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Ben Stokes says he cannot envisage a future as England men’s Test captain without Brendon McCullum at the helm, strengthening the head coach’s position after a botched Ashes campaign.Victory in Melbourne – a first Test victory in Australia since January 2011 – has given the England team and management some grace after spurning the urn in the opening three Tests. But there will be necessary fallout, on and off the field, given the optimism before the Ashes were lost in just 11 days.Since the terminal defeat in Adelaide, McCullum and managing director Rob Key have held a similar line in the face of heavy scrutiny; both unsure of their futures but willing to continue until told otherwise. The decision on their respective positions will ultimately be in the hands of ECB chief executive Richard Gould and chair Richard Thompson, who will look to ascertain how England’s best shot at an overseas Ashes win since 2010-11 came so spectacularly awry.McCullum has a degree of insulation given the size of his contract, which has included the white-ball head coach role since the start of 2025, and would require a low seven-figure sum to break. England also have a T20 World Cup next month.Related

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Stokes’ backing, however, particularly the nature of it, is arguably most important of all. Having said unequivocally that he would like to continue in the aftermath of England losing the Ashes, the allrounder clearly believes the right people are in the right roles to build further. And he reiterated his appetite to do so, citing the gap between this series and England’s next Test assignment, at home to New Zealand on June 4, as the right amount of time and space to brainstorm with McCullum over improvements.An overall record of 26 wins and 17 defeats, Stokes believes, is an indication of their collective good work so far, despite not winning four of their five-match series, two each against Australia and India, in that period. He cedes the last 12 months – four wins and five defeats from 10 Tests in 2025 – have not been good enough.It is worth noting Stokes and McCullum have ECB contracts which take them through to the end of the 2027 home Ashes. That is particularly prescient for Stokes, who extended his central contract at the end of last summer, and may well call time on his international career when that deal expires.Options beyond him for captaincy are, at this juncture, thin, with vice-captain Harry Brook – groomed to take over, and also England’s limited overs captain – not quite ready. Rarer still, apparently, is a head coach Stokes feels can assist in his vision for the next stage of this England team.”Look, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time that I’ve worked with Brendon,” said Stokes. “I can’t see there being someone else who I could take this team [with], from where we are now, to even bigger heights.”We’ve put so much time and effort into getting this team to where it was from when we first started, and now we’re in a situation or position where we know we want to get even more out of the group, get even more out of individuals, and we feel we’ve done a very good job at getting everyone to the position we’re in right now.”So, for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, like we’ve done every single time between series, we put our heads together and go ‘what is it that we think we need to go to the next level?'”Because, being perfectly honest, you look back at how things have gone over the last, let’s say, year – the results and the consistency hasn’t quite been there from the first two-and-a-half to three years that we were in charge. So, when you start seeing a trend and something that is not what you want, when you have that time off between series like we do after this – from January and I think June – it’s a long time for us to get things going again in the right direction.”That’s all we’ve ever wanted to do, is constantly push the guys and not wanting to stand still. We’ve obviously got some things to go away and speak about and try and get the boys pushing even further forward than we managed to achieve since me and Brendon first took over the job.”Ben Stokes may call time on his international career when his central contract expires in 2027•Robbie Stephenson/PA Photos/Getty Images

The “heights” Stokes speaks of do seem to have levelled out, though England could yet take further consolation in Sydney for a 3-2 scoreline. That, though, would flatter them, and not change the fact that this will be Stokes’ third overseas Ashes defeat.Each of his previous ones have resulted in hierarchical change. Andy Flower left his post as head coach after the 5-0 defeat in 2013-14, and there were a raft of changes in 2021-22, with director of cricket Ashley Giles and head coach Chris Silverwood sacked. Joe Root held on for the tour of West Indies, which England lost 1-0, before stepping down as captain in April, paving the way for Stokes.The incumbent skipper cautioned against repeating the clearing of the decks that led him to the job four years ago: “Ashes tours in the past haven’t gone well. But if you do what we did four years ago, we’ll just end up back in the same situation.”Of course, much of Stokes’ support for McCullum and, by proxy, Key is based on how this all began. Key has been unlike previous managing directors or directors of cricket, often acting as an umbrella for administrative distractions, allowing McCullum and Stokes to focus exclusively on cricketing matters.With more freedom, Stokes and McCullum have sought to build a team environment based on their own playing experiences. One that liberates cricketers to do things their own way. It is clear, over the last two months, that this group could do with more structure.Their professional relationship remains strong, with McCullum a useful crutch for Stokes, particularly on a tour as long as this one, even though at times their messages have diverged. Indeed, the lessons from this series may be for themselves rather than exclusively on personnel and preparation.Stokes admitted he has struggled because of the relentless nature of this Ashes compared to his previous two tours. Having warned the squad ahead of the trip that it would be unlike anything they have experienced before, even Stokes has found that to be the case. Social media has exacerbated that pressure.”I can’t sit and lie and say it’s been a walk in the park like some of the series feel, like they have been back in England, because you’re used to the conditions, you’re in your home and can nip back whenever you want between games. Out here you don’t get the chance to do that.”Especially at the start of the tour, everything was just on top of us as a team, as a group. Although at the start we expected it, we’d planned for it, and I’ve done a few tours here, but it’s been even higher than any other tour I’ve been on.”Obviously the last one was because of Covid, but my first one, I was young and naïve and didn’t really realise what was going on outside of training or the cricket field. This one’s just, yeah… And the world’s changed as well.”Social media, media in general – it’s changed a lot and [it is] impossible not to see anything these days. So when you put on the pressure of trying to perform for your country in a huge series plus all of the other stuff that comes with a tour of Australia, it’s been a tough one, but you don’t expect everything to be easy… I’ve got pretty thick skin towards it all and it’s just impossible not to see it. The only way to do it is just throw your phone in the river.”A lot of people talk about it and say they don’t read it, don’t see it, don’t look for it. But honestly, it’s just impossible not to. Everywhere you go, with the algorithms of everything these days, your phone listens to you talk about one thing and you flick through Instagram and all of a sudden you see an advert for that. It’s just ridiculous. It’s just impossible.”

Michael Edwards has now sent Liverpool officials to join the race to sign a Championship starlet ahead of interest from a number of Premier League sides.

Slot admits Liverpool should "not look" at Man City, Arsenal

Liverpool may be on a seven-game unbeaten run, but last night’s 0-0 draw at Anfield against Leeds United exposed just how fragile that run truly is. The Reds have gone from drawing in dramatic fashion against Daniel Farke’s side earlier in the campaign to an uncharacteristic bore-draw.

The Premier League champions have gone from heavy-metal to a disorganised, out-of-tune choir growing more desperate to hit all the right notes every week. Arne Slot has rediscovered Liverpool’s defensive resolve, that much is true, but even he is well aware that it has come at a cost going the other way. Still, the Dutchman, is failing to find the right balance.

The Liverpool boss admitted after dropping points against Leeds that his side should “not look” at Arsenal or Manchester City as title rivals, all but conceding the Premier League title.

Those at Anfield are unlikely to panic-buy this month, either. Edwards and Richard Hughes are likely to remain composed and could look towards the future instead of quick solutions for Slot.

Edwards sends Liverpool scouts to watch Maamma

As reported by TeamTalk, Edwards sent Liverpool scouts to watch Othmane Maamma in action for Watford on Thursday night as the Hornets secured a 3-0 victory over Birmingham.

It’s not the first time that the Reds have checked on the 20-year-old and they’re reportedly racing the likes of Sunderland, Manchester United and Newcastle United to secure his signature.

Related FSG targeting £87m "nightmare" who can end Gakpo's Liverpool career

Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on a star who could be the end of Cody Gakpo at Anfield.

Posts ByDan Emery

One for the future, it’s easy to see why so many top clubs have set their sights on the Moroccan, who’s been involved in four goals in 811 minutes of Championship action this season – the same as nine games.

Unlock Transfer Insight – Subscribe to Our Newsletter Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper transfer and scouting coverage, focused analysis of targets, player profiles and club interest. Get clear context on moves like this and why they matter for clubs and supporters.

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His performances have welcomed deserved praise from the likes of Jacek Kulig, who described Maamma’s performace at the U20 World Cup last year as “fantastic”.

All signs are pointing to a player destined to make his mark at a higher level. The big question that remains is just where he’ll be playing his football in the near future.

New Zealand Cricket has backed Dunedin’s University Oval to produce a Test-quality pitch within the next four weeks. The ground hosted a State Championship match that finished within two days last week as 34 wickets tumbled in quick time.Concerns were raised about whether a suitable pitch could be prepared for the New Zealand-Bangladesh Test that Dunedin is scheduled to host starting on January 4. However, NZC has completed a review following the domestic match and made recommendations on how the curators could ensure the ground was ready for the Test.”Tight control of moisture content and grass density were identified as key factors in producing a good Test surface,” Justin Vaughan, NZC’s chief executive, said. “NZC and the Otago Cricket Association will be working hard to produce the best possible wicket.”We are committed to the development of the University Oval as an international venue and are delighted with the ongoing support from the Dunedin City Council. We shall continue to work with the council to ensure that the pitch is up to international standard and will be closely monitoring its progress.”Auckland’s coach Mark O’Donnell pulled no punches in his assessment of the pitch after his side lost to Otago in the two-day game. O’Donnell said: “If you’d put a Test attack on that surface you’d probably have killed someone once the divots dried out.”

Andrew Flintoff: an inspired bowling spell turned the game at the Gabba © Getty Images

England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher, believes that Andrew Flintoff is a transformed character now that the burden of captaincy has been lifted from his shoulders.With Michael Vaughan restored to the team, Flintoff produced a brilliant, match-changing spell of bowling during England’s thrilling victory over New Zealand at Brisbane on Tuesday, and Fletcher admitted that his key allrounder seemed much happier to be back in the ranks.”We feel when he’s not captain he feels a little bit freer, his bowling is a lot more confident and there’s a weight off his shoulders,” said Fletcher. “He seems a lot more relaxed. Anyone who’s not captain of the side would be a little bit more relaxed. I don’t think there’s a captain who goes in there and feels very relaxed when he’s leading his country.”All the same, Vaughan has been struggling with a hamstring injury during the triangular one-day series and is doubtful for the first of the best-of-three finals at Melbourne on Sunday. “He’s captaining England successfully and is a very important factor for us,” said Fletcher. “You always worry with Michael because that experience is immense.”

Zimbabwe’s players have decided to end their indefinite strike, less than 24 hours after the government appointed an interim board to run the game.Clive Field, the players’ representative, said that they had made the move in the hope that outstanding contractual and financial issues would be addressed by the new board. “The players have committed themselves to continuing until at least the end of the month in the light of what was made clear at the meeting yesterday that they should expect their contracts to be resolved by then. The guys don’t feel for a second that it will be, but the feeling is that this is better way of keeping the pressure on than by just walking away.”They’ve put their pockets in front of their principles in the hope that they can persevere and preserve their income.”Field also said that they were deeply disturbed by the comments made by the government’s representative, Brigadier General Gibson Mashingaidze, that they would not mourn the loss of Zimbabwe’s Test status were that to happen.”We did not want to be drawn into his comments, but they are extremely disturbed that people could be willing to sacrifice the fabric of Zimbabwe cricket. The issue of Test status is a paramount one. They are keen to make it known that we have to preserve that status.”The players are now waiting to see if they can salvage something from this new board,” Field added. “We no longer have issues of government interference, because it’s now the case that the government is in charge.”Click here for the full players’ statement

Points table
ScorecardAn heroic back-to-the-wall hundred by Yuvraj Singh took North Zone to a four-wicket victory and helped them win the Deodhar Trophy at Valsad. Singh walked out to bat with North at 16 for 3, chasing 213 for victory. Yuvraj proceeded to play an astonishing innings, hitting 124 off only 120, and struck 16 fours and three sixes. Ajay Jadeja was the next highest scorer, with 34. Both put on 122 together after Sankinani Vishnuvardhan removed Dinesh Mongia to have North reeling at 38 for 4.Earlier, Venugopal Rao struck 59 to set up a launch pad of sorts for South Zone, but Harbhajan Singh dismissed him and two others after him to ensure that not many were scored in the final overs.
ScorecardCentral Zone – led by Suresh Raina’s 84 – won a close game in Jamnagar, beating West Zone by 12 runs. Central put on 282 after a consistent display by most of the batsmen, and then reduced West to 167 for 7 before defiance by the late order took them close to the total.Jai P Yadav (56 off 61) added 73 with Raina, who fell at the start of the slog. Raina’s knock consumed 81 balls, and he struck five fours and two sixes to help his team clinch third place in the five-team Deodhar Trophy.

On the first day of this match, the wicket had a green look to it that suggested it might have offered something to the bowlers. On the third day, Somerset racked up the highest score against Hampshire in the County Championship since 1909!But, the Somerset supporters have endured as tough a season as their Hampshire counterparts and they were still unhappy despite watching Ian Blackwell smash a career best 189 (211 balls, 32 fours and two sixes) as their side declared on a mammoth 705-9.For, once again on the picturesque Taunton ground, the most likely result tomorrow, barring a batting collapse that is by no means a far-removed hope when it comes to Hampshire, is a dull if high-scoring draw.Resuming on 338-4, Tom Webley (59), Blackwell, Aaron Laraman (52) and Rob Turner (67 not out) all enjoyed themselves on the placid wicket as the Hampshire bowlers all toiled – and, for what must be a record, all five front line bowlers conceded a century of runs. Only Chris Tremlett with four wickets came away with any kind of satisfaction.It was another desperately hard day in the field for Hampshire as Somerset continued unrepentantly to the tune of 367 runs in only 72 overs.Bad light prevented an immediate response to the Hampshire second innings but it did brighten sufficiently for eight balls to be bowled from which James Adams hit a four.Still 306 runs behind, it is going to take a good batting performance to save the game. And on this wicket, it should be achieved. It should!

The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced that the following 11players have confirmed their availability for the Test Match tour to Indianext month subject to the proviso that the Team and the ProfessionalCricketers’ Association are satisfied that appropriate security arrangementswill be in place for the tour:-

Nasser Hussain

Usman Afzaal

Mark Butcher

Richard Dawson

James Foster

Warren Hegg

Matthew Hoggard

James Ormond

Mark Ramprakash

Graham Thorpe

Michael VaughanIn addition, all members of the management and support team have confirmedtheir availability to tour.To finalise the security measures, John Carr, ECB Director of CricketOperations, and a senior representative of the Professional Cricketers’Association will travel to India prior to the tour to meet withrepresentatives of all the relevant Indian government and cricketingauthorities, together with the British High Commissioner, Sir Rob Young, andthe High Commission’s security consultants. John Carr will have theauthority to appoint a Security Manager, if deemed necessary, who willoversee security arrangements throughout the tour and travel with the team.Robert Croft, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Caddick, as well as Ashley Gilesand Craig White, both of whom are scheduled to have fitness tests onWednesday 7 November, have requested more time to reach a decision. The ECBhas accepted their request for extra time and the selectors will be havingfurther discussions with these players over the course of this weekend.Tim Lamb, ECB Chief Executive, said, “I am glad that no-one has so far madethemselves unavailable to go on the tour. We fully understand that this hasbeen a difficult decision to make, and we accept that some players need alittle more time to consider their positions. But we do need to havedefinite decisions after this weekend in order to finalise the selection ofthe team and all the detailed arrangements for the tour.”The advice from the Foreign Office, that it is safe to tour, still stands.We hope that this won’t change, but if it does then we will actappropriately. We will, however, be monitoring the security situation on adaily basis from now until the tour ends just before Christmas.”Robert Croft said, “I have a young family who are, without doubt, my firstpriority. In the current volatile world situation I do not want to leavethem to worry about my welfare, so I have requested more time to consider mydecision.”Marcus Trescothick said, “As safety cannot be 100% guaranteed, I feel that Irequire more time to consider my position and ensure that I am totally happyand in the right frame of mind.”Andrew Caddick said, “There are always risks in life, and I feel I need moretime to consider. This is one of the most difficult decisions I have everhad to make and I need to feel 100% confident before myself and my familycan make a decision.”

Kumar Sangakkara was driven by a “healthy rivalry” with Mahela Jayawardene, former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody has said. Both men have retired as Sri Lanka’s two highest Test run scorers – Sangakkara sits atop the list with 12,400 runs.The pair had bloomed during Moody’s stint as coach, and memorably struck a world-record 624 runs together against South Africa in 2006. Sri Lanka drew Test series in England and New Zealand, and progressed to the final of the 2007 World Cup under Moody.”There’s a very strong bond between Mahela and Kumar, but I also think there was a healthy rivalry between the two,” Moody said. “It never really came to the surface. It was underlying. It was there in a positive way where one would drive the other with their performances. That’s why they were so formidable as a partnership in the middle.”Moody described the pair as a “coach’s dream” because of their leadership ability and tenacity. Jayawardene became captain during Moody’s tenure, during which the Sri Lanka team also moved away from a strongly hierarchical team culture.”Mahela and Kumar really sang from the same hymn sheet with regards to trying to improve the professionalism around the team, and trying to improve the mindset of the team playing outside of Sri Lanka. One of the great challenges we addressed during my tenure was to look at the way we play away from home and look at the technical and mental aspect of how we play outside Sri Lanka. Mahela and Kumar ran with that idea because they saw it as a great challenge for them both. Once you have players of that quality on board, you very quickly gather momentum within the team. “Sangakkara also made a definitive career move under Moody. He had been the Test side’s wicketkeeper batsman through the early noughties, but gave up the gloves ahead of that series against South Africa in mid-2006.”I remember Kumar having a conversation with me about halfway through my time with as a coach,” Moody said. “He was seeking my advice about his role as the wicketkeeper-batsman in the side and his career ambitions. I said to him at the time that the team wanted him to do everything, but at the same time that batting and keeping wicket in all formats wasn’t something he could do for a long period, and do it as successfully as he would like.”I just asked him, ‘What’s your ambition as a batsman? Do you want to be the best batsman in the world?’ He basically said he wanted to achieve that milestone – he didn’t say he wanted to be the best batsman in the world, just that he wanted to be the best he possibly could be. So I said to him, ‘The team’s going to benefit either way. If you’re going to have that ambition to be the best you can be by handing the gloves in in Test cricket, the team’s going to be the beneficiary of that.’ We’ve seen over the last seven years that he has been the most consistent Test batsman over that period.”Moody also said Sangakkara was “right at the top” of players he has coached “with regards to how thorough his preparation was”. Sangakkara was not captain during Moody’s time with the team, but had become a leader within the group.”The standout leadership skill with Kumar was setting the great example on and off the field. He was very thoughtful and articulate as well. A lot of players would gravitate towards him naturally and learn from his mature outlook on the game and on life. That has been one of the important features of Sri Lanka cricket – that they’ve had Kumar and Mahela as those godfather figureheads to guide the team and the next generation through.”

Umar Gul hopes to be steaming back to international cricket next month © AFP

Umar Gul is confident of making a comeback to bowling in the first week of January after injuring his back on the tour of India. Gul, who took part in the ODI series, complained of a back problem and was sent home before the Tests after being diagnosed with muscle spasm.”I have rested a lot and I feel OK now. But I have not bowled for a while and the board has asked me to appear for a fitness check-up before the PCB medical panel in Lahore,” Gul said. The check-up was due to be held sometime on Thursday.”I am looking forward to resuming bowling by the first week of next month, provided everything goes well. It is not a serious injury nor a recurrence of the back stress fracture I had two years ago.”Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said it was premature to comment on Gul’s fitness but he confirmed that the bowler had been told to take a week’s rest before his check-up.”We are confident it is nothing serious but we are prepared for any eventuality. We are facing frequent fitness problems with our main bowlers and we want to ensure they don’t suffer long-term injuries,” Naghmi said.Pakistan were struggling in the fast-bowling department during the Test series. While Gul missed the Tests, Mohammad Asif was forced to miss the entire tour of India and underwent keyhole surgery on his troubling elbow earlier this week. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami were unable to deliver 100 percent due to illness.Gul blamed the current crammed international calender for niggling injuries to pace bowlers. “You can’t escape from them [injuries] despite the improved fitness programmes we follow these days and the training regimen we go through.”Pakistan now take on Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series at home before hosting Australia in February and March 2008.