South Africa v England: Joe Root’s wickets leave visitors on the brink of victory and series lead January 19, 2020 Only rain can stop them now. It’s not a statement which you would expect to be true about England playing an away Test match against South Africa, but after a nigh on perfect fourth day in Port Elizabeth the visitors are on the brink of taking a 2-1 series lead. England began Sunday needing 14 [...]
Fit-again Mark Wood the way to go for England in third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth January 15, 2020 Jimmy Anderson’s broken rib has left England with a decision to make for the third Test match against South Africa, which starts in Port Elizabeth on Thursday morning. Anderson took seven wickets in the 189-run win in Cape Town and will be a big miss, but his absence is an opportunity for one of Jofra [...]
How English players became the go-to overseas signings for Twenty20 franchises January 13, 2020 It may be hard to imagine now, but once upon a time English cricketers were not fixtures of the Twenty20 franchise circuit. In October England will head to Australia looking to win their second Twenty20 World Cup. Of their probable starting line-up in the first game at the Perth Stadium the vast majority will have [...]
Four-day Test matches are a divisive issue but they might have their place for emerging cricketing nations January 8, 2020 England’s dramatic victory over South Africa in Cape Town on Tuesday came at a good time for them, but also for the wider cricketing community. With the International Cricket Council set to discuss the idea of reducing Test matches to four days to create space in the schedule and ease players’ workloads, England’s gripping 189-run [...]
Ben Stokes produces scintillating spell to secure dramatic England victory against South Africa in Cape Town January 7, 2020 In the final session on day five of an enthralling Test match with South Africa, on a well-worn but dead wicket, against the background of Table Mountain and with the away fans in full voice, England needed three wickets to secure a hugely significant victory. There were 17 remaining scheduled overs in which to dismiss [...]
Dominic Sibley assumes control to put England in a rare position of strength against South Africa January 5, 2020 England’s second Test match against South Africa started in a negative fashion, in keeping with a tour plagued by illness and kicked off with a meek defeat at Centurion. Rory Burns’s damaged ankle ligaments, which will see him miss the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and were sustained during a warm-up game of football, followed [...]
New Year Honours 2020: England’s cricketers, Olivia Newton-John and Iain Duncan Smith make list December 28, 2019 Singer Olivia Newton-John and four of England’s Cricket World Cup winners are among those to have made the 2020 New New Year Honours’ list. Newton-John, who stared in the 1978 film Grease, has been made a dame for services to music, cancer research and charity. She set up a cancer centre near Melbourne in 2012 [...]
Live sport: How, when and where to watch all the best action on TV this Christmas December 20, 2019 It’s the most wonderful time of the year if you are a sports fan with endless live action to get stuck into. Here Morning Wire details the biggest and best events over the festive period and how to watch them. Scroll down for a full list. Football It all gets underway this Saturday as Arsenal [...]
Rajasthan Royals: With Stokes, Buttler and Archer on board the franchise are aiming to become the United Kingdom’s go-to Indian Premier League side December 18, 2019 Like every other Indian Premier League side, Rajasthan Royals will take part in an auction on Thursday. The day of chaotic, intense and exciting player recruitment, which starts at 15:30 IST in Kolkata (10am UK time), will shape the season for all of the eight franchises, but looking at the wider picture, Rajasthan already have [...]
Review of 2019: Stokes has been England’s inspiration and Archer has broken through December 18, 2019 This year has been a memorable one for English cricket, with the World Cup and the Ashes getting people talking about the sport. My end-of-year review could not overlook that impact. Player of the year I can’t pick anyone other than Ben Stokes, who became the first cricketer since Andrew Flintoff in 2005 to win [...]