Category: England Cricket

The England white-ball veteran on his post-captaincy career, his Ashes struggles and the recent death of his father

Another summer is over and, for Jos Buttler, life and cricket feel more precious than ever. The fleeting nature of both has been accentuated by the loss of Buttler’s father, John, after his unexpected death in August. The 35-year-old will soon talk movingly about grief and acceptance but, first, he reflects on his venerable place in white-ball cricket after England’s international summer ended in a low-key series in Ireland.

Buttler opened the batting and Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed, who followed him at three and four in the opening match, are both 21. But he had proved his sustained brilliance a few weeks earlier when, against South Africa, he hit 83 off 30 balls in a blistering knock that helped England to become the first team to pass 300 in a T20 international.

Warwickshire all-rounder always put the team first and hit the heights for England with an enviable Test career and two World Cup wins

As suspected at the time, Chris Woakes bravely walking out to bat at the Oval in August, arm in a sling, crowd on their feet, was his final act as an England cricketer. Grimacing through the agony of a dislocated shoulder, it made for front page news and a fitting, albeit unwitting, exit.

Few Test careers get endings such as Stuart Broad’s mic‑drop at the same ground, or the sentimental farewells laid on for Jimmy Anderson or Alastair Cook. But this one suited Woakes: full circle at the scene of his Test debut 12 years earlier and still putting the team first.

• ‘The nicest man in cricket’ closes 15-year England career

• Dislocated shoulder ruled him out of winter Ashes tour

Chris Woakes has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing to a close a near 15-year England career that delivered two World Cup wins and an abundance of memories in the Test arena.

The 36-year-old had been eyeing a spot on this winter’s Ashes tour as the senior pro among England’s fast bowlers, only for the dislocated shoulder suffered during the fifth Test against India this summer to rule him out.

• Key all but confirms Woakes’ international career is over

• Brook replaces Pope as vice-captain for Ashes series

Rob Key has all but confirmed Chris Woakes has played his last game for England and insisted Harry Brook’s promotion to vice-captain for the Ashes is not “an elaborate scheme” to oust Ollie Pope from the team.

Speaking a day after naming a 16‑man squad to take on Australia, Key, the team director, clarified the selections – not least the late switch in deputy for Ben Stokes – and confirmed Woakes missed out because of the dislocated shoulder sustained during the final Test of the summer.

While he could be funny, he was also firm and players knew where they stood with umpire who became as famous as them

Dickie Bird may well have been the most consistent, the most famous and the most loved umpire in cricket history and yet when he pitched up at the grounds of ambitious county teams in the 1970s and 80s there would often be groans in the home dressing room.

Dickie’s presence was bound to enliven the game but it would also make it harder to win. Dickie was a cautious umpire, who required certainty before he raised his finger to send a batsman back to the pavilion (often with a bellowed “That’s Out”). To win games, which usually meant taking 20 wickets, the bold captain would prefer one of the more cavalier umpires on the circuit, who might later boast of his hundred victims by the end of May, to be officiating.

• Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Carse and Tongue lead attack

• Will Jacks gets nod over Rehan Ahmed as reserve spinner

Already the quickest scoring team in Test cricket, England will hit Australia with their fastest bowling attack in a generation – perhaps all time – after announcing their 16-man squad for this winter’s Ashes.

A late curveball from Rob Key’s panel is the inclusion of Surrey’s Will Jacks, offering an attacking option with the bat and serving as the reserve spinner to Shoaib Bashir. Otherwise the squad is largely as expected, including confirmation that Harry Brook, not Ollie Pope, will be vice-captain to Ben Stokes when the first Test begins in Perth on 21 November.

• Chris Woakes a risk after dislocating shoulder

• Rehan Ahmed also in frame as second spinner

Matthew Potts could be handed a spot in England’s main Ashes squad when Rob Key and the selectors finalise their plans for Australia. While the head coach, Brendon McCullum, has said to expect few surprises after a settled period for the Test side, Jamie Overton’s withdrawal from first-class cricket – plus uncertainty over the fitness of Chris Woakes – does mean there are final decisions to be made this week as regards the seamers.

The core of this group picks itself, with Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all considered bankers – none are expected to play the final round of the County Championship – and optimism that Mark Wood is on track for a return after undergoing knee surgery in March.

The remarkable Phil Salt fell just short of another century as England chased 197 down with 14 balls remaining

1st over: Ireland 7-0 (Stirling 5, Adair 1) Luke Wood takes a couple of deliveries to get going. His first ball is a wide; his first legal delivery is larruped to the cover boundary by Stirling.

The rest of the over is better. An inswinging yorker is well defended by Stirling, who then inside edges past the stumps.

Duo are the most productive T20 openers, with Salt’s goal to be ‘best in the world’ after record innings against South Africa

As he reflected on his epic individual contribution to a thrilling and historic win for England against South Africa on Friday, Phil Salt spoke about being inspired to ever greater heights by the people around him. “The mentality that we’ve had from when I started playing for England to now, we’re always trying to push things forward,” he said. “Always trying to take, you know, the next step in the game.”

But over the past few years most of the steps taken by the white-ball side have been backwards. It is the Test team under Ben Stokes that have produced the thrills, while in shorter formats there has been a succession of spills. Jos Buttler, by general acclamation England’s greatest short-format player, stood down as captain in February after three years that started with victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup but came to be characterised by failure.

England pulverised South Africa at Old Trafford, with Phil Salt walloping 141 not out in a record score of 304 for two

5th over: England 88-0 (Salt 32, Buttler 54) Rabada returns to the attack and is monstered down the ground for six by Buttler. Three successive fours take Buttler to a quite exhilarating 50 from 18 balls. He waves his bat to the ground, then snaps his head back to salute his late father.

The second of those three fours tempted mid-on, who dived in an attempt to take a low catch but was beaten by the dip on the ball.