New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell believes England will continue embracing risks in the Ashes despite the “blip” that saw his side claim a famous victory in Wellington.
England have enjoyed some rousing successes since Ben Stokes and Kiwi favourite Brendon McCullum took over the Test team, winning 10 of their 12 outings by pushing the boundaries of attacking cricket.
But they suffered a rare setback in the last match, a thrilling one-run defeat at Basin Reserve as the Black Caps became just the fourth side in Test history to win after following on.
Already boasting a 1-0 lead from Mount Maunganui, England could have closed out the series by batting again instead of sending New Zealand back in for a second time but instead lived up to their aggressive principles by choosing the most direct route to victory.
And although that ultimately backfired against Mitchell’s men, the Lancashire overseas star does not expect any change of approach against Australia.
“England have had a lot of success in the last 12 months and it’s been well deserved, so I don’t think one little blip really affects how they’ll go about their business,” he told the PA news agency at Emirates Old Trafford.
“Knowing Baz McCullum, he won’t be reading too much into that result when he looks at how he goes about things. They’ll just try and keep doing what they do best.
“I think it’s cool they’ve found a style that works for them and fits how they want to play. It doesn’t mean that’s how everyone is going to do it but that’s the great thing about cricket, there’s more than one way to skin the cat.
“Wellington was certainly a very special match to be part of and when you reflect on it, you can see two world-class teams going at it for five days and being separated by one run. It’s a memory that will live with me for the rest of my career.
“I can’t comment on the decisions England made or how they played but as Kiwis, we pride ourselves on our ability to fight and get stuck in.”
Mitchell, who was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for his efforts in a losing cause against England last summer, will be deep in Vitality Blast action with Lancashire when the Ashes gets under way but he is intrigued to see how two sides he knows well will perform.
“Australia have got a world-class bowling attack and I’m really excited to see England come at them, like we know they will and try to put the pressure back on them,” he said.
“Having seen the way Stokesy and Baz want to go about their cricket, I’m sure they’ll find a way to do that at times.
“At the same time it’s going to be interesting to see the English bowlers and how they can build pressure with those Dukes balls under the clouds. It’s going to make for some entertainment for those of us watching from afar.”
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.
Asalanka leads Sri Lanka to ODI series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.
The hosts successfully chased down their opponents' total of 189, giving them an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka controlled the early powerplay - Asitha Fernando (3-35) and Maheesh Theekshana (3-25) took two wickets apiece to leave the tourists at 31-4 in the ninth over.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-40) then claimed three of his four wickets as Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh and Alzarri Joseph were all dismissed in the space of 14 balls.
However, Sherfane Rutherford (80 off 82 balls) and Gudakesh Motie (50 not out) steadied the ship to take the Windies from 58-8 to 189.
Although Joseph claimed Avishka Fernando (9) in the fourth over, Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama both chipped in with contributions of 38 to get the hosts to 112-4.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (62 not out) led the charge thereon, while Kamindu Mendis (11) comfortably got them over the line with 34 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Rutherford-Motie historic stand proves academic for tourists
West Indies were looking to level the series, but their hopes were not aided by Sri Lanka's impressive bowling.
Rutherford and Motie did their best. Their partnership brought 119 runs, which is their nation's highest ninth-wicket stand in ODI history, breaking the previous record of 85 between Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph.
However, it ultimately proved in vain as the hosts secured the series with a game to spare.
'I was a tired, grumpy old man' - Stokes apologised to England team-mates after Pakistan defeat
Ben Stokes says he apologised to his England team-mates after his frustrations were evident during the second-Test defeat by Pakistan.
The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.
However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.
Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.
"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.
"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.
"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."
However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.
"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.
"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.
"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."
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