Joe Root has explained why he shined the ball on Jack Leach's head during day three of England's first Test against Pakistan, where a late flurry of wickets shifted momentum in the tourists' favour.
England ended day three of the first Test needing just three wickets to bring the hosts' first innings to a close, with Babar Azam's side on 499-7, still 158 runs behind.
Having laboured to stop Pakistan from chipping away at their lead, England struck late through Will Jacks, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, taking four wickets in just over 20 overs.
But it was footage of Root rubbing the ball over Leach's head during the day that caught the eye of spectators and now the former captain has spoken out on his strange tactic.
"You've got to get some moisture in it somehow, some weight to try to get it to move around on a placid wicket like that," he stated.
"A nice sweaty, bald head like Jack's is perfect for it. You can see it sat there on his head. He's more than just a pretty face Jack, he is very useful in lots of ways."
Leach, a folk hero among England fans for his role in their famed Headingley comeback against Australia in 2019, has posted figures of 2-160 from 42 overs so far in Rawalpindi.
Despite the cost however, his efforts helped lay the platform for his side's closing flurry, with Root hopeful they can push on over the final two days.
"All the hard work we put in, we got our just rewards," he added. "We had to be quite creative, try to do things differently and think outside the box."
Marquino Mindley is travelling to Australia as injury cover for the West Indies Men’s squad ahead of the second Test in Adelaide. The right-arm fast bowler is due to arrive in Australia on Tuesday morning.
All-rounder Raymon Reifer has been ruled out of the tour with a groin injury and Kyle Mayers can no longer bowl in the series after suffering a strain to his right teres major. Nkrumah Bonner has been ruled out of further participation in the current first Test Match due to concussion protocols after being struck on the helmet when batting in West Indies first innings. Shamarh Brooks replaced him as the concussion substitute.
Mindley, 27, has so far played 42 first-class matches with 103 wickets at an average of 24.25 runs per wickets. His last first-class assignment was in August for the West Indies “A” Team against Bangladesh “A” in Saint Lucia where he had impressive figures of 5-59 in the first four-day match.
The first Test is being played at the Perth Stadium and enters the fifth and final day on Sunday, 4 December. The second Test will be a day/night contest featuring the pink cricket ball at the Adelaide Oval, from Thursday 8 December to Monday 12 December. The two teams are competing for the Frank Worrell trophy, named in honor of the former West Indies captain and icon.
FULL SQUAD
Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)
Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)
Nkrumah Bonner
Shamarh Brooks
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Roston Chase
Joshua Da Silva
Jason Holder
Alzarri Joseph
Kyle Mayers
Marquino. Mindley
Anderson Phillip
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales
Devon Thomas
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne is honoured to join an elite band of players to score a double and single century in a match after his efforts against West Indies.
The top-order batsman added a further knock of 104 not out to his first-innings score of 204 to help push the hosts closer to victory in the first Test.
With his efforts at Optus Stadium, Labuschagne is just the third Australian to achieve the feat, after Doug Waters in 1969 and Greg Chappell against New Zealand in 1974.
He is the eighth overall to manage it, joining an illustrious list, and the batsman acknowledged his achievements were yet to sink in.
"I've only found out about the club," Labuschagne said. "I haven’t really had time to reflect on it yet. As a player, you never know how special it is until time goes by.
"You get to those periods where you don’t make as many hundreds, and you miss out a few times. You're like geez, remember that day?
"I feel very privileged to be able to be even named with those players in that club."
West Indies duo Brian Lara and Lawrence Rowe, India's Sunil Gavaskar and England's Graham Gooch are among the others to have achieved the feat, with Sir Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara the last to have done it before Labuschagne.
Australia will look to secure victory on the final day in Perth after finishing Saturday needing seven wickets for victory, having been held off by Kraigg Brathwaite's stubborn century in response.
Babar Azam scored the seventh century of the match but England's persistence paid off as they took four wickets in the final session on day three of the first Test against Pakistan.
Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah Shafique (114) completed their hundreds in the morning session at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium before their opening stand came to an end with 225 on the board.
Captain Babar (136) got in on the act with a typically stylish innings, but Pakistan closed on 487-7 in reply to the tourists' 657 all out – trailing by 160 runs.
Debutant Will Jacks took 3-123 and Jack Leach claimed 2-158 on a flat wicket, England earning late rewards for toiling in the heat after Pakistan avoided the follow-on.
Spinning all-rounder Jacks got the breakthrough after Pakistan resumed on 181 without loss, Shafique edging a wide delivery through to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope.
Imam holed out trying to launch Leach over the rope and Pakistan were 283-3 at lunch after the left-arm tweaker trapped Azhar Ali (27) leg before.
Babar and Saud Shakeel prevented any further damage from being done in a wicketless afternoon session, the skipper serenely scoring another century he brought up by dispatching Ben Stokes through the covers for four.
Ollie Robinson struck in the first over after tea, though, debutant Shakeel nicking the seamer behind for 37, and Babar ended a fifth-wicket stand of 60 with Mohammad Rizwan by slapping Jacks to Leach at point.
Rizwan (29) became James Anderson's first victim and Naseem Shah struck a well-flighted Jacks delivery to Leach in the deep as England ended the day strongly.
Openers make history in run-fest
All four opening batters made centuries in the same match for only the second time in a Test – and this was the first time that each of the four reached three figures in the first innings.
It was also the first occasion in which there have been two double-century opening stands in a Test.
Imam made his third hundred in as many Test knocks in Rawalpindi, having scored one in both innings against Australia in March. Shafique has three Test centuries in only 14 innings.
Babar delivers another masterclass
Skipper Babar made his eighth Test hundred and a first against England with yet another masterclass.
The elegant right-hander showed a combination of sweet timing and aggression in a stylish knock that we have become so accustomed to seeing.
Babar has scored three Test hundreds and four half-centuries this year in 10 Test innings, hitting one six and 19 fours in his latest exhibition of batting of the highest order.
Kraigg Brathwaite's defiant stand left Australia needing seven final-day wickets to secure victory in the first Test with West Indies at Optus Stadium.
Having seen Marnus Labuschagne achieve the rare feat of a double and single century in the same match with his 104 not out, the hosts had declared on 182-2 on Saturday.
With 498 to defend, hopes of an easy cruise to the finish line proved more complicated for Pat Cummins' side, with the skipper forced off with a quad strain in the fourth innings.
Though he later returned to the field, the tourists proved to be anything but easy pickings in Perth, with Brathwaite (101 not out) leading a spirited charge in pursuit, to finish the day on 192-3.
Nathan Lyon (2-54) and Mitchell Starc (1-36) made some headway with the ball, but there is still work to do for the hosts to finish the job.
The day had appeared to belong to Labuschagne, becoming only the third Australian and eighth player overall to post a double century and a single century across the two innings of a red-ball match.
However, Brathwaite, ably supported by Tagenarine Chanderpaul (45), gave the Windies a glimmer of hope heading into an intriguing final day.
Two declarations the treat for Australia
Having curtailed their own innings twice, it is a testament to the hosts' dominance that they look absurdly sharp ahead of what will be a busy month that also sees them welcome South Africa for red-ball encounters.
For Labuschagne in particular, with his total score eclipsing his previous best of 274 set against New Zealand in 2020, it proves that his resurgence in Galle against Sri Lanka last month was no fluke, too, in what will be a major relief.
West Indies on brink of defeat
Having seen Australia rack up their second-biggest total against them in the country – behind Sydney in 1969 – it was always going to be a long stretch for the tourists to take this one.
With a full day of cricket ahead, it will take some serious effort from their middle order and tail to either play for a draw or mount a shock result.
Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of India's tour of Bangladesh, with Umran Malik called up to replace him for this month's trio of ODI fixtures.
The quick bowler, the third fastest man to reach 150 wickets in the format, was originally named for the three-game series, only to pull up with a shoulder injury.
Malik, who only made his ODI debut last month against New Zealand, will be his replacement for the tour.
"[Shami] is currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team and will not be able to take part in the three-match series," read an official statement.
Shami will hope to recover in time to feature in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh which follows, for which he has also been named.
India are hoping to pick up a first white-ball win since their T20 series with New Zealand last month, after the pair's ODI encounters were heavily affected by rain.
Dwayne Bravo has retired from the IPL as a player, and taken over a position as the bowling coach at Chennai Super Kings.
"I'm looking forward to this new journey because it's something I see myself doing after my playing days is fully over," Bravo, 39, said in a franchise statement on Friday.
"I enjoy working with bowlers, and it's a role I'm excited about. From player to coach, I don't think I have to adjust much, because while I'm playing, I always work with bowlers and try to come up with plans and ideas on how to have that one step ahead of the batsmen.
"The only difference is I will no longer be standing at mid-on or mid-off! I never thought I would be the leading wicket taker in the history of IPL. But I'm just happy to be a part of IPL history!"
Bravo has played the IPL every year since it started in 2008 except in 2017, when an injury prevented him from turning out for Gujarat Lions. He had first been signed up by Mumbai Indians in 2008, and was with the team for three seasons before being bought by Super Kings at the 2011 auction. When Super Kings were suspended for two seasons - 2016 and 2017 - Bravo was picked by Lions, before being retained by Super Kings in 2018.
He finished with 183 wickets, the highest wicket-taker after 15 seasons of IPL, 13 more than the second-placed Lasith Malinga, and 17 more than the next active bowler with the most success: Yuzvendra Chahal. Bravo's wickets came at an economy rate of 8.38 over 158 innings in 161 games, with a best of 4 for 22. He also scored 1560 runs at a strike rate of 129.57.
One of the great death bowlers in the T20 game, Bravo bowled 1115 balls [36% of all his deliveries] between overs 17 and 20 and took 102 wickets in the phase. No-one else has bowled as many deliveries in the last four overs (Jasprit Bumrah is next with 1026) or taken as many wickets (Lasith Malinga is second on 90).
A part of West Indies' golden generation of T20 superstars, which won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, Bravo joins his long-time international team-mate into IPL retirement, while getting into coaching roles with their teams. Pollard announced his retirement as a player on November 15, and has joined Mumbai Indians, the team he was with throughout his career in the IPL, as a batting coach.
Like Pollard, Bravo hasn't quit as a player altogether. He is currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 with Delhi Bulls and has also been signed up by MI Emirates for the inaugural ILT20 in the UAE next year, where Pollard will be his captain. He was one of eight players Super Kings released by the retention deadline last month. At the time, though, it seemed like they might buy him back at the next auction, scheduled for December 23, as they had in 2021.
With Super Kings, the team he became an integral part of - synonymous almost - over the years, Bravo played 144 matches, picking up 168 wickets and scoring 1556 runs. He was involved in three of their four IPL triumphs - in 2011, 2018 and 2021; the only one he missed was in 2010, when he was still with Mumbai. While with Super Kings, he won the Purple Cap for the most wickets in 2013 (32 wickets) and 2015 (26 wickets). He remains one of two players - Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the other - to win the Purple Cap on two occasions.
"He has been a crucial member of the Super Kings family for more than a decade, and we are excited to continue the association," Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings chief executive, said. "Bravo's vast experience will be of immense value to our players and support staff. We are confident that our bowling group will thrive under his guidance."
Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq gave Pakistan a great start in their reply to England's record-breaking exploits with the bat on day two of the first Test.
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook scored centuries as the tourists piled on the runs on a historic first day in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
After resuming on a staggering 506-4 in their first Test in Pakistan for almost 17 years, England posted 657 all out from 101 overs on Friday - Brook top scoring with 153 off 116 balls and taking a record 27 off an over.
Imam (90 not out) and Shafique (89no) then cashed in on a flat wicket, taking Pakistan to 181 without loss at the close on another gruelling day for the bowlers - trailing by 476 runs.
Ben Stokes hit the first ball of the day he faced from Naseem Shah (3-140) down the ground for six, but was cleaned up off the final delivery of an eventful opening over of the day.
Liam Livingstone fell cheaply, but Brook continued to show his class, brutally taking Zahid Mahmood (4-235) apart before he was removed by Naseem.
Ollie Robinson (37) and Will Jacks (30) also chipped in, but there was no joy for England with the ball as Imam and Shafique played superbly in control knocks.
Stand-in wicketkeeper Pope appeared to have put down a chance to dismiss Imam for 11 and caught Shafique when he had 54 to his name, but the opener was given a reprieve after a replay showed the ball bounced before lodging in his glove.
A concern for England would be the loss of Livingstone to an ankle injury that kept the all-rounder off the field and prevented him from bowling.
The brilliance of Brook
Making only his second Test appearance, Brook carried on where he left off on day one in a masterful knock as England made their second-highest Test score overseas.
He brutally took debutant Zahid apart to break a record of 24, which he shared with Ian Botham for less than a day after matching that on Thursday, for the most runs scored by an England batter in a Test over.
Brook struck Zahid for two sixes and three fours before scoring three off the final ball of that incredible over. He only faced 115 balls in the fastest 150 by an England player in the longest format and the fourth-quickest in Test history, hitting five sixes and 19 fours.
Shafique and Imam build strong foundations
After such a punishing time in the field, Shafique and Imam were able to enjoy themselves at the crease in a run-fest.
England had the odd half chance, but the openers looked comfortable as they saw off the new ball with apparent ease and were closing in on centuries at the close.
Australia will take a big lead into day four of the first Test against West Indies after a dominant final session on Friday at Optus Stadium.
Pat Cummins (3-34) and Mitchell Starc (3-51) did most of the damage as Australia dismissed the tourists for 283, before finishing on 29-1 in their second innings to establish an overnight advantage of 344 runs.
Debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul was at least able to reach his half-century before edging Josh Hazlewood to David Warner for 51, before Nkumrah Bonner retired hurt on 16 after taking a Cameron Green delivery to the head.
Australia struggled to get rid of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (64) until he was bowled by a terrific delivery from his opposite number Cummins to bring up his 200th Test wicket.
Starc dismissed Kyle Mayers (1) and Jermaine Blackwood (36) either side of Nathan Lyon getting rid of Jason Holder (27), before Starc had Joshua Da Silva out for a duck with a delivery that swung back spectacularly into the stumps.
Australia cleared up the tail with minimum fuss to leave the hosts heading into their second innings with a big advantage.
Warner began aggressively but almost paid the price as he was nearly run out on 13, though Usman Khawaja (6) was heading back to the pavilion soon after when a nothing shot at a Kemar Roach ball was edged through to Da Silva.
Warner (17 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (3 not out) saw Australia through to the close and will be confident of building an even bigger lead on the penultimate day in Perth.
200 up for Cummins, Lyon also reaches landmark
It was a fitting way for Cummins to reach 200 wickets, emphatically dismissing his fellow skipper. In his 44th Test, he became the fifth-fastest Australian to 200 behind only Clarrie Grimmett (36), Dennis Lillee (38), Stuart MacGill (41) and Shane Warne (42).
Lyon also had reason to celebrate as his 2-61 took him past Dale Steyn on the all-time Test wicket-taker list, moving up to ninth place on 440, just two behind Ravichandran Ashwin.
West Indies allow faint hope to fade further
It is never easy replying to such a mammoth first innings score, with Australia posting 598-4 dec, but the tourists were ticking along nicely, reaching tea on day three on 237-4.
However, they collapsed once Starc started to wobble them, adding just 46 for their final six wickets.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite insists he was not surprised by the determined, obdurate display of opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul, on his debut against Australia, on Wednesday.
Facing a mammoth 598 for 4 declared, the West Indies ended day 2 at 74 without loss after facing 25 overs. Chanderpaul, the 25-year-old son of legendary West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made a solid 47 from 73 balls while Brathwaite himself made a more patient 18 from 79.
Chanderpaul was called into the squad last month as a replacement for previous opening batsman John Campbell, who is currently serving a doping violation suspension. A match-up against top-ranked Australia certainly isn’t the easiest debut for the young batsman, his captain Brathwaite was, however, not worried.
“I wasn’t surprised. I’ve known him for a while. I’ve played against him and he has always had fight always takes his time to bat and bats for long periods,” Brathwaite said at the end of the days play.
“I know he is a fighter, so it isn’t surprising. I just look forward to a lot from him playing for West Indies. It was good to see but we need to continue,” he added.
Chanderpaul previously stood out for the team last week against the Prime Ministers XI where he recorded a century in the four-day affair.
England's record-breaking start to the first Test against Pakistan was a prime example of the aggressive style implemented by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, says Ollie Pope.
Pope joined Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in making his century as England closed on 506-4 after an incredible display in Rawalpindi, becoming the first team to make 500 runs on day one of a Test and beating Australia's previous record of 494 runs against South Africa from 1910.
England have produced several fine batting displays since McCullum and Stokes took over as head coach and captain this year, leading Pope to hail the squad's willingness to buy into their ideas.
Speaking to Sky Sports after helping England make a historic start to their first Test in Pakistan since 2005, Pope said: "I think it's the ideal start to the tour!
"We really listened to what Baz and Stokesy have said. It was an amazing day.
"The best thing is everyone has lived by how the two guys up top want us to play.
"They want us to entertain people. It is not about milestones. It is about putting on a show and putting the team in a good position.
"The fact everyone is so happy to buy into that puts us in a really good place."
Meanwhile, Duckett's ton saw him make a dream return to England's red-ball side after a six-year hiatus, leaving the 28-year-old in disbelief.
"Very special, pretty crazy day and a crazy build-up to the Test match. For me personally, it's a special day, it's one I didn't think that'll come around," Duckett said.
"I don't think there will be a better environment to be involved in. I am sure there will be a lot of cricketers in England who will want to be part of it. It went well today.
"It helps being in these conditions, I knew it was going to be nice batting conditions. The T20 series [in Pakistan] was a big confidence thing for me."
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel on Wednesday named a 14-member squad for the first and second matches in the CG United One Day International (ODI) series against England Women starting on 4 December at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
West Indies and England will contest three day/night CG United ODIs starting at 2pm local time/1pm Jamaica time. All three CG United ODIs in the series will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua on 4, 6 and 9 December as part of the ICC Women's Championship.
Lead Selector Ann Browne-John said: “The return of Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight to the ODI squad after missing the last series due to injury will bolster the team in the absence of the experienced Stafanie Taylor who is still recuperating from injury sustained during September’s series against New Zealand. The CG United ODI matches are vital as points earned will take us a step closer towards automatic qualification for the next ICC Women’s World Cup in 2025.”
She added: “This series against England comes on the heels of the New Zealand tour to the West Indies and continues our important preparation for the upcoming Tri Series against India and South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to follow. It gives the players a great opportunity to develop and push for final selection for the Tri Series and World Cup.”
The CG United ODI Series is the second opportunity for the West Indies to gain points in the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC). The top five teams in the IWC will automatically book a berth for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025. The remaining five teams in the IWC will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The T20I Series which follows provides both teams with important preparation for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa which begins on 10 February 2023, with West Indies and England drawn to play each other in Group 2 of the tournament.
Tickets are available in advance for the first two CG United ODIs and the first T20I in Antigua from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard - tickets.windiestickets.com. Tickets are just US$9/EC$25. The third CG United ODI in Antigua will be free for local and visiting fans as it falls on V.C. Bird Day, a national holiday in Antigua and is being supported by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Fans who purchase tickets will receive their tickets securely into their online Windies Tickets account to save to their mobile device or print out for presentation at the stadium, avoiding the need to queue at or travel to the stadium ticket offices. Ticket offices at each venue will be open on the day of each match.
All matches will be available to view in the West Indies live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel as well as on the ESPN Play app. Fans in the UK will be able to view on BT Sport with fans based in the USA able to watch live on ESPN+.
FULL SQUAD
(1st and 2nd CG United ODIs)
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all made centuries as an electric and record-hungry England piled on the runs on day one of the first Test against Pakistan.
A virus in the tourist camp threatened to delay England's first five-day game on Pakistan soil since 2005 but by stumps it was Pakistan who were feeling sick at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as the visitors closed on 506-4.
Having reached 174-0 by lunch, the most runs scored in the first session of a Test, Crawley reached three figures early after the restart having overturned an lbw decision on review a few balls earlier.
His hundred came off just 86 balls, the fastest for an England opener, while Duckett – who returned at the top of the order for his first Test in six years – seized his opportunity to also reach three figures.
A missed sweep off Zahid Mahmood (2-160) sent Duckett (107) packing lbw and Crawley (122) soon became debutant Haris Rauf's (1-78) first Test victim.
Joe Root (23) fell cheaply after a swift half-century stand with Pope but that was Pakistan's only real spell on top as the latter piled on the runs with Brook.
Together, they made put on 176 for the fourth wicket as Pope (108) celebrated a third Test century prior to falling leg-before for Mohammad Ali's (1-96) maiden Test scalp.
Brook (101no) went on to make his first Test ton as England became the first team to make 500 runs on day one of a Test in what was a glorious display of what has become dubbed 'Bazball'.
CRAWLEY AND DUCKETT SET THE TONE
Crawley and Duckett were the perfect foil on admittedly ideal conditions for scoring, the former driving to the covers at will, while the latter swept with impeccable timing.
England have had well-documented issues at the top of the order and Duckett, playing in just his fifth Test, laid down a big marker on his return to the team.
POPE AND BROOK GO FOR THE JUGULAR
There was a very fleeting spell from Pakistan in the second session but all in all it was a day of toil for the hosts' bowling unit.
Pope was fluent throughout and Brook, who looks a star in the making, was rapid with his knock including six fours from as many balls off Saud Shakeel in the 68th over.
Brook had two maximums and 14 fours. He will return to the crease with captain Ben Stokes (34no) on Friday.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith made double centuries as Australia piled on the runs against West Indies at Perth Stadium, achieving a feat last witnessed over a decade ago.
Not since Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke plundered double tons against India in January 2012 had any pair of batters made 200-plus scores in the same innings of a Test match.
This first Test saw Australia follow up their opening-day dominance with more commanding batting to reach 598-4 on Thursday, before West Indies rallied to reach 74-0 at stumps, with debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul closing in on a half-century.
Labuschagne had been 154no overnight, and Smith was with him on 59, and they went on to post 204 and 200no respectively, sharing in a third-wicket stand of 251 runs. It was a second Test double century for Labuschagne, and a fourth for Smith.
Australia declared when Travis Head was dismissed on 99, edging the 95th ball of his innings into his stumps to give West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite a second wicket, ending a 196-run alliance with Smith.
In reply, Chanderpaul, son of West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul, powered to 47no as Brathwaite battled to 18no, offering hope the tourists may be able to show sufficient defiance to still take something from this match, the first of two in the series.
Smith joins Bradman
Smith's century, which became a double, was his 29th ton in Tests, moving him level with the great Don Bradman on the all-time list. He and Bradman share fourth place among Australia century-makers, behind Ricky Ponting (41), Steve Waugh (32) and Matthew Hayden (30).
Chanderpaul a chip off the old block
Facing the full assault of Australia's pace attack, Chanderpaul did not always look comfortable against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, but he found a way to survive to the close.
Dad Shivnarine made 11,867 Test runs for West Indies, so Tagenarine is just 11,820 behind now. More relevantly, perhaps, Shivnarine made 62 in his first Test innings, against England in Georgetown in 1994. After this strong start, West Indies will hope his son can go significantly past that score on Friday.
Ben Stokes remained non-committal on his England future in ODI cricket but refused to rule out a possible return for the Cricket World Cup in 2023.
The 31-year-old called time on his 50-over international career in July as he cited an "unsustainable" workload alongside his Test captaincy commitments and T20 interests.
Stokes subsequently guided England to their second T20 World Cup title with a vital 52 not out to help Matthew Mott's side to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the November 13 final.
The star all-rounder will turn his attention to the first Test against Pakistan, which will start on either Thursday or Friday depending on England's fitness after a viral outbreak in the tourist's camp.
But Stokes, speaking on Wednesday, left the door open for a potential return to 50-over cricket – the format in which he powered England to Cricket World Cup glory in 2019.
"[Rob Key] pulled me to the side and as soon as he said '50-over World Cup' I just walked away," the England Test captain said.
"Who knows? At the moment, being out here, my focus is solely on this series.
"Going to a World Cup is an amazing thing to do, to represent your country. But at the moment I'm not even thinking about that."
Next year's schedule leaves the opportunity for Stokes to reverse his retirement decision, given a large portion of England's contests are loaded into the front half of 2023.
A two-Test tour of New Zealand in February follows after three red-ball outings against Pakistan before the start of the Indian Premier League, which Stokes has put himself forward for in the draft.
England then face Ireland in a four-day Test as a warm-up for The Ashes at home against Australia, which will be finished by the end of July, with four T20Is to follow against New Zealand.
Should Stokes have a change of heart on his decision, six ODIs split between the Black Caps and Ireland across September would serve as a perfect warm-up for October's Cricket World Cup in India.
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