Ben Stokes may regret his attacking approach to the Ashes after what England great David Gower sees as a missed opportunity.
England have transformed their red-ball fortunes under captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, winning 13 of their 18 Tests after embracing a free-flowing, attacking mentality in the longest format.
An Ashes series victory proved a challenge too great, though, with England recovering from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 – a result that saw Australia retain the urn.
Stokes' tactics have come into question, with England's insistence on attacking sometimes their downfall, and Gower believes the all-rounder may look back with slight regret.
Gower told Stats Perform: "Stokes says that he doesn't want to worry about hindsight, which doesn't win you any games and all the rest of it.
"But there will be thoughts along those lines, because when they look at it next year, it says 2-2 and you were part of that team that could have regained The Ashes.
"Stokes could have been At The Oval, with that little urn in his hand saying I have regained the Ashes or you better say 'we' with this team ethic.
"That would be there again for all to see for the rest of history. But I'm afraid it’s not quite the case."
While Gower suggested Stokes may reconsider his plans at a future date, the former England captain still hailed the new approach against the red ball.
He added: "My view is a mixture of old and new. I love the new approach, especially the culture that Stokes and McCullum have bred in the team since that partnership came together last year.
"I'd imagine that playing in that dressing room must be an enormous pleasure because it takes the pressure off a bad day, takes the pressure off failure, and it encourages people to look ahead.
"The one thing that could have made this series different is being slightly more match aware, slightly smarter at key moments.
"England could have made more runs in the second innings at Edgbaston, put themselves further ahead, played Australia a little bit further out of the game made it harder for them to win the game. In the end, Australia win the game.
"England could have batted like Stokes did at Lord's when the bouncer barrage was coming, Stokes took the blows to the body, and others played shots that got them out.
"There was a collapse from 180 for none, as it were, suddenly were 200 for plenty. And things like that change games in Test cricket.
"Five-day cricket is all about sustaining the effort and the quality throughout, but a bad hour or a bad session can cost you games and that's what happened at Lord's."
A high-quality Ashes series was likely only robbed of a winner due to the rain at Old Trafford, where the fourth Test was washed out on the weekend with England in the ascendancy.
Australia return Down Under with the urn but Gower believes – despite the thrilling encounters – both sides may look back with some sense of a missed opportunity.
He continued: "I think for both teams, at the end of the series, Australia looked a bit muted, because although they retained the Ashes, they struggled in the last three games.
"Australia would have rued the fact they let things slide a little bit, at the same time I'd give all the credit to England, for the way they played their cricket to put the pressure back on Australia.
"It was interesting to watch the Australians, they had a very brief celebration in front of the crowd at The Oval but it wasn't sort of leaping up and down saying we've held the Ashes.
"You don't do laps of honour when you've drawn a series, you do laps of honour at the MCG when you have won The Ashes Down Under. Graeme Swann and the sprinkler and all the rest of it.
"It was probably almost a feeling of, actually, we've put everything on the field. They put everything into that series, both sides.
"At the end of it, not so much a relief but a sort of acknowledgement, that 2-2 is probably fair. You sit down and you feel relief, it's a shame that it's all over.
"People would have loved to see this thing, carry on almost you play 10 Tests, keep up the intensity, keep up the rivalry. But there's also a sort of sense of well, it's over now.
"You cast your mind back to all the ups and downs of six, seven weeks of high-pressure cricket."
Russell defends CPL's contribution to regional cricket but open to suggestions on improvements
With their long-term agreement with Cricket West Indies (CWI) heavily scrutinised by government leaders and cricket stalwarts, chief executive, Pete Russell of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) defended the product’s positive contribution to cricket in the region.
Addressing the gathering on Friday’s final day of the CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, Russell said the CPL is one of CWI’s largest domestic commercial partners.
While noting that CPL contributed significantly to player economic welfare, with nearly US$28 million spent on salaries since the start of the tournament in 2013, Russell, also revealed that cumulative losses, across both the league and franchises for the past 11 years, stand at US$40 million.
“Dennis O’Brien and Digicel have been the principal investors, not only investing in the league from day one but they also spent money on sponsorship and media rights. The franchises have also pumped in significant money, money that helps pay players and coaches, as well as investing in local businesses around the region that help make the games happen. All the franchises have made losses.
“So, on the positive side, Cricket West Indies has been paid close to US$17 million in sanction fees, so over the past 12 years CPL would be one of CWI’s largest domestic, commercial partners. Caribbean players have taken home US$27.7 million in player salaries since the tournament’s inception, all paid for by the franchises,” Russell declared during the event held in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Each year, it takes US$25 million to run this tournament over five weeks. CPL and the franchises bear all these costs. There is no financial burden on CWI or the territorial boards, so the risk is 100 per cent ours.
“So that is our starting point each and every year. So as you can imagine, the commercial challenges are considerable just to break even,” he added.
Russell’s response came as government leaders and West Indies legend Sir Clive Lloyd, suggested that the 50-year contract between CPL and CWI be re-negotiated.
The issue of the league’s ownership was also called into question, as they view was largely expressed that there would potentially be more development and earnings for players, if CWI controlled the tournament.
But, Russell, a member of the CPL management team rebutted.
“What is interesting is that other leagues around the world are following the lead of CWI. They are also looking for third-party investors to help fund their leagues. The English Cricket Board are in the process of selling The Hundred, the Australian Cricket Board are courting outside investors for the Big Bash, Cricket South Africa sold all their rights to host broadcaster Supersport, and the new American Major League Cricket is 100 per cent privately owned,” Russell shared.
“In time, only the IPL will end up being 100 per cent owned by its domestic board and that is simply because they can afford to do so. So, trust me when I say, ownership isn’t everything, and smart stewardship and partnership can yield better results. But of course, we’re always happy to listen to any suggestions on how we can improve things,” he ended.
IPL: Royals extend lead at the top after Samson and Jurel see off LSG
Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel combined for an unbeaten partnership of 121 as Indian Premier League leaders Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
The Royals have now won eight of their nine matches in the 2024 campaign and are almost certain to be involved in the playoffs after chasing down their victory target of 197 with an over to spare in a seven-wicket triumph.
Another Royals win had looked unlikely when they fell to 78-3 in their run chase after Jos Buttler (34), Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Riyan Parag (14) all fell in quick succession shortly before the halfway mark.
But Rajasthan captain Samson fought back as he blasted 71 runs from 33 balls including seven fours and four maximums, while Jurel bounced back from a poor period of form to finish unbeaten on 52 from 34.
LSG reached 196-5 from their innings courtesy of a fine knock from their own skipper, KL Rahul. He reached 76 from 48 before eventually falling to Avesh Khan (1-42) in the 18th over.
Deepak Hooda made it to 50 as LSG rallied from 11-2, but ultimately their competitive total was within reach of the visiting Royals.
Data Debrief
This is the second time in as many home games Rahul has passed fifty, after he scored 82 against Chennai Super Kings last week.
Samson (385) and Rahul (378) are second and third respectively in the race to win this season’s orange cap, although RCB’s Virat Kohli continues to set the pace with 430 runs.
They also narrowly trail Kohli (40) when it comes to the most fours hit in this season’s competition, with Samson on 36 and Rahul just behind with 34.
Babar's captain's innings leads Pakistan to victory as series drawn with New Zealand
Babar Azam top scored as he led his Pakistan team to a nine-run victory over New Zealand in Lahore that saw the five-game T20I series end in a draw.
Babar hit 69 runs off 44 balls before being bowled by Ben Sears, smashing six fours and two sixes to take his team to 123/3 at the time of his dismissal.
Fakhar Zaman (43 from 33) and Usman Khan (31 off 24) also chipped in with important innings as Pakistan ended on 178/5.
With a target of 179 to secure a 3-1 series victory, New Zealand's run chase faltered almost immediately as opener Tom Blundell was removed within the first over with his team having managed just five runs on the board.
Blundell's fellow opener Tim Seifert steadied the ship with a vital 52-run innings off 33 deliveries before being bowled by Usama Mir, but Shaheen Shah Afridi led the way for Pakistan, finishing with figures of 4-30 to stem the New Zealand run chase
Josh Clarkson's 38 off 26 set up a nervy conclusion, but Pakistan held on to avoid defeat in the T20 series as the teams share the spoils at two wins apiece after the first game was abandoned.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
