Describing the West Indies as the worst fielding team in the ongoing CWC qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Coach Darren Sammy believes the team’s consecutive losses to the hosts and the Netherlands, is indicative of the true state of West Indies cricket.

The frustrated head coach was speaking after the West Indies lost to the Netherlands in a super over on Monday which leaves their chances of qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup in India hanging by a thread.

Having made 374-6, the West Indies were unable to successfully restrict the Dutch side from getting to 374-9 for a tie and triggering a super over.  Logan van Beek, who scored 28 from 14 balls to get his side to the super over than smashed three sixes and three fours while scoring 30 runs off Jason Holder’s over.

He then took two wickets and conceded eight runs as the West Indies failed miserably in attempting to overhaul, the record-setting 30-run over by the Netherlands.

Sammy said afterwards, that the West Indies were on track for a possible victory but subsequently lost the plot.

“[At the] halfway stage, 374 on the board, I thought the batters did excellently but again it shows you where we are as a team. We were kind of poor tactically. We didn’t stick to the plans as long as possible and we just thought because we had 375 on the board that we should win, but cricket is not played like this,” he said.

“And it’s a lesson for us that you can’t take any game of cricket for granted.”

The head coach who was appointed just last month, believes his team approaching its nadir but remained optimistic about its future.

“I am a very positive thinker and I understand the journey that I have to take with this team. Sometimes you’ve got to reach rock bottom to come back up,” he said.

“I understand the challenges ahead and I also understand that things will not change overnight and it’s a true reflection of where our cricket is at the moment and we have a lot of work to do.”

The loss to the Netherlands means the West Indies, two-time champions, now face the near impossible task of qualifying for the World Cup. They must now win all their Super Six matches while hoping that Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka lose two of theirs and that the Netherlands lose at least one of theirs in order to qualify.

Rookie seamer Josh Tongue struck twice in his first Ashes appearance, but the rest of the England attack drew a blank as Australia took control on day one of the second Test at Lord’s.

Tongue justified his return to the side as he bowled with pace and purpose at the home of cricket, clipping Usman Khawaja’s bails as he left the ball on the stroke of lunch and later ramming one through David Warner’s defences to remove him for 66.

But they were isolated moments of joy for the home side, who asked Australia to bat in awkward conditions only to see them post 190 for two at tea.

Steve Smith (38no) and Marnus Labuschagne (45no) were both ominously set at the break, having contributed just 35 in four innings in their side’s series-opening victory at Edgbaston.

Ben Stokes could hardly hide his grin after winning the toss, eagerly choosing to bowl on a pitch with a light covering of live grass and under thick grey clouds. When the floodlights came on just before the start of play, it seemed perfect bowling conditions for England’s five-man pace attack.

The game was interrupted after a solitary over when two Just Stop Oil protesters invaded the pitch brandishing orange paint powder, an incursion that ended with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow lifting one of the activists off his feet and carrying him off the pitch while Stokes shepherded the other into the arms of security.

Warner and Khawaja did not allow the break to disrupt their concentration, although the latter offered a low half-chance off Stuart Broad in the hint of an early strike for England.

The bowling looked laboured at times, with Ollie Robinson struggling to crack 80mph, but Broad should have picked up Warner on 20 when Ollie Pope put down a regulation edge at fourth slip, an echo of missed opportunities in the first Test.

Having survived the initial skirmishes, Warner sought to impose himself, bending the knee to sweep both Broad and Robinson.

Tongue took five wickets against Ireland on Test debut earlier this month but appeared to suffer some early stage fright as his first three overs were taken for 24 – including a hooked six from Warner.

But he rallied to give England a badly-needed success in the final over of the morning. Khawaja, player of the match last time out, offered no shot to one that came in down the slope and paid with his wicket to leave Australia 73 for one.

Tongue went one better in his first spell of the afternoon, bowling a deliciously difficult over to Warner before spearing one between bat and pad as the batter was cut in two.

England would have sensed an opportunity with Smith and Labuschagne both new to the crease, but the former began busily to reverse the pressure with some confident shots.

Labuschagne was shakier to start but a sequence of five boundaries from eight legal deliveries off Broad and Stokes set him up nicely.

Broad had both men in trouble amid a flurry of run-scoring, but a caught behind off Smith and an lbw against Labuschagne both went against England on DRS.

Josh Tongue removed Usman Khawaja in the final over before lunch to spare England a wicketless first session in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Ben Stokes could hardly hide his smile after winning the toss but despite a light covering of green grass, grey clouds overhead and floodlights in operation throughout the opening session, Australia appeared to be cruising towards the interval in control.

But Tongue, making his Ashes bow after replacing spinner Moeen Ali in the home XI, produced the breakthrough England craved when Khawaja offered no shot to a ball that came in from round the wicket and clipped the top of off stump.

That left the tourists on 73 for one, David Warner carrying the fight with a punchy, unbeaten 53.

Warner and Khawaja did well to hold their concentration after the day began with a botched protest from Just Stop Oil supporters.

Just one over into the innings, two men invaded the field carrying bags of orange paint dust but where bundled off the pitch with the notable assistance of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, who lifted one of the activists off his feet and personally delivered him to security staff on the boundary edge.

When play resumed, Khawaja offered a half-chance off James Anderson with just one to his name. Joe Root could hardly be blamed for failing to grab a low chance off the turf, but Warner should have been on his way for 20.

Stuart Broad switched to the Pavilion End for his second spell of the day and successfully clipped the edge of his old rival. Ollie Pope made a hash of a regulation catch at fourth slip, in an echo of the missed chances that cost England dear in their series-opening defeat at Edgbaston.

Warner had imposed himself in tricky conditions, bending the knee to sweep both Broad and an off-colour Ollie Robinson, with the latter struggling to find a performance to match his new pantomime villain status.

Tongue, who played his only other Test at the same ground against Ireland earlier this month, briefly looked to have a case of stage fright as he first three overs were dispatched for 24 – including a bouncer that Warner disdainfully hooked for six.

But he summoned a perfect riposte to end the morning on a high, dismissing Khawaja for 17 as he shouldered arms.

Jonny Bairstow carried a Just Stop Oil protester off the Lord’s pitch after the activist group targeted the first morning of the second Ashes Test.

The England wicketkeeper took matters into his own hands when two men ran on to the field armed with orange paint dust in a clear attempt to halt the match.

Bairstow, a keen rugby league player in his younger days, ran to meet one of the protesters and lifted them off their feet before carting them over the boundary edge.

Having handed them over to the stewards, he headed to the pavilion to change his whites, but his quick thinking may well have prevented a much lengthier delay to proceedings had the paint made it as far as the wicket.

The other protester, who attracted the attention of England captain Ben Stokes, was intercepted by security staff, while another was apprehended in the stands. All three were arrested.

Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, commentator Jonathan Agnew said: “Jonny Bairstow’s dander was up there, he was like a flanker. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again, let’s hope that’s the one attack on the Ashes this year.”

Broadcasters largely chose not to highlight the incident, but former Australia captain Ricky Ponting offered one cheeky reference following a wicketless start to the morning.

“I didn’t want to say anything, but the one chance that’s come Jonny’s way, he’s held on to so far,” Ponting joked on Sky Sports.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said on Twitter: “We are aware of protesters on the Lord’s Cricket Ground pitch today, Wednesday, 28 June. Police have arrested three people and taken them into custody.”

Guy Lavender, chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord’s, criticised those involved.

He said: “MCC condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s pitch incursion and with the behaviour of the protesters involved.

“Their actions not only endanger themselves and those who work at the ground, but they have consistently shown complete disregard for the people who pay to attend events, not just here at Lord’s but around the country at other sporting venues.”

Just Stop Oil said on Twitter: “At 11am, three Just Stop Oil supporters stormed the pitch at Lord’s Cricket Ground in a cloud of orange powder paint and disrupted the #Ashes2023 Second Test between England and Australia.”

Just Stop Oil protesters previously delayed England’s arrival for day one of their one-off Test against Ireland on June 1 by standing in front of their team coach outside their Kensington hotel.

It was Bairstow who highlighted the incident at the time by posting a picture of it on his Instagram story.

Just Stop Oil protesters were able to disrupt the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham between Saracens and Sale last month. Two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts invaded the pitch midway through the first half and threw orange paint powder on to the field before being removed.

A similar incident occurred at the Crucible during the World Snooker Championship in April.

Just Stop Oil protesters stopped the second Ashes Test with England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow forced to take matters into his own hands.

Ahead of the second over of the morning session at Lord’s, two Just Stop Oil protesters raced onto the pitch.

Bairstow immediately took matters into his own hands by picking up one of the protesters and carrying them off the pitch.

The other Just Stop Oil protester was thwarted by security staff before being taken away from the grounds.

Bairstow had to briefly leave the field to change his top, after it was covered in orange powder, before returning ahead of Broad starting his spell from the Nursery End.

Sir Andrew Strauss hopes turning Lord’s ‘Red for Ruth’ during this week’s Ashes Test can help his charity support thousands more families as they deal with the impact of a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The former England captain set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation in memory of his late wife, who died in 2018 from a non-smoking lung cancer, and has worked alongside the cricket community to raise funds and awareness for the past four years.

Day two of England’s second Test against Australia will once again see Lord’s awash in red, with players from both sides joining fans and pundits in marking the occasion in colourful fashion.

The foundation has already been able to achieve some oits aims in providing pre-bereavement counselling for children and partners, training for healthcare professionals and peer-to-peer support networks, but Strauss believes the surface has only just been scratched and sees the elevated platform of this summer’s series as a catalyst.

“We’ve still got a long way to go. The more we do, the more we need to do and the broader our reach needs to be,” he said.

“Hopefully an Ashes Test match is a time where people who aren’t always watching cricket are suddenly tuning in. We understand the opportunity we have in front of us in the next few days.

“We’re excited about having the platform to show that and we’re incredibly lucky to have so much support from the cricket community. But we know people are going through this from all walks of life, some of whom having never heard of cricket or the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

“We’re here to help as many people as possible. We’ve helped hundreds of families and directly trained up hundreds of nurses, but we feel the reach is expanding all the time.

“I can honestly say we’ve got anywhere near where we want to. This still very near to the start of the journey for us. The support we get allows us to turn those hundreds into thousands and those thousands into tens of thousands. This is about scaling up what we can offer.

“There’s 127 children every day losing a parent and we want to be there for the majority of them.”

Strauss is aware that the doors of Lord’s may not be thrown open to him had he not been a decorated former England skipper, but is increasingly determined to use that privileged position for good.

“Without the success I had on the cricket field I wouldn’t have had this platform,” he said.

“I was very proud of what I achieved in an England shirt. That was about me and achieving my goals, but this is about something much greater than me.

“It breaks my heart that every day there are hundreds of kids being put into the situation that my kids were put into. We can’t change that but we can make it a little bit easier.”

http://ruthstraussfoundation.com

Ben Stokes will lead England out at Lord’s this morning, fronting a side in need of an Ashes victory and a sport that has been rocked by more revelations of discrimination.

Stokes faced the media exactly a week on from their nail-biting fifth-day defeat by Australia at Edgbaston, but began his captain’s press conference on Tuesday by addressing the damning report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.

In his position as men’s Test captain, Stokes took it upon himself to issue an apology to anyone who had been impacted by the entrenched culture of racism, sexism and elitism described in the long-awaited report.

Those above Stokes in the food chain have three months to prepare their response, but, for the next five days, his job lies between the boundary ropes as he seeks to square the series after an enterprising but unsuccessful outing in Birmingham.

England have made one change to their side, recalling rookie seamer Josh Tongue in place of Moeen Ali to leave part-timer Joe Root as the main spin option. Australia have delayed their call, but will be tempted to unleash left-armer Mitchell Starc.

What they said

Stokes followed his apology by outlining his own credentials as a mould-breaking outlier who has risen to the highest rank in the sport.

Crawley’s Chinese lesson

England would be forgiven for counting themselves unfortunate on the fitness front after seeing the likes of Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Jack Leach ruled out for the series, while Moeen Ali and Mark Wood both miss out at Lord’s due to concerns over their ability to complete a five-day match. But Stokes revealed that Zak Crawley took it upon himself to banish any such thoughts by regaling the squad with an ancient Chinese proverb. Channelling his inner Eric Cantona, Crawley told the parable of a farmer who discovered that the notion of good and bad luck were more closely aligned than many think. Boiling the message down, Stokes concluded: “One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world.”

Lyon’s landmark

While England have decided to do without a frontline spinner, Australia have selected Nathan Lyon for the 100th Test in a row. He becomes just the sixth man, and first specialist bowler, to bring up a century of consecutive appearances and needs just five more wickets to mark the occasion with his 500th wicket.

Anderson hopes to hit back

England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson was a curiously peripheral figure at Edgbaston, going unused in the decisive final session and returning figures of one for 109 from 38 overs. They were his worst figures for over two years and he later described the pitch as “kryptonite for me”, suggesting similar surfaces could force him out of the series. That means the 40-year-old will be under the spotlight in the next five days. On the up side, he has plenty of history at the home of cricket, with 117 wickets at 24.58 in 27 previous appearances.

All eyes on ‘the mouth from the south’

Ollie Robinson stirred up a hornets’ nest by offering an expletive-heavy send-off to centurion Usman Khawaja at Edgbaston, then having the temerity to stick to his guns. The Sussex seamer has riled Australia greats Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Matthew Hayden, the latter bizarrely accusing him of bowling “124kph nude nuts” and labelling him a “mouth from the south”. Most of their stinging critiques appeared to overlook Robinson’s match haul of five for 98, which kept his Test bowling average at a cool 21.15. Fans in Australia will be desperate to see the 29-year-old fall on his face, but England need him to keep up his outstanding record at the highest level.

The full squads for the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) will be revealed during the draft show which will be broadcast on the tournament’s Facebook and YouTube pages at 10:30am Eastern Caribbean Time on Friday 30 June. 

During the show the drafted players as well as the overseas signings for both tournaments will be revealed. The show will be hosted by Alex Jordan and will feature Ian Bishop, Daren Ganga and Anisa Mohammed giving their expert opinions on the squads for both the CPL and WCPL. 

You will be able to view the Draft Show in the following places:  

CPL’s Facebook and YouTube – Worldwide 
Star Sports – India
Fancode - India
SportsMax – Pan Caribbean 
TV6 – Trinidad & Tobago
Willow – USA 
BT Sport – UK
Sky Sports – New Zealand

The show will be broadcast on the CPL’s social media pages at the following times: 

10:30am ECT
2:30pm GMT
3:30pm BST 
8:00pm IST

Monday, June 26^th will long be remembered by West Indian cricket fans for all the wrong reasons.

Their team, inexplicably, suffered a shock super over defeat to the Netherlands in an ICC World Cup Qualifiers group fixture after failing to defend a mammoth 374.

With a loss like that, questions have been raised about the confidence of the team going into the rest of the qualifiers.

Captain, Shai Hope, answered some of those questions in a press conference on Tuesday.

“Certainly, there’s going to be a lot of pain and hurt in the dressing room but we know that there’s still always a chance for us to move to the next step,” he said.

“We’re always talking about communicating amongst each other and the main thing right now is to get the guys as uplifted as possible to make sure we get the best result going into the next game,” Hope added.

One thing is for certain, people in the Caribbean are not happy with the team’s performance, something Hope says is justified.

“It’s completely understandable but, one thing I can guarantee is that you guys will never be as deflated as us. I’m sure that the pain is even more severe here in the dressing room,” he said.

As if having to play in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers wasn’t bad enough, that loss made it all the more possible that, for the first their history, they may fail to make it to the ICC Cricket World Cup.

This is how the points system works for the super sixes stage at the qualifiers: When you defeat a team in your group that also advanced to the super sixes, you take those points along with you.

So, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands both advanced from Group A alongside the West Indies. Zimbabwe beat both the West Indies and the Netherlands, meaning they already have four points while the Netherlands have two points.

From Group B, Sri Lanka already has four points while Scotland has two meaning the West Indies will start the super sixes stage in fifth place, only ahead of Oman. The top two teams at the end of the super sixes stage advance to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India later this year.

With that said, the West Indies will need to go unbeaten to have any chance of advancing.

The skipper says this won’t be possible without the support of the region.

“The one thing I can ask from you guys is to continue supporting us. We’re certainly trying to put our best out there. The results won’t always go our way but we definitely need to find ways to turn it around quickly,” he said.

“We have a huge legacy behind us and we know that but we have to create our own legacy as well and ensure that, whatever we do, that we’re representing the people of the West Indies proudly,” Hope added.

The West Indies will begin their super sixes campaign against Scotland on July 1.

Ben Stokes has revealed how an “awkward” changing room encounter with a new convert to Test cricket helped reinforced England’s commitment to ‘Bazball’.

England’s policy of all-out attack saw them lose the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in a nerve-racking finale, with some high-profile pundits suggesting more pragmatism might be required to overcome Australia in the coming weeks.

Stokes was never likely to abandon his principles this week at Lord’s, not after spending a year making the case for a style he feels can help save the Test format, and there are good reasons to suggest he is on to something.

As well as winning 11 of their last 14 games, England attracted record television viewing figures in the series opener despite the result.

But for Stokes, the realisation that his methods were cutting through came in unexpected circumstances during a family break at Durham’s Seaham Hall hotel.

“I had a conversation in the men’s changing room at a spa about the game, which was a bit awkward,” he said.

“He said ‘are you the cricketer or do you just look like him?’ And I was like, yeah, it is me. He just said, ‘I went down to the pub after work and I don’t even follow cricket, I was just going to go down for a quick few’. He ended up having a few more and said he was just transfixed on the game.

“So when you hear stuff like that it obviously makes you feel good about what we’re doing, that it’s bringing a new fanbase to the game and it’s reaching people that it might never have reached before. That’s what we’re about.

“We’re all about growing the game and just making it bigger than what it is right now, and I think we’ve managed to achieve that quite well.

“When you take the game away and you have these people coming up to you and saying just how eye-catching and great it is to watch, you understand that what we are doing is very, very good.

“We always want to win every game we play, but if we don’t come away with the win at the end then let’s move on to the next game and let’s keep going.”

With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone already sidelined, England’s hunger for express pace will once again go unfulfilled at the home of cricket.

Stokes wanted to bring in the rapid Mark Wood to add a new dimension to his attack but the 33-year-old, who last played red-ball cricket in December, was unable to guarantee he could deliver at 100 per cent over five days and is instead targeting the third Test at Headingley.

Josh Tongue, who took five wickets on Test debut against Ireland earlier this month, has been called up instead, with Moeen Ali dropping out in part due to concerns over the wound on his right index finger which hampered his effectiveness at Edgbaston.

Having already lost first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a stress fracture, England may be starting to think their hopes of regaining the urn are doomed by misfortune, but Stokes credits Zak Crawley’s delivery of an old Chinese proverb with removing any such worries.

Crawley may seem an unlikely figure to take on the Eric Cantona role of athlete-turned-philosopher, but the Kent opener recited a parable to his team-mates, telling the story of a farmer whose apparent bad luck ends up bringing positive outcomes.

Asked if he felt circumstances were conspiring against his plans for the series, Stokes said: “You could think like that, but Zak actually made an unbelievable speech yesterday in the huddle. It was around a Chinese farmer and luck.

“One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world. You don’t know why things happen, if it’s for a good reason or not, it’s just one of those things to deal with.”

For Tongue, he has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his mark on the biggest stage in English cricket.

“I’ve dreamt as a young kid growing up about playing in an Ashes series, so to get the nod now is that dream come true,” he said.

“I knew the step up from county cricket to international cricket would be a big one, and playing here at Lord’s was a very special moment for myself having never played here before.

“To then get five wickets against Ireland on my debut was an incredible feeling and should give me confidence ahead of another chance against Australia.

“I’m just looking forward to getting going and trying to do what I can to help the team.

“I feel like I can add a bit more pace and bounce to the attack and hopefully I can get a few wickets for the team as well. Whatever Stokesy asks me to do for the team I’m here to do it as best I can.”

A lot can change in a year – just ask Josh Tongue, who has gone through the emotional gamut of thinking his playing career might be over to providing England’s X-factor in a Lord’s Ashes Test.

Earmarked for success from an early age, Tongue’s accuracy and an extra yard of pace from a high action always attracted nods of appreciation and it seemed only a matter of time before England came calling.

But two years ago, the onset of a shoulder injury put any international dreams on hold in what became a 15-month battle that left him wondering at his lowest ebb whether he was finished at the top level.

Tongue even consulted the Professional Cricketers’ Association about alternative career options given the severity of the problem, which left him unable to feel his entire right arm, much less grip the ball.

Regular bouts of numbness and pins and needles flummoxed a couple of shoulder specialists, with two operations unable to provide any relief, while a third might have involved the removal of a rib.

Tongue acknowledged last month he had a “very rare injury to have as a cricketer”, but, just as all hope seemed lost, a third consultant detected an impingement in his arm artery after an ultrasound.

Rather than go under the knife again, an unorthodox suggestion of a Botox injection to the neck was prescribed, which led to Tongue back bowling again within a couple of months.

The jabs are not a cure – he has already had a second dose to get through the summer – but the initial hit alleviated his thoracic outlet syndrome to the extent he could return to action in August 2022.

“It was a bad time, but I’m feeling good now and I’m just glad to be back on the park and enjoying my cricket,” he said.

Despite a handful of appearances last year, Tongue was drafted into the England Lions squad to face Sri Lanka and he seized his chance in Galle, collecting an eight-wicket match haul, including a first-innings five for 76, in an unofficial Test on a track renowned for being a graveyard for seam bowlers.

Tongue, who began a lifelong association with Worcestershire aged six when he turned out for their under-10s, then saw his stock skyrocket after he snared the exalted Sussex pair of Steve Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara in an LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two match last month at New Road.

Getting a leg-before verdict over Smith was the feather in Tongue’s cap, even if the suspicion was the ball might have been climbing too high. With no DRS available, an aggrieved Smith had to trudge off.

“I’m calling it a bail-trimmer, it looks nice on the scorecard,” a beaming Tongue said afterwards.

He continued to showcase his appetite for the big occasion after answering England’s SOS for the one-off Test against Ireland in the absence of injury concerns James Anderson and Ollie Robinson.

Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes were sufficiently impressed to throw the strapping 25-year-old in at the home of cricket for his international debut, where he touched 91mph and took a second-innings five-for.

While his more experienced colleagues were selected for the Ashes opener at Edgbaston, he seems set to provide the point of difference as England go into the second Test with an all-seam attack at Lord’s.

Preferred to Mark Wood – the Durham man is quicker but concerns remain about his readiness to play a Test for now – Tongue will be hoping his success against Smith in particular was no one-off.

But he would be forgiven if he took a brief moment at some point this week to reflect with some satisfaction on just how far he has come in such a short space of time.

England and Australia renew their battle for the Ashes on Wednesday with plenty on the line ahead of the second Test at Lord’s.

A two-wicket win for the tourists in Birmingham has put Pat Cummins’ side in the driving seat to retain the urn but the confidence of Ben Stokes’ men and their commitment to the aggressive ‘Bazball’ style remains undeterred.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the key talking points before the action gets under way at the home of cricket.

Australia braced for Tongue-lashing

Josh Tongue’s surprise inclusion in England’s XI continues his superb ascent since contemplating retirement from the game last year. Tongue impressed on his Test debut against Ireland at the start of June, but this will be a step up in opposition and occasion. While plenty had predicted England could go with an all-seam attack for the second Test, especially given Moeen Ali’s finger injury, Mark Wood had been expected to get the nod. Instead, Tongue will try to ruffle some Australian feathers with his pace and some short-pitched bowling.

Another day one declaration?

The knifes were out after England lost the thrilling series opener over the decision of captain Stokes to declare on the first day at Edgbaston with centurion Joe Root well set and England on 393 for eight. England’s vice-skipper Ollie Pope insisted there was method behind the so-called “madness” during his press conference on Monday and in truth, the bold choice – in keeping with the ‘Bazball’ style – ensured a result occurred on the final day. Could the same happen at Lord’s? You bet, with England wedded in their commitment to push the game on at every opportunity.

All eyes on Jonny

The instant post-mortem from Edgbaston also saw scrutiny heighten on Jonny Bairstow’s role behind the stumps. Bairstow, preferred at the start of this summer to Ben Foakes, endured a mixed display with a string of missed chances countered by his excellent 78 in the first innings. There was never any suggestion Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum would recall Foakes at Lord’s, but Bairstow will hope for a strong display with the gloves to quieten the doubters. The majority of the blots on his wicket-keeping copybook in Birmingham also happened in the first innings with the hosts hopeful that would have been down to rustiness.

Can Robinson’s ‘nude nuts’ deliver again

Ollie Robinson has copped plenty of flak since his headline-grabbing exploits in the first Test. An expletive-laden send-off to Usman Khawaja saw the Sussex seamer quickly become public enemy number one Down Under. Aussie greats Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have dished out criticism – hilariously almost in order of their old batting positions – but the real theatre this week will be how Cummins’ current charges tackle the challenge of Robinson’s “nude nuts” that have claimed 71 wickets at an average of 21.15 in 17 Tests.

Will Aussie star duo fail again?

What made Australia’s series-opening victory all the more impressive was the minimal contribution by star batting duo Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who made a combined total of 31 runs. Cummins sent a warning to England on Tuesday when he talked about how history suggests lightning will not strike twice when it comes to the reliable pair, with 41 Test centuries between them, potentially failing again at Lord’s. After Smith and Labuschagne tormented England in the last Ashes series here in 2019, the home of cricket is braced for more of the same.

Paul Stirling’s century earned Ireland their solitary win in the Cricket World Cup qualifiers with a dominant 138-run victory against the United Arab Emirates.

The opener’s impressive knock of 162 was complemented by half-centuries from Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector, with the UAE unable to find valuable partnerships to chase a victory target of 350.

It was a bittersweet ending for Ireland, whose hopes of reaching the final six had already been dashed by defeats in their three previous matches, meaning they finished second-bottom in Group B.

After being put in to bat, Ireland lost Andy McBrine for 24 after he was lbw to Sanchit Sharma, but Stirling and captain Balbirnie ran riot as the pair put on 184 for the second wicket.

Ali Naseer found the long-awaited breakthrough in the 39th over as Balbirnie was caught for 66 and Stirling scored another 29 runs before he was caught by Karthik Meiyappan off Sanchit Sharma.

Tector added 57 before Sanchit Sharma struck again in the penultimate over, Meiyappan with another catch, and Ireland finished on 349 for four thanks to a tidy partnership of 23 from Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell at the death.

The UAE got off to a decent start until captain Muhammad Waseem was run out for 45 and wicketkeeper Aryansh Sharma followed shortly after.

Josh Little struck in quick succession to dismiss Vriitya Aravind and Ethan D’Souza before McBrine struck twice in the 21st over to get rid of Naseer and Aayan Afzal Khan.

Basil Hameed put on a valuable 70-run partnership with Sanchit Sharma, the pair taking their side from 109 for six to 179 without further loss, but Hameed was dismissed by Dockrell for 39.

Curtis Campher then picked up two wickets in an over, Sanchit Sharma falling for 44 and Junaid Siddique for six, before Dockrell took the final wicket to hand Ireland the victory with 11 overs to spare.

England’s mission to reclaim the Women’s Ashes for the first time since losing them in 2015 has grown harder after defeat in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge.

With Australia building a 4-0 points lead, England face having to win at least four and almost certainly five of the white-ball matches to come out on top of this multi-format series.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what they could do to boost their chances of ending Australia’s one-sided dominance in this contest.

Australia started as favourites and after prevailing in a see-saw Test they will be cock-a-hoop as the ODI and T20 world champions head to their white-ball comfort zone.

England unquestionably have a mountain to climb. They have not beaten Australia in any format in four years while their last win when the Ashes was still in the balance was back in October 2017.

However, it was palpable how relieved Australia were at the end in Nottingham, with Tahlia McGrath confessing the tourists were frequently “panicking” as England landed several meaningful blows.

Recent history may be against them but England cannot be discouraged by the events of the last few days and more importantly they must believe that all-conquering Australia can be toppled.

Head coach Jon Lewis has attempted, alongside captain Heather Knight, to hard-wire an attacking mindset into the DNA of this side.

The approach is yet to have tangible success with early signs of promise at the T20 World Cup followed by a deflating semi-final exit, while they had Australia on the rocks a couple of times only to let them off the hook.

Lewis has promised England will “go harder” in the three T20s – the first of which is at Edgbaston on Saturday – and three ODIs that follow.

It is high-risk, high-reward strategy, but frankly what do England have to lose by going with this template?

Australia won all of them in Nottingham.

Consider that they were 238 for six in their first innings while England had 448 on the board before they lost their seventh wicket, yet it was the visitors who banked a 10-run lead.

Or openers Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield taking advantage of some England fatigue to pile on 82 in 19 overs, laying the foundations for a total that proved out of reach.

Or the coup de grace that saw England lose four top-order wickets in 29 balls on the penultimate evening, which left too much to do for the other batters.

The limited-overs matches will not ebb and flow as much – but if England get on top, they cannot allow Australia to wriggle free again.

England’s premier all-rounder worryingly collapsed to the turf at the end of her ninth over in Australia’s second innings – restricted to bowling just 14 in the Test after jarring her right knee.

It might be that she can fulfil her four-over quota as the bowlers’ workload comes down drastically but why take the risk?

England need her batting far more – she probably has the highest ceiling while Australia will still remember her unbeaten 148 in last year’s World Cup final, the most recent ODI between the teams.

Lauren Filer was able to unsettle Australia stars Ellyse Perry and McGrath with extra pace, regularly climbing into the mid-70mph range.

Filer looks set to miss out, at least on the T20 portion of the series, because England deem her more suitable for Tests so Wong should come into the reckoning.

The 21-year-old has never come up against Australia but has shown a flair for the big stage, including a hat-trick in the Women’s Premier League, where she also took three crucial wickets in the final.