Former cricket correspondent and still a Spurs fan. Love greyhounds, a bit of ice hockey and the lyrics of Chris Difford. All views really will be my own now
Absolutely extraordinary. Never seen anything quite like that. Desperate agony for Pakistan and Mohammad Nawaz. But what about that from Virat Kohli?? That is world-class. And that is one of the greatest sporting dramas, in front of 90,000 at the MCG, you could ever wish to see
It’s the rainy season in the Caribbean. If India and an overly long IPL are going to dictate the international calendar this is what you are going to get…
Extraordinary to hear that England's World Cup semi-final against India at the Adelaide Oval is going to be played on a used pitch. This is supposed to be a global tournament. Can't even prepare a fresh one for a big game like this....
Andrew Flintoff back in the England set-up at Cardiff today as part of the coaching team for the one-day series against New Zealand. The biggest step yet in his quiet return to the game this summer
Watching Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook smash New Zealand all around Old Trafford, the thought occurs - has English cricket ever had it so good? White-ball teams imperious. Test side reinventing the game. Even the Hundred was decent. Ignore doomsayers. This is the golden age
Your team scores and you can’t celebrate these days just in case. Then you look at it and think ‘it’s fine.’ Then they take four minutes to wrongly rule it out. Absolute joke
Must be one of the greatest hundreds of Joe Root's career. To win a Test at Lord's in his first game back in the ranks and his first in the fourth innings of any Test. World-class performance from one of the greatest England have had...
Incredibly harsh in my opinion to ban Ollie Robinson from all international cricket pending an investigation. Presumably this means all mistakes we all made as teenagers before we had responsibility of a professional contract counts against us all for ever more...
Rob Key was less a breath of fresh air at Lord’s today, more a bellow of cricketing good sense. So refreshing. So enthusiastic. No corporate ECB gobbledygook at all. Highly encouraging start..
Paine; Can't wait to get you to the Gabba, Ash
Ashwin; Can't wait to get you to India, it'll be your last series
Paine; At least my teammates like me, dickhead
A reminder again that cricket’s best way to attract a new young audience is to sit them down and watch England’s Test team. I defy anyone to prefer T20 or the Hundred to what we have watched over five days at the lovely Basin Reserve. And in every Test now…
All West Indies players and reserves test negative for corona virus. Another big step towards Test cricket’s return. Due to leave Antigua for Manchester at 11pm UK time...
Such a shame Ollie Robinson appears to have offended Australian sensibilities… obviously none of their fast bowlers have ever offered a little bit of a send off after getting a Pom out….
Oh dear. First Mark Wood was taken unwell and now Ollie Robinson is leaving the field looking very unhappy and feeling his left hip. Problems here for England. Anyone know of any bowlers at home who might have time on their hands??
Hearing that the final Test is off today. Indian players want another round of PCR tests before they will consider playing. Might be on tomorrow. Might be off completely. All about the IPL of course
Yes the tweets Ollie Robinson sent in 2012 are unacceptable and yes their emergence could not have come at a worse time. But we are talking about a teenager long before he had the responsibility an England career brings. A 'full investigation' by ECB is over the top IMO.
And that must be one of England's greatest Test victories. A near perfect team performance and that's their sixth win in succession away from home. This series is perfectly set up now. What more can you say about Jimmy Anderson?
England complete one of the greatest Test series victories of my lifetime. And I’m quite old. With an 18-year-old debutant and a 23-year-old player of the series. This is the form of the game, played this way, that will inspire a new generation of fans and players
Don’t blame Matt at all Michael. I was in that presser in Brisbane and Lyon was completely out of order. It was nothing to do with Prior! Can’t have any sympathy for Lyon now.
England’s decline in this World Cup has been staggering and totally unexpected….didn’t think they would win it but was sure they would make the last four. A spectacular end to a golden era
'Times like these highlight the inequalities in world cricket. We have helped England, now they must help us. And why Stan the
@lancscricket
steward helped us cope with life in the bubble' West Indies captain
@Jaseholder98
signs off with a passionate plea
Well played Jonny Bairstow. Mucked around too often by England. Showing why he should have a Teat future after the fall-out from this tour. Possibly with the gloves back too…
Behind the jokey and self deprecatory persona lies a sharp cricket brain and strong and original views. Good luck to Rob Key on a massive job….Sky’s loss is very much England’s gain
Just read Luton Town have turned down half a million in sponsorship because it was offered by gambling companies and they don’t feel comfortable with that. Well played them. Sport’s all too cosy relationship with gambling sites is a curse and leads to corruption
Incredible to think Anderson and Broad were left out of the tour to the Caribbean, says Mike Atherton on Sky presumably within the hearing of Andrew Strauss...
Inexplicable that Mike Atherton wasn't among the plethora of TV commentators on duty for today's World Cup final. At least Sky subscribers had the benefit of his views before and after the game.....
Arsenal are comfortably beaten at Liverpool and Gary Neville bigs them up. Spurs draw at City last week and he says there’s something wrong with them??
So Colin Graves thinks anyone who opposes the Hundred has an ‘ulterior motive.’ Just about sums up his sorry error strewn spell as ECB chairman. He has been little short of a disaster. How about we care for the game Mr soon to be ex chairman? He won’t be missed...
What do they say? Personal news? My time at
@MailSport
is coming to an end. It has been an absolute privilege following
@englandcricket
around the world for so long. Huge thanks to all, particularly Lee Clayton and Colin Gibson who made all my dreams come true..
Joe Root is not just one of England's best ever batsmen and on brink of captaincy record, he's also a fantastic ambassador for cricket. Struck by how much extra media he's doing ahead of his 100th Test, always engaging and helpful. Not top of list of priorities but very important
LIVE on Sky Sports News at 9pm - Michael Atherton will give his verdict on the ball-tampering row that has overshadowed the South Africa vs Australia Test
#ssn
Who was that ECB guy who wanted more tribalism among fans in The Hundred? There’s plenty of it on display (in a good way) at Hove tonight. Another reminder of what a good competition the
@VitalityBlast
is - even if this quarter-final is very one-sided so far!
It’s been another tough week for English cricket in a season full of them. But three days full of twists and turns at Aigburth has restored my faith in the great game. Championship cricket is alive and kicking and the ECB will undermine it at their peril
Just watching
@nassercricket
brilliant documentary on Mumbai cricket for
@SkyCricket
. In all this desperation to get coverage on terrestrial stations that don’t care about the game it’s worth remembering how good Sky are and the commitment they make financially and expertly
Rory Burns ruled out of rest of series against South Africa with ankle ligament damage suffered playing football. Huge and embarrassing blow for England. I think we can safely say the players have kicked their last football on tour...
Let’s face it. England were lucky to reach the semi-finals. With so much talent scrutiny will inevitably fall on Mott and Buttler. Certainly a case for Jos to concentrate on being England’s best white-ball batter. As long as we keep him from the clutches of the franchises..
The unluckiest cricketer of his generation retired today.
@JamesFoster07
should have played a hundred Tests. Not sure there will ever be a keeper as good as him in these days of batsmen taking the gloves. England’s loss was Essex’s gain. Successful coaching career now beckons...
Loved Trevor Bayliss’s reaction today when asked if he will take up social media after leaving as England coach. ‘No. I’ve no desire to know what you’re doing and I’ve even less desire for you to know what I’m doing.’
Loving this new policy of asking visiting players to speak in their first language and then translated
@SkyCricket
. Allows them to speak more naturally and also shows respect
What a summer of Test cricket just when the great old game is most under threat from the rise of the franchises. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum deserve enormous credit for putting Test cricket first. Transformative, exciting and dynamic approach to the game. All hail them...
I thought Pakistan were excellent today! Could have easily capitulated after two long months in the bubble but were disciplined and showed considerable application...
Inzamam-Ul-Haq "It was sad to see the way Pakistan batted today. You’re international players & you'll always be under pressure, but that doesn’t mean that you go into one mode and forget everything else. They need to raise their game and better their standards"
#Cricket
#ENGvPAK
So the Aussie players union feel bans should be reduced because of the players 'extraordinary contrition.' More evidence that the whole apology thing was stage managed....
It’s time to press the re-set button on red-ball cricket says the man who has done so much in seven years at ECB to undermine the health of Test cricket. And is about to trouser a big bonus for doing so by introducing the Hundred
So England have been below strength in Tests against India and New Zealand but have made sure they are at full strength against what looks a desperately poor Sri Lanka T20 side. Go figure….
Nasser Hussain has just described this Edgbaston surface as a day five Test pitch ragging square....the perfect venue for England to meet India on Sunday in a must-win game....
Final thought. Been so good to have Sky back for the white-ball matches. Their quality and expertise should never be underestimated by English cricket. We are lucky to have them...
England under a little bit of pressure now. The decision to bowl Will Jacks for the second over of the match will attract scrutiny. T20 is obsessed with matchups. It’s over-thinking it. Why not bowl Jofra at the start??
We are getting more cricketing sense from Steve Harmison and Alastair Cook in the BT studio now than we've had for more than three days from the Fox Sports Australian commentary....
Fascinating stuff from Duncan Fletcher on
@SkyCricket
during lunch. Have always felt he's never really received enough credit for how good he was as coach. Great shame the way it ended for him....
Sounds like Simon Harmer will come straight from his return to Test cricket in South Africa into Essex's team against Somerset at Taunton this week....
‘Stuart Broad has picked the perfect time to retire. It’s everyone’s dream to go out on top and it doesn’t get any bigger than this for the ultimate Ashes warrior’ Nasser Hussain’s tribute for
@MailSport
For what it’s worth Jonny Bairstow had to be recalled in my opinion, but Ben Foakes is desperately unlucky. I would have dropped Zak Crawley and asked Ben Stokes to open. The captain hasn’t been getting enough out of himself. This would have given him a perfect platform to do so
This is so funny. So what Lyon did to Prior and Lehmann did to Broad were in the spirit of the Ashes? Hilarious...Lyon deserves everything coming to him
Ben Stokes has been on a mission in this series. Harshly feels he let his team-mates down in the Ashes. Deserves great credit for turning his back on IPL to concentrate on Test cricket. Very emotional hundred for him
What a finish to the international season. What fantastic Test cricket that battle between Archer and Wade was. A drawn Ashes just about right and a fitting end to the best domestic summer since 2005. Whatever you may hear from the governing body cricket is in rude health....
What a day in Hyderabad. What a day in Brisbane. What a joyous game Test cricket is. Tom Hartley take a bow. From being hit for six first ball to the first seven-wicket haul by an English spinner on Test debut since Jim Laker. Extraordinary….
"He's my best friend. I am going to miss him"
An emotional Jimmy Anderson struggles to keep the tears back when paying tribute to Alastair Cook.
Watch 🏴
#ENGvIND
🇮🇳 reaction on Sky Sports Cricket or follow:
Saqib Mahmood on his way to London to cover for Anderson. Craig Overton more likely to play. Total joke of a schedule coming home to roost for ECB and England at worst possible time
A conversation with the new stars of English women's cricket in the media,
@katecross16
and
@AlexHartley93
, about their brilliant 'No Balls' podcast, fun, friendship and tackling serious issues...
England’s power vacuum? Here goes. MD: Rob Key. ECB chair: Richard Thompson. Head coach: Andy Flower. Assistant coach (red ball) Mark Robinson. White ball: Paul Collingwood (or Ottis Gibson). National selector: Paul Farbrace. Test captain: Sam Billings. CEO: Anyone but Harrison
Steve Harmison has become one of the best pundits in cricket, in part, because he is unafraid to criticise even those he is close to. His passionate views on England's lack of preparation for India spoke volumes
We had to park the bus to beat Pakistan. This England side might do it a bit differently. Nasser Hussain on the famous win in the Karachi dark for
@mailplus
5pm edition