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."
Matthews, Joseph star as Windies Women seal semi-final spot with stunning victory over England
Qiana Joseph and Hayley Matthews guided the West Indies into the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 with an emphatic six-wicket victory over England.
Both openers hit rapid half-centuries, with Joseph finishing on 52 and Matthews on 50, as the 2016 champions easily reached their target of 142 with two overs to spare and knocked England out in the process.
Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 57 to help set the West Indies 141 to win, but it was not enough in the face of a dazzling batting performance from Matthews and Joseph.
The West Indies progress from Group B alongside South Africa courtesy of both sides boasting superior net run rates than England, with all three teams finishing on six points.
The West Indies topped the group and will play New Zealand on Friday while Australia take on South Africa in the first semifinal on Thursday.
England felt their way into the innings, but openers Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt-Hodge soon found an early groove, with a boundary apiece in the opening four overs.
But the West Indies quickly brought that nascent partnership to an end as Deandra Dottin took a superb catch off Hayley Matthews’ bowling to dismiss Wyatt-Hodge for 16.
The West Indies kept up the pressure with the wicket of Alice Capsey (1) just five balls later thanks to more impressive fielding from Dottin.
This time she produced a terrific throw directly into Shemaine Campbelle as England tried a quick single to secure a run out with Capsey well out of her ground.
Two quick wickets rapidly swung the momentum towards the West Indies, and the dismissal of Bouchier (14) only continued that trend as England were reduced to 34 for three after the opener looped one to extra cover off Afy Fletcher.
But England were able to steady the ship through the experienced pair of Nat Sciver-Brunt and captain Heather Knight, who stymied the West Indies attack while keeping the scoreboard ticking over nicely.
Knight led from the front with 21 off just 13 balls but was then retired hurt in the 13th over.
Replacement Amy Jones looked to continue where Knight left off but was dismissed for seven when she found the hands of Dottin at backward point with a sliced shot off Fletcher.
It was almost two wickets in two balls, but new batter Charlie Dean was put down Chedean Nation. Dean was caught just under two overs later for five runs having helped guide England past the 100-mark, as Fletcher took her third wicket of the match thanks to captain Matthews pouching a comfortable catch at cover.
All the while, Sciver-Brunt kept England quietly ticking over and brought up her half-century with two boundaries in an over.
Dani Gibson and Sophie Ecclestone both added seven each before falling late on, with Ecclestone hitting a six in the final over to help England push to a final total of 141.
Scores: England 141-7 (20 overs); West Indies 142-4 (18 overs)
The West Indies made a lightning-fast start in response, with Matthews hitting 14 from the first over, including a six from just the second ball of the innings.
Her opening partner Qiana Joseph began in similarly emphatic fashion with a four from her first ball as the West Indies powered to 44 from the first four overs.
England were not without their wicket chances despite West Indies’ rapid scoring, with Capsey dropping Joseph on 31 as West Indies brought up 50 in 27 balls.
The partnership of Matthews and Joseph continued to keep up their heavy scoring and took full advantage of any mistakes in the field, with Joseph hitting another six through the hands of Bouchier.
Joseph then brought up her first international T20 fifty and then took the West Indies past 100 before finally falling for 52 from 38 balls as she was caught by Wyatt-Hodge on the boundary off of Sciver-Brunt just one ball after surviving another catch chance.
Captain Matthews then brought up her half-century and then fell to Sarah Glenn just two balls later on 50 from 38.
The pair of quick wickets proved to slow down the West Indies attack, but Deandra Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle were able to keep their side moving towards the target.
Campbelle was run out for five as West Indies closed in on victory before Dottin was bowled by Ecclestone two balls later, but her quickfire 27 left her side needing just six runs to win.
Aaliyah Alleyne got four of those from the first ball she faced before she finished off the chase with 12 balls to spare to cap a remarkable victory for West Indies.
The West Indies and South Africa have also confirmed their places at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, along with hosts England, thanks to their top three finish in the group stage, while Australia, New Zealand, and India made it from Group A.
Apart from the top six teams in this tournament, the next two highest-ranked teams in the Women’s T20I rankings as of October 21, 2024, will also qualify. The remaining four teams will qualify through a global 10-team qualifier.
Spin carnage: Debutant Dunith Wellalage grabs 3-9 as Sri Lanka hammer spineless Windies by 73 runs
West Indies batting frailty against spin bowling was once again at the forefront of a humbling 73-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the second T20 encounter on Tuesday, leaving the three-match series finely poised at one win apiece.
Chasing 163 for victory, the Caribbean side collapsed to a paltry 89 all out in 16.1 overs — their fourth-lowest total in T20I cricket. It was a dismal batting display, marked by their inability to handle Sri Lanka's spin-heavy attack, which ruthlessly exposed the West Indies' vulnerabilities.
Only captain Rovman Powell (20), Alzarri Joseph (16), and Sherfane Rutherford (14) managed to break into double figures in Dambullah. The rest of the batting lineup crumbled, as Sri Lanka's spinners, led by debutant Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and captain Charith Asalanka, tied the West Indians in knots on a turning track.
Scores: Sri Lanka 162-5 (20 overs); West Indies 89 all out (16.1 overs)
Wellalage proved especially destructive with 3-9 from his four overs, while Asalanka (2-6), Theekshana (2-7), and Hasaranga (2-32) shared six wickets between them. Seamer Matheesha Pathirana accounted for the other wicket.
The Caribbean side’s batting implosion was emblematic of a broader struggle — an inability to adjust to the spin-friendly conditions, as their chase was derailed early, with openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis falling cheaply.
Wickets tumbled rapidly thereafter, with little resistance from Powell and Alzarri Joseph in particular at the backend, as they shared in the team’s highest partnership of 23 runs. The capitulation reflected not only technical flaws but also an apparent lack of composure under pressure, something Head coach Darren Sammy and company will have to address ahead of the decisive game on Thursday.
While the batting was the primary issue, West Indies also struggled in the field earlier in the match.
Sri Lanka opting to bat first, made their intentions clear as Pathum Nissanka, who topscored with 54 off 49 balls, and Kusal Mendis (26), went on the charge in a 77-run opening stand.
Still, West Indies were far from their best in the field, as dropped chances by Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie, as well as misfields from Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, allowed Sri Lanka to gain crucial extra runs.
Nissanka slammed nine fours and a six in his knock, while Kusal Perera chipped in with 24, and Kamindu Mendis contributed 19, as West Indies gradually pulled things back from a more daunting target, which mattered little in the end.
Romario Shepherd led the bowling with 2-23.
Man City could face 'serious' punishment, says expert Maguire
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules, that it should be reflected in their punishment.
The independent hearing, which started last month, is anticipated to last approximately two months, although the verdict is not expected to be made public until early next year.
If found guilty, the sternest punishment is relegation, while points deductions and fines are also potential penalties.
City have been charged with breaking financial fair play (FFP) rules, with the breaches allegedly going back over a decade.
The Citizens were charged with 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 until 2017-18, while also failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18 on 14 separate occasions.
City have been handed five charges related to their inability to comply with UEFA's rules, including FFP from 2013-14 to 2017-18, with another seven charges for breaching the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules from 2015-16 until 2017-18.
The final 35 charges are for failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 until February 2023.
City did, however, claim a victory in their recent legal challenge against the Premier League over Associated Party Transaction rules, though that is totally separate to the 115 charges.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points last season for breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
However, Maguire believes that should City be found guilty on all 115 of their charges, then a possible points deduction should be fair in comparison to what was handed to both Everton and Forest.
"I think the reason why I say that, and again, I've got no inside knowledge of any of this, is that if we take a look at the commission hearings in relation to Nottingham Forest and Everton, one of the revealing things was that one of the commissions had said, I think this was in the case of Forest, ultimately, this is a minor breach of the rules, and this has resulted in what was a four-point deduction," Maguire told Stats Perform.
"As far as Nottingham Forest are concerned, given that that was a minor breach of the rules which covered a narrow period of time and a very specific, narrow set of circumstances, what Manchester City are being accused of is effectively corporate fraud over a nine-year period – they've been lying to the Premier League in relation to their finances.
"Well, that's far more serious than a technical breach of an overspend. So, if it's a four-point deduction for a minor breach, and all 115 charges are upheld, then surely that's a major breach, and that has to be reflected in the deduction."
Since the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover in 2008, City have spent approximately €2,5987 billion (£2,1649bn), spending the most money in the 2017-18 season (£245.7m) with the most notable signings including Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, and Ederson.
City's most expensive player during that time was Jack Grealish, who arrived from Aston Villa in a £100m deal - which at the time constituted the most expensive transfer of an English player ever.
Maguire went on to say that should City only be found guilty of failing to cooperate with the Premier League, then a financial sanction seems more likely, as opposed to a points deduction or relegation.
"My one reservation on all of this is that if the only thing that Manchester City are found guilty of is not cooperating with the Premier League, then probably the appropriate punishment is a financial one because they've not had a sporting advantage," Maguire concluded.
"You can argue that bringing in more, artificially inflating the money coming in, and messing around with the wages, has allowed Manchester City to recruit these other players, and on the back of that, they've been successful on the pitch.
"So, we need an on-field punishment if it's just for non-cooperation with the Premier League, and given that the Premier League hasn't cooperated with Manchester City in terms of getting these deals through against this separate hearing, I don't think that a points deduction is appropriate."
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