Related items

• ECB chief insists no decision made on Mott future

  England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has denied reports a decision has already been made on Matthew Mott's future as white-ball coach.

  Mott's future has been called into question in the aftermath of England's failure to defend their T20 World Cup crown in the United States and West Indies, losing to India in the semi-finals.

  Mott also oversaw England's calamitous 50-over World Cup campaign last year, as they lost six of their nine matches in India and crashed out in the group stage.

  Reports earlier this week suggested the decision had already been made to dispense with Mott's services, with Eoin Morgan a contender to succeed him, though the former limited-overs captain has since said he has no interest in the role.

  Asked by BBC Test Match Special if Mott's future had already been decided, Gould said: "That's not true. That's certainly not true.

  "Matthew Mott is a really good guy and coach. He's got a great track record and it is the same with [captain] Jos [Buttler].

  "We are always assessing options - that is what happens in high-performance sport, you are always assessing your options.

  "You never want to be drawn into being given the dreaded vote of confidence or anything like that. Competitive sport always brings scrutiny and decisions.

  "We'll constantly want to assess our options but we'll always want to do the right thing by the sport, the team and individuals."

• Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display

  Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".

  England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.

  The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals. 

  Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge. 

  Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.

  Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.

  However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates. 

  “Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport. 

  "It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.

  “I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”

  Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).

  Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68). 

  Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City. 

  Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones. 

  Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend. 

  "To miss out was tough," said Maguire.

  “It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."

• England captain Stokes backs electric Wood to break 100mph

  Ben Stokes would much rather play alongside Mark Wood than face his England team-mate as he backed the fast bowler to break 100mph soon.

  The Durham quick clocked 97.1mph – the fastest delivery of his Test career – on the speed gun in the second red-ball encounter against the West Indies at Trent Bridge.

  Indeed, none of the 34-year-old's balls registered lower than 90mph during an electrifying opening spell before Wood removed Kevin Sinclair with a vicious delivery on Sunday.

  Sinclair could only fend into the air for a simple dismissal, with the Windies' off-spinner ruled out of the third Test at Edgbaston after that blow fractured his left forearm.

  England captain Stokes believes there is more to come from Wood, which is a worrying warning to the visitors.

  "He's got it in the tank," said Stokes. "He's been close a couple of times. Maybe one day."

  Shoaib Akthar and Shaun Tait are the only Test bowlers to register a delivery at 100mph, with Wood's speed expected to be key for The Ashes in Australia across the end of next year and start of 2026.

  "He seems to be getting closer and closer to that," Stokes added. "But I'm happy with what he's doing right now to be honest.

  "Being able to sustain that pace is quite phenomenal. Look at his average speeds every time he plays a Test match – it's always above 90mph. That says a lot about his fitness.

  "It's all fine and well trying to bowl one spell above 90. But every spell he bowls for England, he's clocking over 90mph, and that's a great thing to have as a captain.

  "I don't know if he's actually too bothered about it. One day, everything might click, or the speed gun might be wrong.

  "We probably wouldn't hear the end of it. Who knows, maybe one day."

  Wood will be expected to unleash his pace once more after Stokes named an unchanged XI for the third and final Test at Edgbaston, where play starts on Friday.