Marcus Trescothick says he wishes England "were going into the Ashes next week" after a run of impressive Test results.
England's thrilling 74-run victory in the first Test against Pakistan generated huge praise for captain Ben Stokes, after his bold declaration helped to force a result on what was a flat pitch.
England have now triumphed in seven of their past eight Test matches, a stark improvement after failing to win in their previous nine.
The upturn in form bodes well ahead of a home Ashes series against Australia in 2023, with head coach Brendon McCullum's appointment in May of this year breathing new life into English cricket with an exciting new style.
England batting coach Trescothick says he cannot wait for the Ashes next year, and spoke of his admiration for McCullum's tactics.
"It is the exciting part [the Ashes]," Trescothick told reporters. "I wish we were going into the Ashes next week. If it continues on in this form then it bodes for a great series.
"As we say we do not look too far ahead in what is going on. But it is exciting, no doubt about it, because India series and Ashes series are the pinnacle of what we do in Test cricket."
Trescothick played for England between 2000 and 2006, and explained he would have loved to play in this expansive style McCullum has brought in.
"Any batter would have loved this," Trescothick added. "We would have loved this environment because it is so free.
"It is enjoyable, the methods and way we are talking about it in the changing room is exciting.
"You want to come out here every day, walk out with them and have the opportunity to bat. It is still great watching from the balcony and seeing what they do."
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
Buttler feared losing white-ball captaincy after World Cup double whammy
Jos Buttler has said he was worried about losing the England white-ball captaincy during a disappointing period for his country.
England recently lost both of their world titles in both T20 and ODI, with head coach Matthew Mott sacked as a result.
Buttler, meanwhile, was spared by managing director Rob Key, with incoming manager Brendon McCullum, who is expanding his England role to include coaching the ODI and T20I teams until 2027, also expressing his confidence in Buttler's role as captain.
The 34-year-old will return for England on Saturday as they face West Indies in the first of their five-match T20 series. It will be the first time since the T20 World Cup semi-final exit in June that Buttler has played for his country.
"I thought it was a possibility, absolutely," he admitted when asked whether he thought he could have lost the captaincy.
"But Keysy believed I could lead the team forward and captain into the future. I had some good conversations with him and I said I didn't want to be doing it because I'm the only person to do it. I want to be doing it because I'm the right person to do it.
"I've really enjoyed the honour of doing it, it's something I believe I can do well, something I know I can always get better at, just as with batting or wicketkeeping, it's a skill that you can improve.
"It actually became very clear that you're determined to do it and keep going."
Stokes opts against IPL auction but Anderson and Archer are in
England Test captain Ben Stokes will not play in the 2025 Indian Premier League, after deciding not to put himself in the auction.
While there are 52 English cricketers who have registered for the auction – including James Anderson and Jofra Archer – Stokes will not be among them when it is held on November 24 and 25.
Under new rules announced by the IPL last month, it also means that Stokes will not be eligible to play in the 2026 competition.
But 42-year-old Anderson, who is England's all-time leading wicket taker, will be among the names alongside Archer.
Anderson does so having not played since his final Test against West Indies at Lord's in July, while it is 10 years since he has played T20, and he has never played in a franchise league.
Archer, meanwhile, was the IPL's most valuable player in 2020 and is on the comeback trail following back and elbow injuries this year.
While it is still hoped that he could feature against India next summer and the 2025-26 Ashes series, the 2025 IPL will clash with the beginning of the County Championship and could potentially prevent Archer from proving his Test fitness.
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
