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• Windies captain Powell takes mixed bag from England series as Bangladesh assignment approaches

  West Indies captain Rovman Powell was candid in his assessment of his team’s shortcomings following their 3-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series.

  Powell acknowledged the challenges the team faced in adapting to conditions early in the series but remained optimistic about their upcoming clashes with Bangladesh. This, as he believes, the Caribbean side once again showed glimpses of its potential throughout the series but were unable to consistently produce a complete performance.

  In fact, England’s decision to bowl first in the opening three matches—two at Kensington Oval in Barbados and one at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia—exposed the West Indies' struggles to navigate challenging conditions.

  They lost key wickets in quick succession during the powerplay in all three games, where they posted scores of 182-9, 158-8, and 145-8 and lost by eight wickets, seven wickets, and three wickets in that order.

  As such, Powell admitted the team’s inability to adapt cost them dearly. 

  “I think we always, as a batting group, have a template that we try to work with; unfortunately, the template didn’t work in our first few games. It took us about two or three games to really wonder what’s really happening to us as a batting group, and we also need to sharpen up on a few areas as a bowling group,” Powell said after the rain-affected final game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

  While he views their victory in the fourth T20I when they pulled off a historic chase of England’s 218-5, scoring 221-5 to secure a five-wicket win as light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that win was merely to salvage some pride.

  It is with that in mind that Powell highlighted the importance of quicker assessment and adaptability as key takeaways from the series. 

  “As a team, we need to assess a little bit faster. We didn’t play good cricket for long enough periods, and that made it a tough series. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Jos [Buttler] and his team; they really came in our conditions and dominated,” the Jamaican stated.

  Despite the loss, Powell, who was among the standout performers, finishing as the series’ second-highest run scorer with 153 runs, is determined to build on the positives from the England series as they shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.

  “The way we played the last (fourth game) showed that we can play really good cricket. If we had just assessed the conditions a little bit earlier in the series, it possibly would have been a different outcome. These are lessons to be learned,” Powell noted.

• Kane determined to continue for England beyond 2026 World Cup

  Harry Kane does not expect the 2026 World Cup to be his final major tournament with England.

  Kane scored his 69th senior goal for the Three Lions as they crushed the Republic of Ireland 5-0 on Sunday to seal automatic promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.

  However, interim coach Lee Carsley benched Kane for England's previous game, a 3-0 victory in Greece on Thursday, and the striker was roundly criticised for his performances at Euro 2024 despite earning a share of the Golden Boot with three goals as his team reached the final. 

  Now 31 years old, Kane does not expect the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada to be his final shot at international glory and is holding out hope of featuring on home soil at Euro 2028.

  Asked if the 2026 tournament could represent his international swansong, Kane told PA: "I don't think so.

  "I think there's a perception when you get to your 30s that you're coming to an end, but for me, I'm performing at the highest level I've ever performed and feel as good as I've ever felt, so it's about taking in the moment.

  "I don't like to look too far ahead and in my career, I never have. The World Cup is going to be exciting.

  "In America it will be an incredible occasion and ultimately it's about trying to win that, looking at where you are, where to improve and it will be no different in a couple of years."

   

  Kane has scored 61 goals in all competitions since joining Bayern Munich last August, at least eight more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues (Erling Haaland has 53).

  Kane scored 44 of those goals under former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, who will take charge of England on January 1.

  Only Haaland under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City (53) has more under a single manager in that span across Europe's big five leagues.

  Kane was speaking at the unveiling of a statue in his honour at the Peter May Sports Centre in east London, where he represented his first team as a five-year-old.

  "It's pretty special to be honest," Kane told BBC Newsround. "I played on these pitches as a five-year-old with dreams of playing for England, and I've been lucky enough to achieve that.

  "Hopefully the boys and girls will walk past and be inspired by the story of my journey, my life and hard work."

• Carsley proud of England style shift ahead of Tuchel taking charge

  Lee Carsley is proud of the way England's players adapted to a more progressive style during his spell as interim coach, ahead of Thomas Tuchel taking the reins.

  England trounced the Republic of Ireland 5-0 on Sunday in their final game before Tuchel takes charge in January, recording their fifth win in six matches under Carsley.

  Carsley has been credited with instilling a high-pressing, possession-based style during a successful stint as England Under-21 boss, having overseen the team's European Championship triumph last year.

  In their six Nations League matches under Carsley, England's senior side averaged a 69.3% possession share and 624.8 successful passes per match, as well as 16 shots and 1.95 expected goals (xG).

  At Euro 2024, their final tournament under Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions averaged 55.4% possession, 536 passes, 10.8 shots and 0.88 xG per match as they finished as runners-up to Spain.

  Speaking after his final game at the helm, Carsley hailed England's players for adapting to a new approach seamlessly. 

  "I definitely felt like I have been out of my comfort zone but not beyond my capabilities," Carsley said. "I never felt at any point I was drowning or I was struggling.

  "I've taken the confidence that myself and the rest of the staff will be okay. I think we have got stronger as the windows have gone on.

  "You are always learning a lot about yourself when you're in a position you are not used to. I think the most pleasing thing is the younger players coming through.

  "We have tried change things. We have tried to adapt and move on the style, the way that we play, the control, the amount of possession we have, the amount of chances we create.

   

  "There has been no resistance to that. If anything, they have taken that on. I think it helps that they have seen the 21s and the way that the 21s have tried to control and score goals."

  England's victory was their biggest by a manager in their final match in charge since November 1993, when San Marino were beaten 7-1 in Graham Taylor's last game.

  Despite achieving his goal of winning automatic promotion back to League A of the Nations League, Carsley admitted to having some regrets over his only defeat at the helm – a 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley last month.

  "Even though we won five of the six, I straight away go back to that game we should have won at Wembley," Carsley added.

  "It's definitely a lonely place in that dugout when you're not winning at Wembley. We’ll keep improving and keeping pushing the players and ourselves."