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Ben Stokes Confirms Retirement from One-Day Cricket

Ben Stokes

Stokes admitted the fact he is unable to bowl because of his knee concern is making him consider whether or not to get surgery at the completion of the Ashes…reports Asian Lite News

England Test captain Ben Stokes revealed that he has no plans to reverse his decision to retire from one-day cricket and play at this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and will take a break to sort his chronic knee problem.

Stokes helped England to success at last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia and many hoped he would come out of ODI retirement to help his country try and emulate their efforts in the shortest format and defend their 50-over World Cup title in India.

But Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODIs last year in July, said he remains retired from 50-over cricket and that he was looking forward to taking a break after the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval that commences on Thursday.

“I’m retired. I’m going on holiday after this game and that’s as far as I’m thinking,” Stokes reiterated, as quoted by the ICC.

Stokes hurt his knee during England’s tour of New Zealand at the start of the year and managed to play just two matches for the Chennai Super Kings at this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League.

The knee issue has restricted the star all-rounder to bowling only 29 overs in the Ashes and did not bowl during the two recent Tests at Headingley and Old Trafford but has already produced some superb individual efforts with the bat during the Ashes series.

Stokes admitted the fact he is unable to bowl because of his knee concern is making him consider whether or not to get surgery at the completion of the Ashes, with England’s next Test series not scheduled until they travel to India to take on Rohit Sharma’s side at the start of 2024.

“It’s something I obviously want to get sorted,” Stokes said when asked if he would consider going under the knife. “The times in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around. So, as it’s been manageable, we’ve just cracked on.”

“But I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. Those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off,” he said.

Stokes further said he hoped to captain England in the next Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025.

“I mean obviously how this series has gone and how close we were it does make you think when we go to Australia do we have a better chance than the last few times we’ve been there? Hopefully, it’d be nice to go out to Australia in 2025 and have a good chance of winning,” he said.

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Ollie Robinson not sorry for reaction to Khawaja exit

Ashes 2023: Ollie Robinson 'does not care' about how Khawaja send-off is perceived.(photo:England Cricket)

England pacer Ollie Robinson has said that he ‘doesn’t care’ about how his celebration for the wicket of opener Usman Khawaja was perceived in the Australia dressing room, adding that he is “here to provide that theatre of the game” during the ongoing Ashes 2023.

Robinson removed Khawaja for 141 on the third day of the first Test, knocking back his off stump as he came down the pitch looking to force the ball through the off side. The pacer appeared to swear towards Khawaja during his celebrations.

“It’s my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me. I think Uzzie played unbelievably well. To get that wicket for us as a team at the time was massive. We all want that theatre of the game, don’t we? So I’m here to provide it,” Robinson said.

Asked whether abusing an opponent could really be considered part of the theatre of the game, Robinson suggested that it was simply part of “the passion of the Ashes”, citing Australian players historically doing the same towards England teams.

“No, it’s not.But I think when you’re in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes, that can happen. We’ve all seen Ricky Ponting, other Aussies do the same to us. Just because the shoe is on the other foot, it’s not received well,” the England pacer said.

The 29-year old was further asked if the outburst towards Khawaja might have been received by the Australian dressing-room and the pacer said he doesn’t care.

“I don’t really care how it’s perceived, to be honest. It’s the Ashes. It’s professional sport. If you can’t handle that, what can you handle?,” Robinson said.

Meanwhile, Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey said that he had only heard about Robinson’s send-off when he was briefed by the team’s media manager while walking to the press conference room.

“I didn’t see it at all.Usman hasn’t said anything. It’s an Ashes – at times it’s going to be pretty exciting and hostile cricket, but I actually was sitting there disappointed at getting out and didn’t see anything over the top there. From our dressing-room, there was no comment,” Carey said.

Robinson finished with figures of 3 for 55 as Australia were bowled out for 386, trailing England by seven runs in the first innings.

The visitors scored at 3.32 runs per over in their first innings, compared to England’s 5.03 runs per over on the first day of the Test match, and Robinson suggested that England’s aggressive style of cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum had thrown Australia off their characteristically attacking style.

“We’ve made them play in the way that they have. The aggressive nature of the way that we’ve gone about it – batting and bowling – has made them play more defensively. It’s not normally something that you see from an Australian side but the way that we’re playing under Ben and Baz is causing that to happen,” he said.

Robinson added that England would ideally need a day to bowl Australia out: “90 overs, if they had a score to chase, would allow us to bowl them out. If they were playing for the draw and playing defensively like they have done so far in this game, it might be slightly different.

“We’ll have to wait and see. The pitch is deteriorating a little bit. When we’re fresh again with a harder ball, we can make inroads early, so I have no doubt that we can take 10 wickets early and wrap things up.”

England closed a heavily rain-affected Day 3 on 28-2, with a lead of 35 and Joe Root, Ollie Pope unbeaten at the crease.�

ALSO READ: Ashes 2023: England lose two wickets on rain-hit third day

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Ashes 2023: England lose two wickets on rain-hit third day

Seven wickets fell before rain curtailed day three on Sunday with England 28/2 and leading by 35 runs with two days of the first Ashes Test remaining…reports Asian Lite News

England gained a minuscule advantage in the opening Ashes Test against Australia by gaining a seven-run first-innings lead but the visitors edged ahead by grabbing two early wickets on a rain-truncated Sunday at Edgbaston.

Seven wickets fell before rain curtailed day three on Sunday with England 28/2 and leading by 35 runs with two days of the first Ashes Test remaining.

A mini-spell between rain delays saw Australia send back both the England openers to set the game up perfectly heading into Monday’s day four, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope set to resume with both yet to score.

Resuming at 311/5 on Sunday morning, Australia had hopes of building a first-innings lead, but James Anderson struck with the first blow of the morning, cleaning up Alex Carey for 66 as he claimed his first wicket of the match.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and centurion Usman Khawaja bedded in as England opted for some unusual bowling tactics to slow the scoring.

And a particularly odd field helped unsettle Usman Khawaja when he was yorked by Ollie Robinson to depart for 141.

England wrapped up Australia’s tail quickly, with Robinson removing both Nathan Lyon (1) and Cummins (38), with Stuart Broad taking the other wicket to fall — Scott Boland for a duck.

The five wickets fell for just 75 runs, with Robinson ending up with the pick of the figures for England with 3-55, and Broad finishing with 3-68.

Hoping to build on the advantage, England steadily began their second innings, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett still there when the first shower of rain came.

But a dry period allowed a sharp 3.4 over session before the rain set in again, and Australia sent back both openers with the ball moving around, Cameron Green brilliantly catching Ben Duckett in the gully off Pat Cummins for 19, and Scott Boland dismissing Zak Crawley for 7.

Only 32.4 overs were possible on Sunday, thus depriving the fans of an engrossing day of cricket. umpires inspected the ground on a couple of occasions as the rain subsided, but could not find enough reasons to summon the players into the ground.

Brief scores:

England 393/8 decl & 28/3 in 10.3 overs (Ben Duckett 19; Pat Cummins 1-9, Scott Boland 1-1) lead Australia 386 all out in 116.1 overs (Usman Khawaja 141, Travis Head 50, Alex Carey 66; Stuart Broad 3-68, Ollie Robinson 3-55, Moeen Ali 2-147) by 35 runs.

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‘Nightmare for all players’: Ian Chappel on Ashes schedule

The 78-year-old further stated that he doesn’t see the fast bowlers playing all five Tests, given the packed schedule….reports Asian Lite News

Former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell has hit out at the packed schedule of the upcoming Ashes series, calling it a nightmare for all the players as the five-Test series will be wrapped up before August.

The first Test will be played at Edgbaston from June 16, with the fifth and last Test starting on July 31 at The Oval. Overall, both sides could play 25 days of cricket within a span of 46 days.

Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Chappell said the way the Ashes schedule had been assembled was ‘stupidity’. He emphasised that while the series has always been physically demanding, this year’s schedule was unnecessarily quick.

“It’s ridiculous, the schedule, I mean the schedule’s been ridiculous for a long time but that is stupidity. There’s not a Test played in August so that tells you how quickly they’re playing them,” Chappell said.

The 78-year-old further stated that he doesn’t see the fast bowlers playing all five Tests, given the packed schedule.

“It’s a nightmare for all players, both physically and mentally, particularly the fast bowlers and I don’t think there’s any way in the world that either side is going to get through five Tests using the same bowling players all the way. I think the extra players are going to come in handy and that’s one thing that’ll probably suit Australia,” Chappell added.

Meanwhile, former Australia Test cricketer Steve O’Keefe agreed with Chappell’s viewpoint and recollected the exhaustion experienced by Mark Wood while playing four matches in the previous Ashes series.

“I’d like to think not but I do agree with Ian that the scheduling is pretty poor and it’s going to be a big ask. Mark Wood, he played four Tests in Australia and he even said himself that he felt exhausted after playing that – I’m not sure why, some of those Tests ended in three days, particularly the one in Hobart so I’m not sure what he was carrying on about there.

“I think the locks for Australia will be Cummins and Lyon, Cummins it’s going to be a big ask for him to play five but I think he’s prepared – listening to his commentary before this Test series he said I’d like to come in under prepared (rather) than over prepared,” he said.

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‘No anxiety leading into the Ashes’

Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been of huge value to the England Test side: Hussain.(photo:Twitter/ECB)

Broad noted that debutant fast bowler Josh Tongue, who took five wickets on debut in the second innings, looked really dangerous with the ball and was appreciative of another pacer coming through the ranks ahead of the Ashes…reports Asian Lite News

Veteran England fast-bowler Stuart Broad stated that he has no anxiety leading into the upcoming highly-anticipated Ashes series, adding that he is at a stage right now where he is very comfortable with his performances.

Broad took six wickets in England’s 10-wicket victory over Ireland in the one-off Test at Lord’s, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings, to start his home summer with a bang. In the Ashes, Broad has overall picked 131 wickets in 35 matches while averaging 29.05.

“Your first Ashes series comes with an inevitable bag of nerves, but there will be no anxiety leading into this one for me. I couldn’t be more relaxed, to be honest. That doesn’t mean I am not fully switched on or hugely competitive, it just means that I am very comfortable with what I’m doing right now,” wrote Broad in his column for Daily Mail on Sunday.

Broad also expressed confidence over his ability to deliver for England whenever required in the Ashes.

“I’ve experienced everything in the game and have confidence in my ability which means that if I don’t deliver on one day, I will the next,” the pacer said.

“I want to have an impact on the series, absolutely, but it doesn’t matter if it’s the first, third or fifth Test match. I have a history of pretty good performances later in Ashes series and I have a real trust in what the hierarchy are doing, so I will play whenever needed, confident I will do the job required,” he added.

The 36-year old noted that debutant fast bowler Josh Tongue, who took five wickets on debut in the second innings, looked really dangerous with the ball and was appreciative of another pacer coming through the ranks ahead of the Ashes.

“From the pavilion end, you can get dragged back into the stumps and it’s very difficult to hold your line outside off-stump to run the ball back in. Bowling from the nursery end, you have to really fire the ball in at middle stump for it to carry through towards the keeper,” he said.

“But he settled in really well, didn’t bowl any balls that softly went down the leg side � which is so easy to do � and he showed great temperament and character. You can get over-emotional and overawed by international cricket, but he hit the pitch really hard from his first over, looked really dangerous throughout and got the rewards on the second day for his efforts in the first innings,” he added.

Australia haven’t won an Ashes series in England since 2001 and will be aiming to do so in 2023 after the last series in 2019 ended in a draw.

After Edgbaston hosts the first Ashes Test from June 16-20, the rest of the games will take place at Lord’s (June 28-July 2), Headingley (July 6-10), Old Trafford (July 19-23) and The Oval (July 27-31).

“You always need one X factor as a Test bowler, whether that’s height, pace, extreme accuracy or movement and he’s got a couple of those things, so he’s another promising addition to our armoury of bowlers,” said Broad.

“In some bowling units, it’s all about who takes the wickets but there is a genuine pack mentality amongst us, we are all in it together and ultimately we need 100 Australian wickets in the five Tests ahead. With such a tight schedule, they are not going to be taken by just four bowlers,” he concluded.

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Australia back to No.1 in Test rankings

On the other hand, India, who were ranked No 1 in the Test team rankings, slipped down to the third spot after their series loss against Proteas and have 116 points at present….reports Asian Lite News

Australia climbed to the top spot in the latest ICC Test team rankings released on Thursday on the back of their 4-0 Ashes series victory against England while India slipped down to the third position after suffering a 2-1 away series defeat in South Africa.

Pat Cummins led Australia won the first, second, third and the fifth Test matches convincingly against England at Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart. England only were able to draw the fourth contest in Sydney, managing to save the Test by the skin of their teeth.

This relentless display has seen Australia jump up two places to No 1 in the rankings, overtaking both New Zealand and India with 119 rating points.

On the other hand, India, who were ranked No 1 in the Test team rankings, slipped down to the third spot after their series loss against Proteas and have 116 points at present. After a brilliant victory in the first Test in Centurion, they were dealt back-to-back defeats in Johannesburg and Cape Town as their quest for a first Test series victory in South Africa continued.

South Africa after their series win have climbed up one spot to No 5 in the rankings chart with 101 rating points.

Meanwhile, New Zealand, the inaugural World Test Championship winners, have retained their second position in the rankings with 117 rating points after their drawn home series against Bangladesh. After losing the first Test at the Bay Oval, the Kiwis bounced back with a comprehensive performance at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Pakistan slipped down one spot to No 6 with 93 rating points. Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland have managed to retain their respective positions in the ranking charts.

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Ashes: Broad returns for 4th Test

England have lost the Ashes as they are 0-3 down in the five-Test series after losing by nine wickets in Brisbane, 275 runs in Adelaide and an innings and 14-run loss at the MCG….reports Asian Lite News

England have decided to persist with young opener Zak Crawley and have included veteran pace bowler Stuart Broad for the fourth Ashes Test beginning at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 5.

England stand-in coach Graham Thorpe said on Tuesday that Broad’s inclusion has come at the expense of Ollie Robinson’s, adding that this is the only change made in the Playing XI from the side that played the Boxing Day Test at MCG.

England have lost the Ashes as they are 0-3 down in the five-Test series after losing by nine wickets in Brisbane, 275 runs in Adelaide and an innings and 14-run loss at the MCG.

Broad played only the second Test on a flat Adelaide pitch after being dropped from the opening game at The Gabba. He was again omitted for the third Test at MCG, following which he made his displeasure known in his column for a British daily.

The 35-year-old Broad took 1/73 and 1/27 on an unhelpful Adelaide pitch, even under lights with the pink ball. Robinson has emerged as the leading wicket-taker for England with nine scalps and is the only bowler in the touring side to play all three matches.

According to sen.com.au, Robinson has been omitted as he was a little sore after the Melbourne Test.

The 35-year-old Broad is sixth on the list of all-time Test wicket-takers, having taken 526 scalps so far, and ranks third behind country-mate Jimmy Anderson (639 wickets) and former Australian bowler Glenn McGrath (563 wickets) among pacers. He is widely regarded as one of the best fast bowlers English have produced. Following the Ashes debacle, he wrote for The Mail, expressing his frustration at not being able to influence the series.

“As a wobble-seam bowler, I feel as though I missed out on two of the best wobble-seam pitches in Australia (Brisbane and MCG). Only playing once has made this a very disappointing trip, one that has not met my personal expectations,” he wrote.

“The biggest frustration is losing the Ashes, being 3-0 down and feeling like I’ve not really done anything. Not being able, as an experienced player, to influence a series while it’s live is tough.”

England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson.

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Richardson replaces injured Hazlewood

Richardson won the race against Michael Neser for selection, with the Queenslander’s long wait for a Test debut continuing….reports Asian Lite News

Australian skipper Pat Cummins cleared the suspense over who will replace the injured pace bowler Josh Hazlewood in the side for the second Ashes Test here, confirming that Jhye Richardson will be in the Playing XI for the pink-ball game starting on December 16.

Richardson is the only change in the Playing XI for the day-night game from the side that won the opening Test against England at The Gabba, Brisbane by nine wickets. Cummins also backed batting stalwart David Warner to play through the pain at Adelaide Oval.

Warner had suffered an injury to his ribs during his patient knock of 94 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test after he was hit by a rising delivery. Warner was in doubt till Tuesday evening but Australia are confident the determined left-hander will be good to go.

Richardson won the race against Michael Neser for selection, with the Queenslander’s long wait for a Test debut continuing.

Blessed with the ability to move the ball at serious pace, Richardson’s two Tests to date both came in 2019 with a run of injuries hampering his career since.

The pace bowler left his mark on his two outings, taking six wickets at 20.50 against Sri Lanka. He has been in great form in Australia’s Sheffield Shield this summer, snaring 23 wickets at 13.43 so far this season.

Warner’s inclusion means Usman Khawaja’s wait for a Test return continues, having last played at the 2019 Ashes.

“He’ll be right,” Cummins said of Warner. “He had a bat yesterday, batted with a bit of discomfort but knowing Davey, he’s not going to miss this one. Once adrenaline and everything kicks in, (he’ll be) a little bit sore but he’ll be fine.

“It’s one thing batting in the nets but another thing when you walk out and it’s a packed crowd. I don’t think he had any kind of painkillers or anything yesterday.

“He’s played close to 90 Tests, I’m sure a lot of them have been played in discomfort or with (niggles) going into the game. He’ll be fine tomorrow,” said Cummins.

Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson.

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England all set to face challenging ‘Pink ball’

If the hosts maintain similar standards at the Adelaide Oval, they will be hard to beat….reports Asian Lite News

England might not have beaten Australia in a pink-ball Test, but the Joe Root-led side will have to overcome its disappointment of losing the first Test by nine wickets and make a fresh start when the second Ashes Test begins at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (December 16).

Australia have a perfect record in day-night Tests, winning all eight they have played so far, while the tourists, by contrast, have won one and lost three of the four day-nighters they have played so far. To add to the uphill task for Root is the fact that England have not won a Test in Australia since 2010/11, losing 10 of their past 11 games in the format Down Under.

Still, the side will go into the match with plenty of optimism as senior pros James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who have taken over 1100 Test wickets among themselves, are fit and expected to return for the clash. Not to forget that both Root and Dawid Malan were in good nick in The Gabba Gabba Test, notching fine half-centuries, while Haseeb Hameed and Ollie Pope each produced encouraging innings.

Of course, Australia will go into the match on a high but injury to key pace bowler Josh Hazlewood, would have dampened their spirits. With the ball, every member of their attack performed in Brisbane, and with the bat there was plenty to be happy about right from batting stalwart David Warner’s 94 to Travis Head’s fine ton.

If the hosts maintain similar standards at the Adelaide Oval, they will be hard to beat.

England’s Ashes campaign got off to the roughest of starts at The Gabba, slumping to a nine-wicket loss inside four days. Root’s decision to bat first on a green wicket under cloudy skies was a bold one that came back to bite the tourists immediately as Mitchell Starc bowled Rory Burns around his legs first ball.

Before lunch on day one they were four down and coming back from there was always going to be difficult. With Pat Cummins taking five wickets on his captaincy debut, England were bowled out before the end of the day for 147.

Australia piled on 425 runs in reply, with Warner cashing in on some early fortune to make 94, before Head (152) belted a century in a session to all but take England out of the match.

Root’s team actually looked set to make it a contest from there, sitting in the healthy position of 223/2 at one point in their second innings with eyes on setting Australia a significant target. Unfortunately for the tourists, after Malan (82) and Root’s (89) 162-run stand was ended, there was little resistance. Nathan Lyon’s long wait for Test wicket No.400 came to an end and for good measure he took another three before the end of the innings, leaving Australia needing just 20 runs to win.

Things didn’t go so well for England in their last day-night Test against Australia either. In 2017 when they met at Adelaide Oval in a pink ball affair, England went down by 120 runs.

Australia captain Pat Cummins has confirmed that Jhye Richardson will come in place of the injured Hazlewood, who has been ruled out with a side strain. Richardson has been a force in Australia’s domestic cricket picking up 23 wickets at 13.43 this summer.

Cummins also backed Warner to play through the pain barrier after he suffered bruised ribs in the first Test during his innings of 94.

Despite it being the batting that misfired in the first Test, England’s main dilemma is the make-up of their attack. Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson were impressive at The Gabba but with Anderson and Broad both tipped to return for the second Test, one of them will have to make way.

Besides Jack Leach bleeding runs (1/102) in the first Test has added to England’s headache and it remains to be seen if the tourists keep the faith in their main spinner.

Australia XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon.

Possible England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Rory Burns, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes/Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

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