All posts tagged: England Cricket Board

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 25, 2026 11:47 PM IST The England Cricket Board (ECB) continues to find itself at the receiving end of criticism after handing a clean chit to head coach Brendon McCullum, following a disastrous Ashes series in which England lost 4–1 in emphatic fashion during the five-match Test tour of Australia last summer. ECB chief executive Richard Gould recently confirmed that the positions of captain Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key, and McCullum are safe following a thorough review conducted by the board. Former England captain Michael Atherton expressed surprise at the decision. He believes fans will find it “extraordinary” that no jobs were lost for the “mistakes” made during the Ashes defeat. “From the perspective of people out there, they will find it extraordinary that there’s been no accountability for the mistakes made in the Ashes,” Atherton said while speaking to Key on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “It’s not necessarily bloodlust people want, but I think they want genuine accountability. If there’s no change to key personnel, they will argue, ‘Well, …

Brendon McCullum set to remain England head coach after ECB Ashes review

Brendon McCullum set to remain England head coach after ECB Ashes review

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 22, 2026 10:51 AM IST Brendon McCullum is set to remain as England’s head coach following the Ashes review conducted by the England Cricket Board. According to a Sky Sports report, the ECB will confirm the development on Monday, with McCullum set to keep his post and expected to lead the Test team into the home Ashes in 2027. The New Zealander faced stern scrutiny over his position after a disastrous Ashes campaign in which England lost 4–1 to Australia. McCullum’s case was further undermined by reports of off-field incidents. Following the horrendous Ashes, the ECB launched a review process of the team. McCullum has expressed his desire to continue in his role, saying he “loves” his job and would want to carry on. After leading England to the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, he told Sky Sports: “I love the job. It’s a great job. It doesn’t come without its challenges, of course, but that is the nature of it. I feel we have achieved some really …

R Ashwin on Josh Tongue: ‘He is able to produce those wicket-taking balls’ | Cricket News

R Ashwin on Josh Tongue: ‘He is able to produce those wicket-taking balls’ | Cricket News

Published by Parlour News

Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has heaped praise on Josh Tongue after the fast bowler’s performance in the Melbourne Test, which earned him the Player Of The Match award. He recalled his county stint and said how he knew Tongue from 2017 and saw him struggle with injuries at the time. He also mentioned on his channel about Brydon Carse, who picked up four wickets in the second innings. “I remember when I played county cricket in 2017 in Worcestershire, Josh Tongue had stress fracture issues. He is able to produce those wicket-taking balls. Brydon Carse is a bit of an enforcer. If they are able to hold their lines for longer periods of time, they can create a good team. Also, the batting must have a bit of a thought. England can’t get themselves ahead and leave the game behind,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “For instance, how Harry Brook bottled the game against India. In Perth, there was a small passage of play. They go for that brute force without any thought …

2025 Reimagined: What if…Bazballers didn’t go chasing the ball in Perth | Cricket News

2025 Reimagined: What if…Bazballers didn’t go chasing the ball in Perth | Cricket News

Published by Webster

It was early afternoon on November 22 in Perth and the Barmy Army was in good voice. After bowling out Australia for 132 at the start of Day 2, England were 65 for one in their second innings, effectively 105 ahead with Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope at the crease on a pitch that had seen 19 wickets fall on the first day. Another hour of their partnership would have effectively taken the game conclusively towards Ben Stokes’s side. But the game turned in a matter of three overs as Duckett, Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root were dismissed in quick succession. Duckett fell to a regulation outside edge caught in the cordon, but the other three scripted their own downfall. Driving on the up through the offside is a fraught exercise on bouncy Australian pitches, especially at the Perth Stadium. But all Scott Boland had to do was bowl a hard length outside off-stump for Pope to go chasing. Brook didn’t learn his lesson and did likewise on only the third ball he faced. …

Ashes: ‘Unfair contest’, ‘Bad for business’: Former players and experts criticise the MCG pitch | Cricket News

Ashes: ‘Unfair contest’, ‘Bad for business’: Former players and experts criticise the MCG pitch | Cricket News

Published by Webster

The Boxing Day Test finished in two days as 20 wickets fell on the first day and 16 on the second with England claiming the victory by four wickets. The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly pitch has drawn criticism from former players and experts. The decision to leave 10mm grass on the MCG deck generated massive sideways movement, making batting here a lottery. This is second instance of a test match ending in two days in this series with the opening test in Perth also finishing in two days. Former English slippers Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook pointed out the ‘unfair contest’ between bat and ball. “We’re always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball. I thought that was ‌unfair for the batters,” Vaughan told BBC.“The pitch has done plenty. There’s been plenty of movement out there. It’s not been easy for both sides but I don’t like seeing a pitch do so much.” Alastair Cook said it was “not a great test match wicket” as England were dismissed in just 29.5 overs. “Unless this flattens …

5468 days: England end losing streak in Australia as Ben Stokes’ side win Boxing Day Test by 4-wickets | Cricket News

5468 days: England end losing streak in Australia as Ben Stokes’ side win Boxing Day Test by 4-wickets | Cricket News

Published by Webster

The boxing day test ended in a haste with England claiming their first-ever victory in Australia after nearly 14 years. The visitors chased down the target of 175 runs on the second day to register a victory on the Australian shores after 5468 days marking end to one of the longest losing streak in Australia. Despite the win, England is trailing 1-3 in the series after losing the first three tests. The boxing day test ended rather disappointingly for the fans as the wicket was an unfair one for the batters. The pitch was aiding the pacers and some poor batting from both sides didn’t help either as 20 wickets fell on the first day. After being put to bat first, Australia folded for 152 runs as Josh Tongue registered a fifer. England’s response was horrible as they were bowled out for 110. Michael Neser led the onslaught with four wickets and Scott Boland ran through their lower order. Australian batters were very poor in the second innings as they failed to put any fight …

‘Do I regret saying that? No:’ Stuart Broad on worst Australian side in 15 years comments | Cricket News

‘Do I regret saying that? No:’ Stuart Broad on worst Australian side in 15 years comments | Cricket News

Published by Webster

England are 3-0 down against Australia after the first three Tests in the ongoing Ashes. Ahead of the series, former England cricketer Stuart Broad called this iteration of the Australian side the worst in the last 15 years. However, despite England taking a hammering yet again, Broad stuck to his stance that this Australian side being worst. “Do I regret saying that? No,” Broad said on his For The Love of Cricket podcast. “I did say Australia would have to play very badly and England would have to play very well. Australia haven’t played very badly and England haven’t played very well.” “From England’s point of view, what would they have liked coming into this series?” he said. “A lot of things have gone England’s way. But England haven’t been good enough ultimately. Australia have been relentless in what they’ve done.” “Do I think the 2013-14 [Australian team] man for man was a better side? Yes, probably still. I don’t think individually they are better than any other team since 2010-11, but they’ve been relentless …

James Anderson on retirement call

James Anderson on retirement call

Published by Webster

It has been ten months since England Test great James Anderson retired from international cricket post the first Test against West Indies at the Lord’s. While the 42-year-old was told by the England team management including coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes that ‘it’s time for them to move on’, the former England bowler has revealed ‘He wasn’t anywhere near retirement in his head’. “I’m still a bit mixed on it. It’s one of those things that was out of my hands. They made the decision to move away from having me in the team. That was pretty gutting at the time. I’d been preparing before my last Test match for the next six, 12, 18 months of Test cricket; I wasn’t anywhere near retirement in my head. I felt I still had that want and hunger to play, to do the hard yards, the training, the skill work,” Anderson told The Independent in an interview. It was in May last year that the England team management including ECB managing director Rob Key, McCullum …

‘Shubman’s looked very good’: Ravi Shastri bats for Gill to take over India Test captaincy | Cricket News

‘Shubman’s looked very good’: Ravi Shastri bats for Gill to take over India Test captaincy | Cricket News

Published by Webster

India will tour England for a five-match Test series next month. However, with both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the format in addition to a void in the experience, there are also questions about who will take on the captaincy from Rohit. Shubman Gill is the name that is reported to be taking over the role, and former Head Coach Ravi Shastri said Shubman does look “very good.” “He’ll have played IPL cricket, which is four-over cricket. Now will come the test of bowling 10 overs, 15 overs. And the last thing you want is some pressure on his mind being captain as well,” Ravi Shastri said on the ICC review. “You groom somebody, and I would say Shubman’s looked very good. Give him the opportunity. He’s 25, 26 years of age, even give him time.” “There’s Rishabh as well. I think these two are the obvious ones I’m looking at because of their age, and they have a decade ahead of them. So, let them learn,” Shastri added. Both Pant and Gill …

ECB offers BCCI option to host IPL 2025 matches in England amidst India-Pakistan conflict | Ipl News

ECB offers BCCI option to host IPL 2025 matches in England amidst India-Pakistan conflict | Ipl News

Published by Webster

With uncertainty plaguing the remainder of the Indian Premier League amidst escalating geo-political tensions between India and Pakistan, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has come up with a potential solution for the completion of the IPL 2025 season. According to reports, the ECB has offered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to host the remainder of the IPL 2025 edition in September, following India’s Test tour to England. On Friday, the BCCI announced the suspension of the IPL temporarily for a week following the rising cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. The IPL had come under a cloud of uncertainty with the game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Dharamsala being called-off around 9.35 pm Thursday, following a blackout and air raid alerts in neighbouring towns, including Pathankot just 90 km from the stadium. Story continues below this ad The BCCI had later arranged a special train for the teams stranded in Dharamsala to leave the Himachal town for Delhi before helping them disperse to their respective homes. The …