have for some time with Soumya Sarkar and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz adding 136 for the third wicket.
That wicket finally came in the 24th over when Gudakesh Motie trapped Sarkar in front for a run-a-ball 73 including six fours and four sixes.
Six overs later with the score on 171, Miraz went run out by an excellent bit of fielding by Sherfane Rutherford for 77 off 73 balls, with his knock consisting of eight fours and two sixes.
The next over saw Rutherford get the wicket of Afif Hossain for 15 to leave Bangladesh 171-5 with three balls to go in the 31st over.
The next 19.3 overs saw Bangladesh produce their best batting of the series by a mile through Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali.
The pair embarked on an unbeaten 150-run stand that saw the innings close at 321-5 off 50 overs, Bangladesh’s best score of the series.
Mahmudullah, who hit fifties in the first two games, was at it again with a brilliant 84* off 63 balls including seven fours and four sixes while Jaker made 62* off 57 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes in the process.
Alzarri Joseph was the best West Indian bowler on the day with 2-43 from his 10 overs.
Setting out to chase 322 secure a 3-0 sweep, the hosts didn’t enjoy the best start with Brandon King (15), Alick Athanaze (7) and Shai Hope (3) all falling within the first five overs of the reply, Hope’s wicket falling with the score on 31.
Keacy Carty and Sherfane Rutherford then put on an important 55 for the fourth wicket before Rutherford, the hero in the first game of the series, went caught in the deep off the bowling of Taskin Ahmed for a 33-ball 30, leaving the West Indies 86-4 one ball into the 15th over.
That wicket brought Amir Jangoo to the crease to join Carty and the two put on a batting masterclass to the delight of the crowd on hand in Basseterre.
Their partnership of 132 for the sixth wicket saw Carty bring up a fifth ODI fifty off 49 balls and the debuting Jangoo bring up his half century off just 45 balls.
It eventually ended when Carty, five runs short of what would be his second ODI century, played one shot too many and was caught at point by Sarkar off the bowling of Rishad Hossain in the 33rd over.
Carty’s 95 came off 88 balls and included 10 fours and two sixes.
Roston Chase was next to go, caught and bowled by Hossain for 12 in the 38th overs, leaving the hosts 234-6.
Undeterred, Jangoo carried on and, now joined by Gudakesh Motie, looked set for a brilliant hundred that he hoped would also be a match-winning one.
His hopes soon came to fruition as the 27-year-old brought up that hundred off just 79 balls with a six off Afif Hossain in the 45th over, joining Desmond Haynes as West Indians to make a hundred on ODI debut.
The next over saw Motie, who made 44* off 31 balls in supporting Jangoo over the line, hit the winning runs with a pair of sixes off Rishad Hossain to complete the chase, with the hosts reaching 325-6 off 45.5 overs.
Jangoo finished 104* off 83 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes.
Rishad Hossain finished with 2-69 off 8.5 overs for Bangladesh.
Full Scores:
Bangladesh 321-5 from 50 overs (Mahmudullah 84*, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 77, Soumya Sarkar 73, Jaker Ali 62*, Alzarri Joseph 2-43)
West Indies 325-6 from 45.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 104*, Keacy Carty 95, Gudakesh Motie 44*, Rishad Hossain 2-69).
Johnson Charles returns to West Indies squad for T20I series against Bangladesh
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International (T20I) series against Bangladesh, set to take place from December 15 to 19, 2024, at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This series, the last on home soil for the year, will mark the return of experienced wicketkeeper-batter Johnson Charles after being sidelined for the past two series due to injury.
Charles, a two-time T20 World Cup champion, brings a wealth of experience and firepower to the squad. His return adds depth to a team looking to end the year on a high note. Joining him in the lineup is Keacy Carty, who has earned his first T20 International call-up following an impressive Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season. Carty’s inclusion strengthens the middle-order options for the West Indies.
Rovman Powell will captain the squad, with Brandon King serving as vice-captain. Head Coach Daren Sammy expressed confidence in the team’s readiness, emphasizing the importance of depth and experience for this competitive series. “The squad was carefully selected with the players available to us, and I believe this is our most settled squad with the experience needed to win championships,” Sammy said.
Sammy also highlighted the significance of the series for fans in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “We all would love to give the Caribbean people a good pre-Christmas gift by winning the series to close off the year, especially for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines who didn’t get to see the West Indies team during the World Cup,” he added.
Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford will miss the series due to commitments in the Big Bash League, while Akeal Hosein will be unavailable for the final match for similar reasons. Jayden Seales will replace Hosein after the first two games of the series.
The series will serve as a stepping stone towards the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, with the squad’s composition reflecting a focus on continuity and long-term preparation.
West Indies CG United T20I Squad
Rovman Powell (Captain)
Brandon King (Vice-Captain)
Keacy Carty
Johnson Charles
Roston Chase
Justin Greaves
Terrance Hinds
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Evin Lewis
Obed McCoy
Gudakesh Motie
Nicholas Pooran
Romario Shepherd
Shamar Springer
Jayden Seales replaces Akeal Hosein after the first two games of the series.
West Indies vs Bangladesh CG United T20I Home Series Schedule
1st T20I: December 15, 2024, Arnos Vale Stadium, St. Vincent
2nd T20I: December 17, 2024, Arnos Vale Stadium, St. Vincent
3rd T20I: December 19, 2024, Arnos Vale Stadium, St. Vincent
The squad and management are eager to close out 2024 on a high note, with fans looking forward to an exciting and competitive series against Bangladesh.
‘It’s not a boycott’: Greaves says BCA committed to West Indies cricket as Cameron also weighs in on CWI's governance reform standoff
While describing the roadblock faced by Cricket West Indies (CWI) at a recent shareholders meeting as unfortunate, former president Dave Cameron also expressed skepticism about the feasibility of governance reform within CWI under the current structure.
Cameron’s comments came as he weighed in on the absence of representatives from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), which halted progress on implementing recommendations from the 2020 Wehby report as a quorum was not met.
The GCB and BCA subsequently stated their rejection of the Wehby report—drafted by Jamaican business mogul Don Wehby—and objection to CWI’s failure to facilitate a discussion on changing the system of appointing a president.
“I wanted reform; some of us wanted reform, but how does that reform take shape, and how do you get the men in the room to vote themselves off the organisation with a different structure? That is the question, and I can see (current president) Kishore (Shallow) is still struggling with that to find the answer,” Cameron said on the Mason and Guest cricket radio show.
Cameron also criticized the decision to call a meeting to vote on the Wehby report, given the resistance from key stakeholders.
“If you realised you had such opposition, why would you make this a public situation? Continue to negotiate and discuss it, but don’t make it a public debate and call an AGM extraordinary meeting to get this done when you knew that shareholders were uncomfortable with the position. It’s a very, very unfortunate situation but a very difficult one to address,” he added.
During the show, Pedro Greaves, a director of the BCA, offered a detailed explanation of his association’s reservations about the Wehby report. He revealed that the BCA had enlisted legal experts, including former Barbados Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, to evaluate the recommendations.
“There are flaws in the assumptions of the Wehby report, which seeks to take away the ownership of the territorial boards and the voice of the territorial boards... removing CWI directors from advising the president when it goes to ICC meetings, etc. These are things that come out in the Wehby report,” Greaves explained.
One of the BCA’s key concerns is the current system of electing the CWI president, which Greaves argued disrupts the governance of West Indies cricket.
“What we are saying is that elections are hurting Cricket West Indies. When two parents are arguing, the children are who suffer. And in this case, the players are the ones that are suffering...when they see the various boards campaigning against each other...making promises, and it upsets the actual governance of West Indies cricket. So what we are saying is that we want to have a discussion,” he stated.
Greaves pointed out that the BCA has proposed a rotation system for the presidency as an alternative, emphasizing that accountability should focus on the operational team rather than elected leadership.
“Who the president or vice-president is should not really matter once we hold the operational team accountable for what is happening in Cricket West Indies, and that is what we have tabled and that is what we are asking for discussion,” Greaves declared.
Despite the missed meeting, Greaves reiterated the BCA’s commitment to finding solutions for West Indies cricket, as he stressed that their actions were not a boycott but a call for meaningful dialogue.
“We want to have a discussion, and if the vote then goes against what we are saying, then so be it. But we have not had the opportunity, having raised it at the last special AGM on March 23, 2024,” Greaves ended.
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
