Sri Lanka triumph, Bangladesh let down by poor batting display
The kind of team Sri Lanka brought to Bangladesh previously was much better than the current one. Their batting and bowling lineups used to boast some of the best in the history of Test cricket and thrashing Bangladesh was like a cakewalk for them. They created a legacy against Bangladesh in Test cricket - a legacy that the current generation is carrying on despite being in tatters.
5 talking points from the first Test at Chattogram
The first Test at Chattogram between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka failed to produce a result, even though, at the start of Day 5, it seemed that Bangladesh might just set jitters in the Sri Lankan batting lineup and produce a result in favour for them. Well, the visitors held firm and neutralized the threat posed by the spinners of the home side.
What to expect from Brendon McCullum?
English cricket has had a bit of a crush on New Zealand in recent times. From the buccaneering if ultimately thwarted World Cup campaign in 2015 that inspired Eoin Morgan’s white-ball side to silverware four years later, to last summer’s World Test Championship triumph, admiration has been plentiful. In some ways the move to hire one of its architects, Brendon McCullum, should not be a total shock.
There are no guarantees in sport but Ben Stokes ticks all the boxes
Above all, I think he is an uplifting choice. Good luck, Ben — and make sure you do it your way.
The appointment of Ben Stokes as the Test captain is a gamble
That is clearly what the ECB have told themselves, too. There will have been evaluations and assurances. This has not been rushed. Ultimately, though, there was no alternative. English cricket will now heap even further pressure on a man whose body and mind were already creaking under the strain. We can only hope for the best and wish him well.
The appointment of Rob Key is a gamble
We’re very harsh with our captains through – all Test captains make mistakes. Lots of the best ones have some very, very good bowlers on their teams. I think Joe can hold his head up high, he gave it absolutely everything. His attributes outweighed the things he didn’t have and he conducted himself brilliantly during the difficult last 12 months, under intense fire when results went against him. Sometimes you don’t realize what you’ve got until you lose it.
Rebels who rocked cricket to its core
But that notion was scorched on the morning of the first match in Pretoria, when each rebel received a telegram warning of a ban. 'We'd already started playing,' says Emburey, 'so that was irrelevant.'
From London to Bombay, via Afghanistan and the Taj Mahal, in a Rolls-Royce
We were through, beating infuriated lorry drivers, some of whom had already been kept waiting for at least four days. In Kandahar, we were greeted by a bearded rogue who insisted on selling us cigarettes most certainly not filled with tobacco. Wooders was all for giving them a go, and we had a headache for three days. We then drove through the Kabul Gorge, more impressive than the Khyber Pass, on the way to the still beautiful and unspoiled Kabul, where we saw Curzon’s magnificent embassy, admired the architecture and bought sheepskin coats on Chicken Street.
Rob Key will bring common sense
For too long, English cricket has over-complicated the present in search of the promised land. Key will operate in the here and now, and keep it simple. After a shambolic period for the Test team, it’s a philosophy that has to be worth a try.
Joe Root’s lack of tactical acumen too often cost England dear and change had...
Root had no such luck, a pair of 4-0 defeats in Australia sandwiching a seat-of-the-pants 2-2 draw at home in 2019. He would have traded many of his other wins for a single Ashes triumph. It was not to be — and neither, ultimately, was his captaincy.
Ben Stokes has the respect, class and aura to lead England out of the...
It feels all doom and gloom at the moment but it is amazing how quickly things can change with a new voice and new energy on the side. But the mindset has to be right, starting at the very top.
The departure of Joe Root leaves England with huge gaps at the top
Really, English cricket’s leadership reshuffle should start with the position of chair, and then work its way down from there. But if we have learned anything from a horror year that ended with a raft of sackings and now Root’s resignation, the road to recovery will be a long one regardless of who is in charge.
Joe Root was a broken skipper in West Indies
This forces their hand. Without structural reform and a refocus on the red-ball game, the new captain arrives with a ludicrous workload.
Bangladesh end up with eggs on their face
Indeed, it was a misery, where the batters let the team down yet again!
The impact of Mominul, though was improving since the New Zealand tour, would come under fire and he could have justified himself with the bat when the team needed him the most. Sadly, he failed to lead from the front and kept on cutting a sorry figure. Neither the experienced players exhibited any responsibilities as the tour ended as a nightmare.
Bangladesh lose dismally at Durban
The dismal show on the final day of the first Test at Durban by the Bangladesh batters cancelled out the fightback of the previous four days where the batters and bowlers of the visitors showed the heart and temperament to challenge the hosts - but in one session of a nightmare, everything was washed down the drain in the twinkle of an eye.
Emotional farewell to the Greatest ever – Shane Warne
One of Shane Warne's former foes Nasser Hussain has described the legendary legspinner as the greatest cricketer who ever lived.
On facing Shane Warne
Legendary batters in the history of the game share their experiences on facing Shane Warne
India will be the real test for Pat Cummins
Cummins has shown he's a good captain who learned fast in demanding conditions in Pakistan. He'll be facing a much tougher team with a more cagey captain in Rohit Sharma when Australia tour India. That series will be a searching test of Cummins' leadership and a good guide to what Australia have learned under a Test captain on the rise.
A plan for England
There has been a lot of talks since England lost in the West Indies about how the Test team move forward - and I've been one of a few to say, with a heavy heart, that Joe Root should no longer be in charge.
6 collapses of England in the last 12 months
England have had 12 months of cricket to forget from an Ashes annihilation to being crushed in the Caribbean.
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