LEE PAYNE

Category: England

  • A winning start: what I learned from the Lord’s Test

    England vs New Zealand
    1st Test (of 3)
    Lord’s, London
    2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th June 2022
    Result: England (141 & 279-5) beat New Zealand (132 & 285) by 5 wickets

    I’ve looked it up. There were 281 days between England’s men completing an innings victory over India at Headingley on 28th August last year and scoring the winning runs to beat New Zealand at Lord’s yesterday. That forty week gap between Test wins was without doubt far too long for a nation that loves this form of the game as much as we do. It had included a third disastrous Ashes tour on the bounce, the well-intentioned but ultimately ludicrous decision to drop James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and the departure of the captain, the coach and the managing director.

    Joe Root was the player of the match

    It was fitting that Joe Root was the one to get England home. To say he is now able to play freely, unburdened by the responsibility of being captain, isn’t quite right. He was still the best batter in the team when he was leading it. At Lord’s, however, the smile was definitely wider and the shoulders a little lighter. His 115 not out to see England safely to their target of 277 was masterful and it was great to see him enjoying being out there. Root is a special one, who we will not truly appreciate until he is no longer there. He would walk into any previous England side and be one of the first names in a World XI of current male Test players. Surprisingly, this was his first fourth innings century, but it also got him to the landmark of 10,000 Test runs. Only thirteen others have ever reached that number and at the age of just 31 he could well have more than anyone else by the time he calls it a day.

    England got the bowling attack exactly right. Regardless of their age, Anderson and Broad are two of the best there have ever been and simply had to play. Anderson will always get wickets and won’t go for many runs, either. Broad is capable of incredible spells in which it feels as if he turns a match on its head all by himself, as we saw on the third morning when one of his overs brought about three wickets that meant New Zealand went from being in a very strong position to blowing the door open for England.

    Stuart Broad got England back into the match with an inspired spell on the third morning

    Had it not been for the staggering number of injuries currently hampering England’s pace bowlers (they have no fewer than six currently unavailable), Matty Potts probably wouldn’t have been in contention for the squad, let alone making his Test debut. I like the attitude from new coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes to give a young man in good form a go and he repaid them with seven wickets. I feel like I’ve seen enough of Craig Overton, the other contender for a place in the side this week, for now. Potts must surely play in the second match at Trent Bridge.

    The unfortunate Jack Leach was withdrawn from the game early on its first morning when he landed heavily attempting to stop the ball getting to the boundary and subsequently showing signs of concussion. The relatively recent addition of concussion substitutes meant that England were able to replace him with someone who could play a full part and they called upon Matt Parkinson, the leg spinner, who had to make his way from Manchester to London. Many had been calling for Parkinson to play in the match anyway, so for them the sight of ‘Parky’ being awarded his Test cap was welcome and overdue. He had been taken to the Caribbean but bafflingly left out, carrying the drinks while the bowling attack toiled. His first and so far only Test wicket was that of Tim Southee to bring New Zealand’s second innings to an end, but in a match dominated by the seamers little can be read into that. He simply has to be given another chance in Nottingham.

    The batting order is still a deep concern. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley opened, as they did in the Caribbean, but Lees is in danger of falling into the trope of looking good but not scoring many runs. His second innings 20 was, according to Michael Vaughan on the BBC coverage, the best runs he’d seen him make for England so far but then he made a terrible decision to leave a Kyle Jamieson delivery that thumped into his stumps and left him looking foolish. Crawley, we’re always being told, has so much talent, and he does – that 267 against Pakistan two years ago and the hundred he made on the West Indies tour earlier this year are proof of that. He’s not been consistent enough, though, and has a James Vinceian tendency to get out the same way all the time (caught behind or in the slips trying a flashy drive). His average is under 30. It seems incredible that England haven’t found the right opening partnership since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.

    Zak Crawley so often looks the part but needs more consistent runs

    Ollie Pope is another batter with undoubted talent. I have fond memories of his hundred in Johannesburg against South Africa, an innings that made him look every inch the Test player. He was brought into this match, however, as a number three – a position he’d never previously played in. Another couple of disappointing scores will not have helped to get certain sections of the public off his back.

    This is something I have noticed with the England team of late. Whenever they dismiss a team cheaply, some fans will laud the excellent bowling. If an England batter should be out for a low score, however, it is always because they are not good enough and should be dropped. I was watching the run chase on television and thought that Crawley and Pope – Pope in particular – lost their wickets to brilliant pieces of bowling that they could have done little to prevent. The reaction online was that both were useless and pathetic. I wonder how many of these commenters had actually seen the dismissals at all, or whether they were just waiting to see the fall of their wickets so they could criticise them.

    The next questionable member of the England top order was Jonny Bairstow. He had actually been one of the team’s form players this year, with a century in Sydney and Antigua, but had played no red ball cricket since the Caribbean tour because he’d been at the IPL. It was clear he hadn’t been able to switch his mindset away from the short forms, as a couple of scatty innings saw him bowled both times for not very many. One of the explanations often offered for why England seem to stick to the same underperforming batting line up is that there is no one else waiting in the wings. The early part of the county season has shown this to be untrue, with impressive performances from Harry Brook, Ben Compton and Josh Bohannon giving them genuine options. With the batting once again being spared its blushes by Root and Stokes, it feels like an opportunity was missed to give someone new a go at Lord’s.

    On a happier note, Ben Foakes showed exactly why I’ve been calling for him to be in the side for years. As much as I love Jos Buttler, he just isn’t a Test match cricketer and through his immaculate wicket keeping and digging in to support Root in the run chase hopefully Foakes has cemented his place for the foreseeable future.

    Ben Foakes provided perfect support for Root to see England to victory

    All things considered, this would be the team I would pick for the second Test:

    1. Alex Lees
    2. Zak Crawley
    3. Dawid Malan/Ben Compton
    4. Joe Root
    5. Harry Brook
    6. Ben Stokes (c)
    7. Ben Foakes (wk)
    8. Matty Potts
    9. Stuart Broad
    10. James Anderson
    11. Matt Parkinson

    I think Lees is worth persisting with. I was thinking of replacing Crawley with Compton, but feel there was enough in his performance at Lord’s to give him another go. Dawid Malan is a name that hasn’t been mentioned much recently but he was harshly dropped after the Ashes tour, where he was actually one of England’s better batters. Brook is in amazing form and deserves to play ahead of Bairstow. Parkinson needs another go, even if Leach is fit. The rest of the side are assured of their places.

    In fact, it’s highly unlikely that England will make any changes. As the old saying goes, ‘you don’t change a winning team’. What a pleasure it is to be positive about the England Test team again, to be writing about a win. In some ways we’ve learned very little – we’re still not sure about the top order, we know that Root is class and that Anderson and Broad are still the best – but in others we’ve learned a lot. Setting the summer up with a victory could be huge for this new England team. Let’s hope they can follow it up at Trent Bridge next week.

    Broadcasting is another great interest of mine and it was nice to see Sky Sports back, showing their first live England Test since last September after a winter of BT Sport exclusivity. The commentary team has changed a lot since last year. Michael Holding has retired, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd has left, Rob Key is now the England men’s managing director of cricket and there was of course the tragic and untimely death of the great Shane Warne. Sky dedicated the whole Test to the Australian legend and his name was never far from anyone’s lips. The TV commentary box at Lord’s has been renamed after him and on the first morning the ribbon was cut live on the coverage. They also used the lunch breaks to show a documentary about Warne. 23 overs into the first day’s play there was an applause for him, a moving moment in which everyone on the field lined up shoulder-to-shoulder to commemorate an icon gone too soon.

    When the Australian Mel Jones resumed commentating after the applause, it was with an emotional break in her voice that was shared by everyone. Jones was part of the commentary team alongside fellow Aussie Mark Taylor (great insight), Kiwi Simon Doull, England white ball captain Eoin Morgan and the stalwarts Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Ian Ward. Even with Mark Butcher going down with Covid before the match, the Sky team is still the best in the business. Holding and Lloyd were the subject of another documentary, Voices of Summer, narrated by the brilliant Charles Colvile. I urge you to watch it, which if you can do here:

  • A draw – but for England, it will almost feel like a win

    This article was originally submitted to another website on Saturday 12th March but not published.

    Cricket being the glorious game it is, after five long days in Antigua the first Test between the West Indies and England ended in a draw and both sides move on to Barbados with the series level at 0-0.

    England really could do with winning in the Caribbean. They spent December and January being humiliated by Australia, a 4-0 Ashes thumping that was so bad the coach and the ECB’s managing director of cricket both lost their jobs. With the team’s pathetic top order batting causing outrage, they made the baffling decision to leave their two best bowlers at home. Joe Root remains as captain, but it would seem only because there are no other candidates for the role.

    The ‘red ball reset’ began by batting first, with Alex Lees on debut opening with Zak Crawley. By lunch, England were 57 for 4. Same old story. However, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes then dug in and Bairstow completed a fine century, his eighth in Tests. From that dreadful start the tourists managed to post 311.

    Gareth Copley/Getty Images Sport

    Pressure would have been on Chris Woakes (with a poor record away from home) and Craig Overton taking the new ball in the absence of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. They had to perform to quieten the talk about the two greats.

    They didn’t. England were poor with the ball as the West Indies openers got off to a flying start. They were almost lucky to make the breakthrough, Overton having John Campbell caught down the leg side. From 83-0, the home side were reduced to 127-4. Nkrumah Bonner made an excellent 123 off 355 balls in an innings where the next highest score was 55. The Windies made England toil, keeping them in the field for nearly 158 overs. The tourists also lost the extra pace of Mark Wood, yet again injured – this time an elbow – and unable to bowl for the rest of the match.

    It’s fair to say that the Antigua pitch wasn’t a shining example of a good surface for Test cricket. It was flat, slow and lifeless. England lost Lees for six in the second innings, a disappointing debut for the Durham batsman, but Crawley and Root made serene progress and both made centuries. Everyone knows the class of Root, but Crawley’s innings will give him huge confidence and likely cement his place in the team for the rest of the year at least. On the fifth morning they were looking to score quickly to set up an unlikely chance of forcing a win so they lost regular wickets but Dan Lawrence scored an enterprising 37 off 36 balls to set the West Indies a target of 286.

    Reduced to 67-4, England sniffed victory but Bonner and Jason Holder dropped anchor and fairly calmly batted out what was always like to be a draw. Stokes was only supposed to be used ‘sparingly’ as a bowler, as he continues to recover from a side strain, but bowled 28 overs in the first innings and 13 in the second. Questions will be asked as to whether that was wise. Eyebrows will also be raised at England’s insistence on playing on until there were just five balls remaining in the match, when it was possible for the two captains to shake hands and agree on a draw much sooner – this sparked an angry response from Carlos Brathwaite on the TV coverage, who claimed that England had shown their hosts ‘disrespect’.

    Gareth Copley/Getty Images Sport

    The fact that England came anywhere near winning this match after being 57-4 on the first day will give them a boost. So, too, will the performance of Jack Leach, who was the main wicket taking threat and exerted the control that had abandoned him in Australia. Foakes has made a welcome (and long overdue) return to the Test team and his immaculate glovework is a joy to behold.

    Wood is unlikely to be fit for the second Test, with it starting just four days after the end of the first, so it looks like a choice between uncapped bowlers Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Fisher for Barbados – but those decisions can be made later. For now, England can reflect on a positive start to their tour of the Caribbean.

  • I went to a sporting event for the first time since the pandemic began

    Me, mum and Dave at the cricket

    I don’t mind big crowds. They afford a certain anonymity, and I like that. I would prefer to be in a crowd than in a room with one other person. I’m used to them, too – I’ve had a season ticket at Norwich City for 13 years, I’ve seen the England cricket team a few times, I’ve been to a play-off final at Wembley.

    On 4th March 2020 I went to see Norwich play Spurs at their magnificent new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There were 58,000 people there to see City win on penalties and progress to the FA Cup quarter finals. Covid-19 was most definitely around at that point – it had been over a month since the first confirmed case in the UK and businesses were starting to ask their employees how they would feel about working from home. But it would be another nineteen days before the country went into full lockdown.

    There was no indication that it would be a full 503 days until I would be watching sport in the flesh again. On Tuesday 20th July, a day after almost all legal restrictions related to coronavirus had been lifted in England, I was at a packed Old Trafford cricket ground to see England play Pakistan in a T20 match.

    I was unsure of how I’d feel about being back in a capacity crowd, but I was surprised how normal it felt. Getting into the ground, having walked from the hotel, was quick and easy. The only sign that there was a pandemic at all was the ground staff wearing masks. I wore mine when I was moving around the ground, having only had one vaccine dose so far it seemed a reasonable precaution. With mask wearing now a personal choice rather than a legal requirement, however, I was among a minority who donned a face covering. We were almost always outside and it was a scorching hot afternoon but it jarred a little, it must be said.

    My mum, her partner and I had seats right on the back row of the top tier of the stand next to the pavilion so we didn’t have people breathing on the back of our necks for four hours, thankfully. The PA announcer gave semi-regular reminders to wash your hands, try to keep a safe distance from other people and respect their choices regarding face coverings but, again, without those you wouldn’t have even known what had been going on for the last eighteen months.

    Old Trafford was full

    There is a large population of British Asians in the north west and Old Trafford had a lot of Pakistan fans in attendance, proudly showing off their green shirts, waving the Pakistani flag and blowing horns at deafening volume. There can’t have been much difference in numbers between England and Pakistan supporters, and the Pakistan fans were certainly louder than their English counterparts. It made for a fantastic atmosphere and it got the intriguing game of cricket it deserved.

    This game was the last in a series of three T20 matches between the two countries. The first, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, was a very high scoring affair with England falling 31 runs short of chasing Pakistan’s mammoth 232-6. Liam Livingstone smashed 103 off just 43 balls, the fastest century for England in T20 Internationals, but it wasn’t quite enough. Headingley in Leeds was the venue for the second match, with England 200 all out with one ball remaining in their innings and defending it comfortably thanks to their spinners to win by 45 runs. That meant the Old Trafford match was a decider and a chance to see where both sides were at ahead of the World Cup that starts in October.

    In case you didn’t know…

    When you think of Old Trafford, you probably think of the home of Manchester United, but the football ground and cricket ground are different places. They are a short distance from each other, but the cricket ground was actually there first.

    My mum was hoping to see sixes flying all over the place, but the pitch was slow and difficult to bat on. Pakistan won the toss and batted first, posting a total of 154-6. Wicketkeeper and opening batsman Mohammad Rizwan top scored with an unbeaten 76 but that took a relatively sedate 57 balls and it quickly became apparent that there was nothing in the pitch for the seamers. Most of the bowling was done by the spinners, with England’s Adil Rashid taking 4-35 from his four overs.

    This sort of slow, dry, spinning pitch is just the sort of thing that England might have to play on in the World Cup, which is being held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, so it is possible that such conditions were deliberately concocted to give them some experience of how to deal with them.

    England’s opening batsman Jason Roy found it easier than most to find the boundary, scoring 64 from 36 balls with 12 fours and 1 six, an innings which proved decisive in the match and enough to earn Roy the player of the match award. Star man Jos Buttler couldn’t really get going – much to my mother’s chagrin – and whenever anyone tried to go big they were usually caught in the deep.

    A wonderful sunset as a hot day came to an end

    A regular fall of wickets left England behind the required run rate and needing 33 from 19 balls and 12 from 8 when the fifth wicket went down. Liam Livingstone, player of the series and Lancashire favourite, strode out and promptly whacked his first ball for six to put England back in the driving seat. He was caught next ball (also trying to hit it into next week) and the captain Eoin Morgan was still to go but the home team scrambled a two to seal victory with two balls to spare. Not a high scoring match, but a last over thriller satisfied the crowd.

    Getting out of the ground was no problem as we stayed to watch the trophy presentation while most of the deflated Pakistan supporters were leaving. And that was that – my first sporting event attended in person since the pandemic began. It shouldn’t – and I really hope it isn’t – another 503 days before the next one.

    England collect the trophy after winning the series 2-1

    All photos in this post were taken by me.

  • This week in the Euros #4 – Home or Rome?

    I’ve enjoyed Euro 2020. Major tournaments can often feel like they drag on but this one has been a good one. I’m sorry it’s nearly over.

    All that’s left is the final.

    Denmark continue to ride their wave of emotion

    Denmark’s players celebrate overcoming the Czech Republic in the quarter finals

    My last round up ended with two of the semi-finalists sorted – Spain and Italy – with two more quarter finals still to be played. The first of those was between the Czech Republic and Denmark, way out in the Azerbaijan capital Baku. The Danes took the lead after just five minutes through Thomas Delaney. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was left unmarked at a corner and his powerful header down into the ground bounced out of the reach of the Czech goalkeeper and into the net.

    With half time approaching a fantastic cross by Joakim Maehle found Kasper Dolberg on the volley, who volleyed in to double the Danish lead. Dolberg has impressed in this tournament, with that goal adding to the two he scored in the last round against Wales. The 23-year-old might find himself with a big money move in the near future (with no disrespect to his current club, Nice).

    Another players who has had a good Euros is Patrik Schick. The Bayer Leverkusen striker got on the end of West Ham defender Vladimír Coufal’s ball into the box and managed to divert it beyond Kasper Schmeichel not long after half time to keep the Czechs in the game. It was his fifth goal of the tournament, making him its joint top scorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Denmark managed to hold on, though, and on a hot night in Baku celebrated reaching the semi-finals. A tournament that started with one of their players very nearly dying on the pitch and with back-to-back defeats to Finland and Belgium has gone on to see them reach the last four – and who knows? They could even surprise everyone and end up European champions, just as they did back in 1992 when they hadn’t even qualified.

    England ease past Ukraine

    England’s campaign had been flying slightly under the radar before they beat Germany at Wembley. A decent performance in the opening game against Croatia but only a 1-0 win, a disappointing goalless draw with Scotland and another 1-0 against a Czech Republic side who were quite happy not to top the group. They had got through the group stage pretty much untroubled, however, and they hadn’t conceded a goal. Another clean sheet and a couple of goals in the ninety minutes against the Germans whipped the country into a fervour and had ‘it’s coming home’ on everyone’s lips.

    Harry Maguire celebrates scoring one of England’s four goals against Ukraine

    A couple of hours after Denmark had sealed a place in the semi-finals, England and Ukraine kicked off in Rome. The victory over Germany was very much a ‘prove everyone wrong’ moment, but here England found themselves in the unusual position of big favourites for a quarter-final. Harry Kane settled the nerves just four minutes in by finishing from just outside the six yard box after an excellent pass by Raheem Sterling. England were well on top and when Harry Maguire headed in a second goal from a Luke Shaw free kick early in the second half Ukraine had no answer. Two more headers – one from Kane and a first international goal for Jordan Henderson – finished off a professional performance. England were in the semi-finals of the Euros for the first time since 1996, where they would play Denmark at Wembley.

    Captivating semi-final sees Italy progress

    With the pandemic making international travel difficult there were fears that the Wembley crowd for the first semi-final between Italy and Spain would fall some way short of the around 60,000 permitted. Those fears proved unfounded as a raucous atmosphere befitting of the occasion provided the soundtrack to a fascinating game of high quality football.

    Italy were the favourites, going into the match with a 100% record in the tournament, while Spain had seemingly stumbled their way through to this stage, needing extra time to get past both Croatia and Switzerland. The Spanish were not to be underestimated and started well, RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo causing problems for the Italians. Gianluigi Donnarumma is already, at 22, one of the best goalkeepers in the world but there was a hint that the pressure was getting to him as he made some uncharacteristic mistakes in the first half. Spain couldn’t capitalise, though, with Mikel Oyarzabal missing two glorious chances to score. Seriously, the 24-year-old will be having nightmares about them.

    On the hour mark an Italy counter attack saw the ball at the feet of Federico Chiesa, who picked it up on the edge of the box after Aymeric Laporte had tried to scramble it away for Spain. Chiesa brought it into the area and curled a fantastic shot into the far corner. Italy had broken the deadlock.

    Spain brought the much-maligned striker Alvaro Morata on a as a substitute and with ten minutes remaining he played a brilliant one-two with Olmo to get behind the Italian defence and slot in an equaliser. The game needed extra time and Spain had the better of it. Italy looked tired but, once again, Spain couldn’t make the most of it and a penalty shootout was in order.

    Italy’s first penalty, taken by Manuel Locatelli, was saved. Olmo blasted Spain’s first over the bar. Both sides were successful with their next few before the unfortunate Morata had his saved by Donnarumma. The Chelsea midfielder Jorginho stepped up and was the calmest man in the stadium as he nonchalantly passed the ball into the corner to put Italy into the final. It was almost Panenka levels of cool.

    Jorginho rolls in an incredibly cool penalty to send Italy into the final

    England finally make a final

    Wednesday 7th July 2021 was the date of England’s semi-final against Denmark – 9,142 days since their last appearance in the last four of a European Championship. By this point football fever had well and truly gripped the nation, and with hours to go before kick off the crowds outside Wembley were building.

    England started the game well without ever really threatening to score. With half an hour played, Denmark won a free kick about thirty yards from Jordan Pickford’s net and Mikkel Damsgaard fired in a brilliant shot – the first goal England had conceded in the tournament. That wasn’t in the script. It could be claimed that Pickford should have done better as the shot wasn’t right in the corner but it was travelling at such pace I think you can give the Everton keeper the benefit of the doubt.

    It didn’t take England long to respond. Bakayo Saka played the ball to Harry Kane on the right hand side of the area and he squared it in the direction of the onrushing Raheem Sterling. Sterling had already scored three goals in Euro 2020, and it looked for all the world that he was about to make it four. Kasper Schmeichel, however, had other ideas and produced a brilliant stop reminiscent of his father Peter.

    Shortly afterwards, Kane played a delightful pass that made its way through the Denmark defence, where Saka was able to put it back across the box where Sterling was arriving once more. There’s no doubt that the Manchester City midfielder would have scored this time, had the Danish captain Simon Kjaer not turned the ball into his own net. There was nothing he could do really – he had to try to get in Sterling’s way and hope that ball evaded the goal. England were level, and from then on became the dominant side.

    England beat Denmark in extra time to reach their first major tournament final since 1966

    Every time England got a free kick in a crossing position they looked for the sizeable forehead of Harry Maguire, who very nearly scored but for a fantastic save from Schmeichel, who looked determined to spoil England’s evening after his quip in the pre-match press conference. Late on, England had a strong shout for a penalty turned down after a clumsy challenge on Kane – inexplicably, the referee decided that the incident warranted a free kick for Denmark. And that was that. Despite the introduction of Jack Grealish, who the Danes appeared to be terrified of, the game went into extra time.

    Rarely have I ever seen a period of extra time dominated more by one side. In the first fifteen minutes, Denmark could hardly get out of their own half. England were piling the pressure onto tired Danish legs. There was a shot from Kane, Grealish stung Schmeichel’s fingers, and then Sterling weaved his way into the box near the byline, where he was tripped and a penalty was given. I’ve seen a lot of whining in the days since that this was a soft penalty – not for me. It looked like a penalty in real time and still looks like one in slow motion. Kane stepped up, had his penalty saved by Schmeichel (of course he did), but was first to the rebound and stuck it away to put England in front.

    In the second period of extra time England were more defensive – Gareth Southgate withdrew Grealish and replaced him with Kieran Trippier, at first glance an odd decision but one designed to protect the lead. To be honest, Denmark never really looked like scoring an equaliser and after what felt like an age the referee blew the final whistle. England were into the Euro 2020 final.

    Denmark had given everything. They had done themsevles, their nation and their teammate Christian Eriksen proud. But as an Englishman, the scenes of celebration at the end with 60,000 fans singing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline were great to see. 55 years (!) after their last, England would play in a major tournament final.

    So, is it coming home? Or going to Rome?

    Italy won their only European Championship to date in 1968 – this is England’s first time in the final

    Whatever happens on Sunday, the whole nation should see Euro 2020 as a success. England have so often been the butt of cheap jokes about how rubbish they are at football, about what an inflated opinion we have of our players – now they have a squad of players to be very proud of. In the early 2000s, when England undoubtedly had some fantastic players, it felt like they were incapable of putting club rivalries aside. The class of 2021 all seem to get on extremely well and want each other to succeed.

    Beating Italy is an almighty tough ask. They have gone 33 matches unbeaten. They have, in Donnarumma, a giant in goal. The warhorses, Chiellini and Bonucci, in the centre of defence. The brilliant Jorginho and Chiesa in the midfield. England have their work cut out. There would be no shame in defeat, but the feeling that the story would be left incomplete would be hard to ignore. Football doesn’t really need a popularity boost in this country, but I’ve heard people who have shown no interest in the sport before talk about how they’ve been ‘really getting into’ England’s run at Euro 2020. We’ve all, collectively, had something to celebrate after an awful eighteen months – is it too much to ask to go that one last step?

  • This week in the Euros #2… and #3

    For some reason, I failed to write about the second week of Euro 2020. Having made this great declaration of rounding up each week of the tournament, skipping one when it only lasts for four is poor form. Apologies. Let’s get back on track.

    England beat Germany in a knockout match for the first time since 1966

    Here’s what happened in the second week

    Since my last post, Scotland had their little moment with a heroic 0-0 draw with England (sarcasm is the lowest form of wit) before losing to Croatia and exiting the tournament. Their first major tournament in 23 years was over in eight days, and they’d scored just one goal.

    Hungary held world champions France to a draw before Germany brought their campaign to life with a 4-2 dismantling of Euro 2016 winners Portugal. On Sunday 20th June the final round of group games began with Switzerland sending Turkey – who some of the pundits had picked as their ‘dark horses’ – home winless, while Italy kept up their 100% record with a narrow victory over Wales. The Welsh didn’t mind, though, as they went through to the last 16 along with the Azzurri.

    In Group B, a stirring performance from Denmark saw them thrash Russia 4-1 in Copenhagen, marking a delightful fightback from the trauma of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest and sending them through. At one point it looked like Teemu Pukki and Finland might sneak through but their defeat to Belgium coupled with the Danish result brough their first major tournament to an end at the group stage. On the same day in Group C, unfancied Austria found a way into the second round by beating Ukraine, while plucky North Macedonia bowed out to the flying Netherlands.

    Denmark were superb in beating Russia 4-1 to make it into the second round

    England secured their passage through the group without conceding a goal by beating the Czech Republic at Wembley. Having finished top, they knew they would face the runners up of the feared Group F. The final round of games in that group were thrilling, topsy-turvy affairs – at various stages all four teams occupied second place. Eventually, a pair of 2-2 draws meant that it would be the old enemy Germany who would face England. In the other group, disappointing Poland were knocked out after a 3-2 defeat to Sweden, while Euro 2008 champions Spain reminded everyone what they were capable of with a 5-0 thumping of Slovakia.

    With a 24 team tournament moving into a knockout round of 16 sides, only 8 actually took their leave after the group stage. As well as the top two from each group, the four best third placed sides also got through – Finland and Slovakia were the unfortunate ones to miss out.

    The Welsh are sent packing

    Euro 2016 was the first time since the 1958 World Cup that Wales had appeared at a major tournament, and they memorably made it all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten by the eventual winners Portugal. Having got through the group stage the Welsh had hopes of emulating that achievement. Denmark, however, had other ideas and on a chastening evening in Amsterdam ran out 4-0 winners. The scoreline was a tad harsh (it was only 2-0 until the 88th minute, and Wales received a very dubious red card in stoppage time) but it was a sad end for a proud nation. Their captain and talisman Gareth Bale was rather rudely asked on the pitch immediately afterwards if he would be retiring from international football – the 31-year-old decided the question wasn’t worthy of an answer and simply walked away.

    It took Italy extra time to finally overcome Austria. Former Stoke and West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic thought he had given the underdogs the lead, only for his headed goal to be disallowed by the VAR for offside. Eventually Italy’s quality found a way through and they scored twice in the extra time period, though they did concede their first goal of the tournament with six minutes to go. Austria couldn’t find an equaliser but left Euro 2020 with their heads held high.

    It was a bad day for Gareth Bale and Wales as they were knocked out by Denmark

    The Dutch despair and the champions bow out

    The Netherlands were the favourites going into their last 16 tie with the Czech Republic. Having failed to qualify for both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, the Oranje had been a welcome addition to the tournament. However, in a cagey game, it was the red card shown to centre half Matthijs de Ligt in the second half that gave the Czechs the impetus. The referee, with the help of VAR, decided that de Ligt’s handball had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Juventus player was sent off, the Czechs scored twice and the Dutch were out.

    Also on their way out were defending champions Portugal, who were beaten by Belgium in a game far more entertaining than the 1-0 scoreline suggests. Half time was approaching when Thorgan Hazard – brother of Eden – curled in from outside the box. Despite their best efforts in the second half, the Portugese couldn’t find a way back, and you have to wonder if Cristiano Ronaldo – who will be 39 by the time of the next one in 2024 – has played his last match at a Euros.

    Manic Monday

    If there is a more exciting day of this tournament than Monday 28th June it would have to be really special. The first game saw 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia take on Spain, and it looked like the Spaniards had sealed their place in the quarter finals with a 77th minute goal from Manchester City’s Ferran Torres putting them 3-1 up. The Croatians weren’t about to give up, however, and a 92nd minute equaliser from Mario Pasalic took it into extra time. You might have thought the momentum would be with Croatia after that but, alas, Spain scored twice in the first period of extra time to finally win 5-3.

    The second match of the day, between France and Switzerland in Bucharest, had a lot to live up to – and it did. Haris Seferovic gave the Swiss a shock lead fifteen minutes in, and they were still leading into the second half when they were awarded a penalty. Defender Ricardo Rodriguez took it, but the chance to give his side an astonishing 2-0 lead went begging as Hugo Lloris of Spurs saved his spot kick. Within four minutes of that failure to convert the penalty, France were in the lead. Karim Benzema – not a nice man – scored twice as the world champions started to show why they were most people’s favourites for the tournament. With fifteen minutes remaining, a fantastic strike from Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba seemed to put the tie beyond doubt.

    Switzerland pulled one back through Seferovic’s second headed goal of the game, and then in the 90th minute substitute Mario Gavranovic finished superbly to spark wild scenes of celebration. It was 3-3, and just like Croatia v Spain, the game was going into extra time. Unlike Croatia v Spain, neither side could find a goal in the additional 30 minutes and so the first penalty shootout of Euro 2020 was upon us. Switzerland scored all five of theirs. France scored their first four, but their superstar Kylian Mbappe had his saved by goalkeeper Yann Sommer to seal a remarkable victory for the Swiss. In the space of two days the defending European champions, the World Cup winners and the World Cup runners up had all been knocked out.

    Yann Sommer saves Kylian Mbappe’s penalty to send France home

    England finally beat Germany in a knockout match

    The German football team is not what it once was. Having won the 2014 World Cup, they were eliminated at the semi-final stage of Euro 2016 by France and suffered an embarrassing group stage exit at the 2018 World Cup, losing to Mexico and South Korea. In the run up to this tournament they had been beaten at home by North Macedonia and thrashed 6-0 by Spain. But they are still Germany, and England hardly ever seem to beat Germany when it matters. The last time they had managed to do it in a knockout match was the 1966 World Cup final. England’s exits at Italia ’90, Euro ’96 and the 2010 World Cup had all come at the hands of the Germans. Despite possessing the best squad of players in years it just didn’t feel like it could possibly happen for England.

    Well then. At a raucous Wembley containing 45,000 fans, the home side showed their opponents plenty of respect in the first half, being very cautious at the back and hardly venturing forward. On the stroke of half time, a tackle on Raheem Sterling saw the ball loop towards Harry Kane to the left of the German net. The England captain was presented with a golden opportunity to score his first goal of the tournament, but his attempt to take the ball past keeper Manuel Neuer gave defender Mats Hummels the time to put in a crucial tackle. With 75 minutes on the clock, thoughts were already drifting to the prospect of a penalty shootout. But the introduction of Jack Grealish as a substitute had made England more of a threat going forward, and the Aston Villa man laid the ball off for Luke Shaw to drill it across the box, where Sterling was waiting to tap in. Wembley has rarely been louder. England were in front and with less than a quarter of an hour to go.

    Sterling very nearly went from hero to zero as a careless pass backwards allowed Chelsea’s Kai Havertz to put Thomas Muller through on goal. Muller has often been a thorn in the English side but on this occasion he rolled his shot just wide of Jordan Pickford’s right hand post. ‘That never happens!’ bellowed BBC commentator Guy Mowbray. Written in the stars? Maybe. Shortly afterwards, Grealish found himself in a crossing position and played the perfect ball onto the forehead of Kane, who expertly guided it into the ground. The ball bounced up, out of the reach of Neuer and into the net. After a few seconds where no one could believe what they were seeing, the celebrations reached another level as it dawned on us that, this time, it was happening. Germany had no time to make a comeback. England had beaten them in a knockout game for the first time in 55 years.

    The fans inside Wembley marvel at England’s victory over Germany

    England would play the winners of the game that kicked off later that evening between Sweden and Ukraine. Manchester City left back Oleksandr Zinchenko put Ukraine ahead with a thumping finish but Emil Forsberg equalised for Sweden before half time. There were no goals in the second half so extra time was needed – the fourth of the eight knockout matches to go to the additional half an hour. Sweden’s Marcus Danielson was sent off in the first period for a nasty tackle on striker Artem Besedin, a tackle which has since ruled the Ukrainian out for six months. Extra time was an awfully scrappy, stop-start affair which by the end of it saw Ukraine looking like the walking wounded. Just as penalties looked nailed on, Artem Dovbyk headed in an excellent Zinchenko cross to win it for Ukraine and break Swedish hearts.

    The Italians look like the real deal

    After a two day break, the quarter finals got underway with Switzerland taking on Spain in St Petersburg. Spain took an early lead when Jordi Alba’s half volley from a corner was deflected in by the unfortunate Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria. The Spaniards created plenty of chances but couldn’t add to their advantage against a dogged Switzerland side. Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri equalised in the 68th minute, and despite Remo Freuler being shown a straight red card for a bad tackle thirteen minutes from time, the Swiss held out to take the game all the way to penalties. Sergio Busquets hit the post with the first Spanish penalty, giving Switzerland hopes of repeating their epic victory over France four days earlier, but they missed three of their spot kicks to give Mikel Oyarzarbal the opportunity to put Spain into the semi-finals.

    Later on, a pulsating first half saw Italy go in at the break 2-1 up against Belgium, ranked number one in the world. Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored excellent goals to give their side a two goal advantage, but a penalty in first half stoppage time from Romelu Lukaku kept the Belgians in it. To some surprise there were no goals in the second half but there was some superb football on display from both sides. Italy have been tight at the back, with elder statesmen Giorgio Chiellini (36) and Leonardo Bonucci (34) in the centre, and thrilling to watch going forward. Federico Chiesa seems to shoot every time he gets the merest glimpse of the goal, and this performance really set Italy out as the favourites to go on and win the tournament. As for Belgium, their much vaunted ‘golden generation’ are left trophyless once more, and with an ageing squad and manager Roberto Martinez leaving their chance to win something may have passed them by.

    So there we have it – you are now up to date with Euro 2020. As I write this it’s Saturday afternoon and the other two quarter finals, Czech Republic v Denmark and England v Ukraine, are a few hours away. The next time I write one of these will (hopefully) be just before the final. It’s been a brilliant tournament. What has it got left in store for us?

  • This week in the Euros #1

    We are now one week into Euro 2020 – and, yes, it is still called Euro 2020 despite being delayed a year by the pandemic. Probably because UEFA had spent millions on the branding for it. Anyway, with the intention of writing a weekly round up of what’s been going on at the summer festival of football, here we go.

    Andrea Bocelli gets everyone in the mood on opening night

    The tournament began on Friday night in Rome, where Italy played Turkey. The match was preceded by the opening ceremony, usually a dull and cringeworthy affair, but the tenor Andrea Bocelli superbly belted out ‘Nessun dorma’ while fireworks lit up the stadium around him and suddenly everyone was in the mood. Italy won 3-0, and backed it up with the same scoreline against Switzerland to mark their return to the major tournament stage having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

    Andrea Bocelli got Euro 2020 off to a bang in Rome

    Christian Eriksen puts everything into perspective

    On Saturday, Denmark played Finland in Copenhagen. I was mainly watching that match to see how Norwich’s Finnish striker Teemu Pukki was getting on, but surely before half time I saw things I will never forget. Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, their most famous player and one of Tottenham’s best players before he left for Inter Milan last year, collapsed with no one near him. You can always tell when something bad has happened to a player on a football pitch, as the others on the field will react with shock and wave their arms towards the dugouts, pleading for the medical staff to hurry up.

    Thanks to some rather insensitive camera work by the host broadcaster (that the BBC later had to apologise for, despite it not being their fault), I saw more of Eriksen’s plight than I wanted to. At one point I could see his face, eyes open but expressionless, and then the medics doing CPR on him. I was reminded of the time Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at White Hart Lane, a game I was watching with my Saturday night tea in 2012. I had to turn the TV off as I found it too upsetting. I then couldn’t think straight until I’d heard that Eriksen was awake and stable in hospital.

    I’m not sure how, but the players managed to come back onto the field and complete the game. Finland won 1-0. Eriksen remains in hospital and it’s hard to imagine him playing professional football again.

    Denmark’s shocked players form a human shield around their stricken teammate Christian Eriksen

    Good start for the home nations… unless you’re Scottish

    Wales were the first of the home nations to play in the tournament, drawing 1-1 with Switzerland in Baku on Saturday afternoon. Had Euro 2020 taken place when it was originally scheduled, the Welsh would have been managed by Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs – but he has been charged with assaulting two women and Robert Page is filling in, temporarily for now. It will take a lot for Wales to match the fairytale run to the semi-finals of five years ago but they already have one foot in the knockout stages after beating Turkey 2-0 in their second game.

    England got their campaign underway with a 1-0 win over Croatia at Wembley, who had beaten them in the World Cup semi-finals three years ago. There’s a fair amount of optimism around Gareth Southgate’s side but questions remain about their ability to handle the big games.

    Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game as England beat Croatia

    Scotland haven’t played at a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup and the excitement was palpable going into their opener against Czech Republic in Glasgow, but a 2-0 defeat – the second goal coming from the halfway line – brought them back down to earth. Their next game is on Friday night against England.

    The Dutch entertain and Mbappe sends a warning

    The most entertaining game of the first week was without a doubt the Netherlands beating Ukraine 3-2 in Amsterdam. The Dutch were 2-0 up and seemingly cruising, but a stunning strike by West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko sparked a Ukraine comback only for right back Denzel Dumfries to win it for the Netherlands late on. Similar to Italy, the Oranje have been absent from major tournaments for a while (in their case seven years) and are keen to make the most of being back on the big stage.

    Group H is this tournament’s ‘group of death’, containing both the current world champions France and European champions Portugal alongside Germany and Hungary. France met Germany in the first heavyweight clash on Tuesday night. France won 1-0 thanks to a Mats Hummels own goal, but Kylian Mbappe had a goal disallowed for offside and was also denied an assist by VAR. The 22-year-old looks set to take on the title of ‘world’s best player’ once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo retire and his performance was a warning to the opposition of what’s to come.

  • 7 Tests, ODI tri-series and get rid of The Hundred – my ideas to improve cricket

    The T20 Blast has the excitement and the crowds, so there’s no need for The Hundred

    In a concerning development this week, The Guardian reported that the England and Wales Cricket Board could be asked to move or even cancel the scheduled fifth Test match against India this summer. Due to take place between the 10th and 14th September at Old Trafford, it is believed that the Indian board may want the game shifted to make space in the calendar to complete this year’s Indian Premier League. The T20 tournament was suspended earlier this month due to an outbreak of Covid-19 amongst players and staff.

    Given that The Guardian claims the remaining 31 IPL matches are worth £200m in broadcast revenue for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it’s not hard to see why they would be keen to squeeze in the remainder of the tournament in a packed calendar. To me, however, it feels like a pivotal moment in the sport’s history – if an international fixture was moved or cancelled to accommodate a domestic franchise tournament, it would send out a message of cricket’s priorities and there may be no going back. It cannot be allowed to happen.

    This comes as cricket in England is also at a crucial stage. The Hundred, a whole new format cooked up by marketing men and despised by almost everyone with a passing interest in the game, is set to start in July. I’ve been thinking about ways to improve cricket and here are some of my suggestions.

    England should play 7 Tests every summer

    Test matches. The purest form of the game. The best form of the game, in my opinion. A prolonged examination of a player’s skills, a test of their concentration. There is nothing like the ebb and flow of a Test, the way the story unfolds over the course of five days. You can dip in and out of it, coming back to a match that has changed dramatically in the few hours you’ve been at work.

    England is one of the few countries that can still fill a ground for Test match cricket, a sad indictment of the world’s shortening attention spans. But, with this privileged position, we should make the most of it by playing seven Tests every summer. One series of three, one series of four. The only exception to this would be an Ashes year, in which the battle against the old enemy Australia would have to be over five and the other opponent would have to come over for two matches.

    Bring back the ODI tri-series

    The last ODI tri-series in England in 2005 featured a memorable Bangladesh victory over world champions Australia in Cardiff

    Up until 2005 the English summer would include an ODI tri-series, where three teams – usually England and that year’s two touring sides – would compete for a place in a final at Lord’s. The demise of the tri-series was down to money, of course. The matches that didn’t involve England would understandably generate less interest, making it harder to sell tickets for them and broadcasters to question why they were paying so much for the rights. But as such a multi-cultural place, I think there is still the opportunity for a highly successful tri-series to return. Imagine England playing a two Test series with Pakistan and a four Test series with India, with the meat in the middle of that sandwich being a tri-series including three India v Pakistan clashes at grounds such as Edgbaston, Headingley and Trent Bridge – cities with large British Asian populations.

    The T20 Blast is everything the ECB want The Hundred to be

    As a cricket tragic I find The Hundred a bit of an insult. This sport that I love so much is apparently too complex and too boring to attract new fans without it being pulled into a shape I don’t recognise first. And that’s according to the governing body! I refuse to believe that the concept of 20 overs of six balls would be too much for the general population to understand. And the idea of changing the term ‘wickets’ to ‘outs’? Do me a favour.

    What about the county cricketers of this country, professionals who ply their trade for clubs that have existed for over a century? For them to be told that they are no longer relevant and that the focal point of the summer will now be crass, made-up teams with names as risible as ‘Oval Invincibles’ is just offensive. The fact is, the ECB already have the answer to attracting new fans to cricket right in front of them – it’s called the T20 Blast.

    According to a brilliant Elizabeth Ammon column in Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine, in 2019 all eighteen county teams reported that ‘between 20% and 50% of their ticket sales [for the T20 Blast] were families, and a quarter were people who had not previously bought tickets’. I went to a Blast match that year which had a crowd bigger than most international fixtures around the world. Give it a window so the best players in the world have the chance to come and play in it, get some of it on primetime terrestrial television, and the game of cricket will get the popularity boost the ECB craves. And they won’t have alienated most of the existing fans in the process.

  • Talking points from England’s brilliant win in the second Test

    England beat the West Indies by 113 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford

    The first international cricket played since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has not disappointed. The Test series between England and the West Indies is level at 1-1 going into the final match on Friday after the home side completed a superb 113 run win today. Here are a few talking points I’ve found from the second Test.

    First innings runs were key

    England were bowled out for 204 in their first innings in the first Test at the Rose Bowl, a match they went on to lose by 4 wickets. They arrived at Old Trafford knowing they needed to post a bigger total and they did so, amassing 469-9 before declaring on the second evening. It was slow going – they took 162 overs to score those runs and Dom Sibley’s 120 came from 372 balls, the third slowest ever by an England batsman in a home Test. I have read a few pieces criticising Sibley for batting too slowly – frankly, that’s ridiculous. England have been crying out for a solid opening batsman ever since the retirement of Alastair Cook and now they’ve got one we must not start moaning at him. Remember, they tried to turn limited overs opener Jason Roy into a Test batsman last summer and the experiment was a total failure. The value of building a big first innings total cannot be overestimated, no matter how slowly it comes.

    Dom Sibley batted for more than nine hours in scoring his first innings century

    Stokes just gets better and better

    What a cricketer Ben Stokes is. We already knew that after last year – England would not have won the World Cup without his innings in the final and he batted them to a quite simply miraculous victory in the Ashes Test at Headingley. The way he has resurrected his career since that incident in Bristol could have so easily killed it has been incredible, and how lucky we are that we haven’t lost a player of his calibre.

    Ben Stokes was the man of the match

    In the first innings Stokes scored 176, but said he was ‘more buzzing’ to have faced 300 balls in his innings because ‘it’s something I never thought I would be capable of doing’. In the second innings, when England were looking for quick runs to set up a winning position, Stokes was sent in as opener and cracked 78 off just 57 balls. Later in the day, after fielding a ball on the boundary off his own bowling at one point, he took the crucial wicket of Jermaine Blackwood on the stroke of Tea – just as the West Indies looked like they might be settling in for the draw. Stokes is quite simply indispensable.

    Write off Broad at your peril

    Stuart Broad was dropped for the first Test at the Rose Bowl, the first time that had happened to him in a home Test for eight years. The 34-year-old said he was ‘frustrated, angry and gutted’ to have been left out, so when he was brought back at Old Trafford while James Anderson and Mark Wood were rested he was determined to prove a point. On the fourth afternoon, with the draw the most likely result, Broad took 3 wickets for one run with the new ball to turn the game in England’s favour. He took 3-42 in the second innings. His powers are certainly not waning and he is now just nine away from 400 Test wickets.

    Stuart Broad is closing in on 400 Test wickets

    Who do England pick for the third Test?

    The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the English cricket season to include six Test in seven weeks, and the third Test against the West Indies starts in just four days’ time. Do England go with the same eleven, adhering to the old adage that you ‘never change a winning team’? Or are there decisions to be made?

    The batting line up was impressive in the second match, putting a big total on the board in the first innings and being versatile enough to whack 129 in just 19 overs in the second. In Rory Burns and Sibley they have two solid openers, Zak Crawley looks a decent prospect at number three although he is still finding his feet, Ollie Pope is a fantastic young talent and they are all supported by the experienced heads of Stokes and the captain Joe Root, who returned for the second match having missed the first to be at the birth of his daughter.

    The England team and the selectors clearly love having Jos Buttler around, but he just doesn’t seem good enough with the bat in Test cricket to warrant a place in the side. Especially not when a top keeper and perfectly good batsman in Ben Foakes is waiting in the wings. Buttler is a magnificent player in the shorter formats but he still only has one Test century to his name in 43 matches. He was given the perfect opportunity to go full on One Day mode in the second innings as he was sent in to open with Stokes but played on for 0. It won’t happen but I’d pick Foakes ahead of him.

    England may be tempted to bring back Jofra Archer for the decider

    It would seem like insanity to drop Broad again so the question is whether Chris Woakes, Sam Curran or indeed both make way for Anderson, Wood or Jofra Archer. Archer would have played in the second match had he not breached the bio-secure protocols that have enabled this series to take place at all by popping home to Sussex before arriving in Manchester. His pace would no doubt have caused problems to the West Indies batsmen, and England may be tempted to bring him in.

    All in all, this was a superb Test victory for England and one of the most entertaining final days you could ever wish to see. With the whole of Saturday washed out by rain, the home side have done brilliantly well to force a positive result and it feels like they may now have the momentum heading into the third match, which will decide the winners of the Wisden Trophy.

  • It’s drizzling – it must be time for cricket

    I am typing these words into my laptop, at my desk in my bedroom, facing the window. It’s exactly 9.30am and the Norfolk village of Brundall is covered in a milky white blanket of cloud. A drizzle is falling, the sort of rain that no one would describe as ‘chucking it down’ but the sort that leaves you soaked after a short while.

    The summery scene from my bedroom window

    It must be high summer. The weather has been warm and dry for much of April, May and June – I believe May was the sunniest since records began in this country. But, of course, since today is supposed to be the first day of international cricket in England this summer the weather is poor.

    I’ve just had to look it up, but England’s men last played a Test match in January. On the 27th of that month they completed a victory against South Africa in Johannesburg, winning an entertaining series 3-1 and looking ahead to two matches in Sri Lanka in March.

    England’s men playing in Johannesburg in January – the last Test match they’d play until today

    The coronavirus was around at that point. It had mostly been the third or fourth item on the news – this disease that was causing problems in China. It might have been the same week that the UK recorded its first official death from it. But no one could have predicted that it would have such a total impact on every single aspect of our lives.

    163 days since that last Test, England should be playing the West Indies at the Rose Bowl – near Southampton – today. Months of planning have had to go into staging the series. It had to be worked out how to ensure everyone’s safety. The West Indies squad had to be convinced to come over. Protocols put in place. And so England’s first Test of the summer will not include that familiar buzz unique to cricket crowds. That way a day’s play starts with excited conversations going on in the background to the action, evolving into a beer-soaked chorus of chants and cheers as the day progresses. Instead the stands will be empty, everyone forced to watch on TV or listen on the radio.

    The Rose Bowl near Southampton will be behind-closed-doors for the Test match

    It will be strange, but at least it’s cricket. Not in my lifetime has the sport I loved been absent for as long as this. I’ve continued to read cricket magazines, watch old matches, seen a couple of documentaries about the game – but I haven’t half missed it. Much more, it turns out, than I missed football. I’ve often said that no matter what is going on in my life, everything feels alright with the world on the first day of an England Test match. And that’s exactly what I need right now.

    The weather is rubbish, yes, but the forecast I keep checking on my phone for the Rose Bowl does not suggest a total washout. With just over an hour to go until the scheduled first ball, I have that familiar sense of anticipation. Cricket’s back. All is well.

  • England in South Africa – preview

    England’s tour of New Zealand was a bit of a let down. It was a much anticipated first meeting of the two teams since the World Cup final, the sides evenly matched and now rivals full of mutual respect. The series of five T20s, however, was four too many. I understand that preparations for next autumn’s T20 World Cup are now the focus but five felt like too much.

    The tourists rested most of their biggest names for those white ball matches and went with fresh faces. There was no Jos Buttler, Jason Roy or Jofra Archer to name just three, but there was Tom Banton, Pat Brown and Saqib Mahmood. While it was intriguing to see how these youngsters got on, it left the T20s without that star quality – especially as New Zealand were without their captain Kane Williamson, who was injured.

    Somerset youngster Tom Banton got his first chance to impress in England colours in New Zealand

    The cricket was good, to be fair. England won the first game, then their inexperienced bowlers suffered and they found themselves 2-1 down. Dawid Malan then scored the fastest T20I century by an Englishman, smashing an unbeaten 103 from 51 balls, and leg spinner Matt Parkinson took four wickets on his debut to level the series.

    After the drama at Lord’s in July, incredibly, the last match ended in a tie. Reduced to 11 overs a side in Auckland due to rain, both teams scored 146. This time the Super Over was decisive, with England comfortable winners.

    New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham couldn’t believe it when another match against England went to a Super Over in Auckland

    There were only two Tests, which is never enough but especially not when it’s England versus New Zealand. The Black Caps have become a very fine Test team in recent years and deserve at least three matches against the ‘marquee’ sides. Reportedly the New Zealand board lose money when they host Test matches, which rather forces their hand unfortunately. Neither of the Tests were part of the World Test Championship either, which gave the whole series the feel of a warm up for bigger things to come.

    As beautiful as the cricket grounds of New Zealand are, the pitches prepared did not provide a great advertisement for Test cricket. The Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui hosted its first Test match but saw the hosts bat for 200 overs and then dismiss England for 197 to win by an innings. A week later in Hamilton the England captain Joe Root made a very welcome return to form with 226 but rain and a placid surface meant New Zealand easily played out a draw and took the series 1-0.

    New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling batted for 11 hours in scoring 205 in the first Test against England

    Williamson’s men were using the series to prepare for crossing the Tasman, as they had been given the rare opportunity to have a proper go at Australia. For the first time in more than thirty years New Zealand will be part of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Aussies are resurgent at the moment and thrashed them by 296 runs in Perth – it remains to be seen if they can bounce back from that.

    England will be playing on Boxing Day as well, in Centurion in the first Test against South Africa. It feels like a properly big series, this one. Four Tests, two well matched sides, playing at grounds that have produced exciting cricket over the last few years. For the TV spectator back home, the time difference between the UK and South Africa means the first ball of each day’s play will be bowled at either 8am or 8.30am. Wonderful. Especially when the New Zealand games were real through-the-night affairs.

    Jimmy Anderson, England’s all time leading Test wicket taker, looks set to return to the team after a year blighted by injury. He has not bowled a ball for his country since limping off after sending down four overs on the first day of the Ashes at Edgbaston in August. It would be great to see him back. The tourists will also hope that Root’s double hundred in his last outing means the skipper has turned a corner, as well as that Jofra Archer can bowl at his quickest once again.

    Jimmy Anderson is fit and ready to return for England in South Africa

    South Africa have been in chaos off the field. Among other things their board’s chief executive was suspended following allegations of misconduct, their players were apparently considering going on strike over a breach of commercial rights and a number of sponsors announced they would be ending their association with Cricket South Africa, raising concerns about the board’s financial security.

    The team itself were recently hammered in a Test series in India, and earlier this year were surprisingly beaten at home by Sri Lanka. Former captain Graeme Smith is now interim director of cricket and has appointed his former wicketkeeper Mark Boucher as coach so the Proteas will be hoping some form of stability at the top will enable the team to be somewhere near their best against England.

    It should be a fascinating series. I can’t wait.