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James Anderson has admitted that the Edgbaston pitch for the first Ashes Test was “like kryptonite” for him, and warns that if the surfaces for the remaining four matches of the series prove to be similarly flat, then he will be “done”.Anderson, who turns 41 next month, returned the disappointing figures of 1 for 109 in 38 overs during Australia’s two-wicket win in the first Test, and was noticeably overlooked for the crucial new ball when England were striving for a breakthrough on the tense final afternoon.He was unlucky in his first spell of the second innings, when Usman Khawaja – Australia’s player of the match – edged at a catchable height past Jonny Bairstow in Anderson’s first over. But overall, he conceded that his body had felt rusty in his first outing since picking up a groin strain while playing for Lancashire in the County Championship last month.Related

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“This is an Ashes series. It is a big deal,” Anderson wrote in his column in The Telegraph. “When you play on a flat pitch like the one at Edgbaston and take a wicket, a bit more emotion does come out because you have worked extra hard for it.”That pitch was like kryptonite for me. There was not much swing, no reverse swing, no seam movement, no bounce and no pace. I’ve tried over the years to hone my skills so I can bowl in any conditions but everything I tried made no difference. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. It’s a long series and hopefully, I can contribute at some point, but if all the pitches are like that I’m done in the Ashes series.”With Anderson below his best, England struggled for penetration at key moments at Edgbaston, and having encountered some difficulty in dislodging Ireland on the final day of their recent Test at Lord’s, there will doubtless be some temptation to bring in the extra pace of Mark Wood for next week’s second Test at the same venue.Anderson, however, is confident that he will be better for the game-time, regardless of his disappointing showing.”There was a bit of rustiness but I gave it everything I could,” he said. “Having played for a long time, I realise you can’t take wickets every game. Sometimes it is not your week. It felt like that for me. I know I wasn’t on top of my game this week. It was not my best performance. I know I have more to offer and contribute to the team.”The body felt quite good. There is some stiffness but I put that down to the unique conditions. We were running in on a very soft outfield then landing on a rock-hard pitch and that takes its toll on the body more than normal. All the bowlers were feeling that a bit.”Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson led the line for England’s quicks at Edgbaston, with Robinson returning the commendable figures of 40.4-12-98-5 across the two innings. However, his performance was equally notable for his on-field run-in with Usman Khawaja, which has since developed into an ongoing feud with Australia’s media as a whole, following more outspoken comments in his column for Wisden.com.Anderson even stepped in to pull Robinson away from a contratemps with Khawaja in the second innings, but insisted in his column that he wouldn’t be encouraging him to tone down his attitude as the series progresses.”I don’t want Ollie to change,” Anderson said. “I like him getting fired up. He bowls better when he is in that mood. From personal experience, I know I bowl better when I am a bit more aggressive and intense.”I stepped in to chat to Ollie when he and Usman were having an exchange of views in the second innings. It was gentle stuff, they were just talking cricket.”Whenever I watched cricket as a kid I wanted to see bowlers fired up. It makes for better theatre and is a lot more enjoyable to watch. Everyone is just encouraged to be themselves in our team. Some people don’t like getting into a verbal battle. Some do. Robbo thrives on it.”

Colin Ackermann, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren and Roelof van der Merwe are not part of Netherlands’ squad for the ODI World Cup Qualifier slated for June-July in Zimbabwe due to their county commitments.Fast bowlers Brandon Glover and Timm van der Gugten are also not in the 16-member squad whereas allrounder Bas de Leede, who had qualified as a local to be on a two-year contract with Durham from February, has been named in the squad since his clause in the deal allows him to take part in the Qualifier.Even though counties have to allow their players to play for their Associate teams in ICC events, players and boards understand that they can’t enforce that protocol as it could result in some players losing their county deals. In an interview last year, Klaasen had termed this a “tricky situation” since the county deals provide the players financial security.Logan van Beek, Clayton Floyd and Saqib Zulfiqar are also back in the squad, while Noah Croes and 19-year old Michael Levitt have earned a call-ups.”Coming off the back of a three game series in Zimbabwe a few months ago, we have been really intentional in our preparation for the qualifiers and we are confident the squad we have picked can play a brand of cricket that will be successful in these conditions,” captain Scott Edwards said. “We have a good mixture of experienced players along with some exciting young players who have performed well in the domestic Pro Series and club season leading into this tournament.”Netherlands will play against Zimbabwe, USA, Nepal and West Indies from Group A on June 20, 22, 24 and 26, respectively. Group B has Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and UAE. The top three from each group will then advance to the Super Sixes stage, where they will only play the sides they did not meet in the group stage. The top two teams from the Super Sixes will qualify for the World Cup, to be held in India in October and November this year.Netherlands gained some valuable experience in Zimbabwe prior to the Qualifier, when they toured South Africa and Zimbabwe in March. They lost 2-0 to South Africa in the three-match ODIs and suffered 2-1 defeat to Zimbabwe. Squad: Scott Edwards (captain, wk), Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Vikramjit Singh, Aryan Dutt, Vivian Kingma, Bas de Leede, Noah Croes, Ryan Klein, Teja Nidamanuru, Wesley Barresi, Shariz Ahmad, Clayton Floyd, Michael Levitt, Saqib Zulfiqar.

Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.While the amounts for each player are not yet known, GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. If they pay more than INR 51 crore to retain five players, then the higher amount will be deducted from their purse.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Gill and Rashid were picked by GT before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. While Rashid got INR 15 crore (USD 1.807 million approx. then), Gill got INR 8 crore (USD 963,000 approx. then). While Rashid remains their lead bowling allrounder, Gill was given the GT captaincy for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.Related

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While the retention of 23-year-old Sudharsan ahead Mohammed Shami and David Miller might be a surprise, GT believe the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu is a long-term player who can perform a key role in the top order. Sudharsan, who was bought for INR 20 lakhs in 2022, was sixth highest run-maker in IPL 2024 with 527 runs with an average of nearly 48 and strike rate of 141. He is considered as a potential future Test player too by India’s selectors and the team management lead by Gautam Gambhir. It is learned Sudharsan was discussed as a candidate for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Tewatia and Shahrukh, both uncapped allrounders, were among the most expensive buys for GT and have been retained for their power-hitting ability in the lower-middle order. Tewatia, who was bought for INR 9 crore ($1.084 million approx. then) in 2022, has played several impactful knocks as a finisher and has been a key sounding board for GT’s leadership group with his knowledge the domestic Indian players. Shahrukh, who is also a part-time offspinner, is among the strongest hitters in domestic cricket and was bought in 2024 auction for INR 7.4 crore ($891,000 approx. then).

Big picture

India have been here before. It hasn’t happened all that often in the recent past, but they’ve been 1-0 down in a home Test series. It happened against Australia in 2017, and then against England in 2021 and 2024. All three times, they came back to win the series.Both those series, however, were four Tests long. India’s current generation have never really been in the situation they are in now against New Zealand: 1-0 down at home, with only two Tests to go.It puts them under immense pressure. Beating India in India remains the toughest challenge in Test cricket today, but away teams over the last two years have been winning Tests here more frequently than they used to. It’s a sign, perhaps, of one era transitioning into another, a reminder of the cricketing mortality of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.This doesn’t change the fact, however, that India remain overwhelming favourites when the second Test begins on Thursday. New Zealand won in Bengaluru, yes, but they won via the perfect storm brewed up by the weather and a deceptive pitch that led India to make what turned out to be the wrong toss and selection calls for those conditions. New Zealand were themselves poised to make the same toss call had Tom Latham called correctly.It isn’t often that a visiting side shows up for a Test match in India and finds conditions that suit them more than the home side. Before Bengaluru 2024, it had perhaps happened twice in this century: Nagpur 2004 and Ahmedabad 2008.Related

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Pune will not be like Bengaluru. India have made every effort possible to restore to this series the one major ingredient it had lacked up to this point: home advantage. The specifics of how the Pune pitch will behave will only become clear when the match begins, but the broad outline is likely to be a lot less help for New Zealand’s quicks, and a lot more room for India to maximise the superior skill and control of their spin attack. It won’t guarantee the result they want, not against this superb New Zealand side, but whether they win, lose or draw, India will journey to their fate on something like their own terms.2:03

Could India go all out with four spinners in Pune?

Form guide

India LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
New Zealand WLLLL

In the spotlight – Shubman Gill and Glenn Phillips

Shubman Gill has found a new level as a Test batter since his move to No. 3 last year, averaging 43.23 across 11 matches and scoring three hundreds. He got through a regular workload in the nets in the lead-up to the second Test, suggesting he will return to India’s line-up after missing the Bengaluru Test with a stiff neck. With Gill back at No. 3, India’s batting order will wear a far more settled look, with the names below his back in their natural habitats.Since his return to New Zealand’s Test side in December 2023, Glenn Phillips has taken 23 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 26.47. Of all spinners with at least 15 wickets in this time, only Keshav Maharaj, Nathan Lyon and India’s big three have better averages. It’s quite a record for an offspinner who was until recently considered a part-timer. Phillips bowled 15 second-innings overs in Bengaluru and picked up the wicket of Virat Kohli. He may have to get through a bigger workload on a more helpful pitch in Pune, even if New Zealand bolster their spin attack, and could have quite an influence on the game if he can chip in with a big wicket or two. His ability to score quickly down the order could be handy too, handier still if it’s a low-scoring Test.1:08

Manjrekar: Rank turner will be an acid test for New Zealand

Team news – Sarfaraz vs Rahul, Southee vs O’Rourke?

India have two major decisions to make with regards to their XI. With Gill set to return, they will have to leave out either KL Rahul, who has fairly good returns across a small sample size – a century and two fifties in six Tests – since his middle-order move late last year, and Sarfaraz Khan, who scored a rollicking second-innings hundred in Bengaluru. There’s also the question of the second seamer: should Akash Deep, who has looked like a natural in Indian conditions in his brief Test career so far, come in for Mohammed Siraj, whose 13 home Tests have brought him just the 19 wickets at 36.15? A dry pitch is expected to provide ample assistance to the spinners, so India will most likely stick to playing three of them. They have no major reason yet to look beyond the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, even if Washington Sundar and Axar Patel make compelling cases as allrounders.India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj/Akash Deep.Despite being 1-0 up, New Zealand may have the more difficult selection to make than India, because it may involve a change in the make-up of their Bengaluru attack. Conditions in Pune are set to be far less conducive to swing and seam bowling, which means New Zealand may have to think of leaving out one of their three quicks – potentially Tim Southee, their ex-captain, or Will O’Rourke, who took seven wickets in Bengaluru – and bring in an extra spinner. This could either be the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner or the legspinner Ish Sodhi, who has come into the squad with Michael Bracewell released on paternity leave.New Zealand 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Will O’Rourke, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ajaz Patel.

Pitch and conditions

After losing in entirely un-Indian conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, India have gone to great lengths to prepare a track that theoretically minimises the damage New Zealand’s quicks can cause. A slow, low turner is in the offing, and spinners can expect increasing help as the Test match progresses with sunny weather expected on all five days in Pune.Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli share a light chat•AFP/Getty Images

Stats and trivia

• After losing just two home Tests in the ten years from 2013 to 2022, India have lost three in the next two years.
• KL Rahul is 19 runs away from the 3000 mark in Test cricket. Of all batters to have scored at least 3000 runs since his debut, only Mominul Haque and Kraigg Brathwaite have lower averages than Rahul’s current figure of 33.87.
• Before 2023, Matt Henry had 53 wickets in 17 Tests at an average of 40.24. Since the start of 2023, he has transformed his Test career, taking 50 wickets in just nine Tests at 21.26.

Quotes

“No, we are not even thinking of giving anyone game time. All we are concentrating on are these two Test matches [against New Zealand]. And these two Test matches are very, very important to us. As important as any other Test match, be it in India or in Australia.”
“It’s important that we take the focus, the confidence from that [Bengaluru] game, and bring it into this game, but realise that we both start on zero, both teams start on zero tomorrow.”

Big picture: Can West Indies deepen England’s white-ball funk?

Plenty has gone on since Jos Buttler led his players off the field at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, following a comprehensive defeat to India in their World Cup semi-final. Matthew Mott vacated his post soon after, leading to Brendon McCullum’s appointment as cross-format supremo and, while Buttler was retained as captain, he has not hit a ball in anger since, due to a persistent calf injury that caused him to miss the Hundred, as well as ODI and T20I series against Australia and then the West Indies one-dayers.There will be added significance, then, to his comeback for five T20Is in the Caribbean. In the last 12 months, Buttler has overseen two doomed World Cup defences – and the window is already narrowing for England to get their white-ball show back on the road in time for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February. (Whether the schedule is helpful in that regard – England have the same split of three ODIs and five T20Is in India as part of their build-up to the tournament – is a moot point.)Buttler’s enthusiasm for England duty should have been sharpened by time spent on the sidelines – as well, perhaps, as his release by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL auction later this month. He joined up with the squad in Barbados earlier this week, with interim head coach Marcus Trescothick describing him as “progressing really nicely” ahead of the T20Is.At the very least, his return will put a stop to the revolving door of captaincy understudies, with three different men (Phil Salt, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone) in charge for the three engagements against Australia and West Indies. And while England’s squad is otherwise the same as that beaten 2-1 in the ODI leg, there is far greater T20 experience to call on – even from the tyros in the group, such as Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley.Jos Buttler speaks to the media ahead of his England comeback•Getty Images

West Indies also carry some hurt with them from the T20 World Cup, after failing to make the semi-finals despite strong form going into their home tournament. They have already begun the process of moving on, sweeping the beaten finalists, South Africa, 3-0 in August before going down 2-1 in Sri Lanka last month – albeit Daren Sammy, West Indies’ head coach, called it a “moral victory” for his side. England know all about those.Sammy and Rovman Powell, the captain, have dovetailed to good effect in managing the complex relationships between West Indies’ star players and the global franchise circuit. Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hossein were all absent from the Sri Lanka tour for personal reasons but have returned to take on England. Having not qualified for the Champions Trophy, West Indies can already start to focus on the next T20 World Cup, set to be played in India and Sri Lanka in early 2026.One player who won’t be involved over the weekend, however, is Alzarri Joseph, with the fast bowler banned for two matches by Cricket West Indies after apologising for storming off the pitch during the deciding ODI in Barbados. Proof that even when you’re winning, things don’t always run smooth.

Form guide

West Indies LLWWW
England WLLWL

In the spotlight: Andre Russell and Jos Buttler

Andre Russell has not pulled on a West Indies shirt since they lost their de facto quarter-final against South Africa in Antigua in June – with many having assumed that, at 36, the T20 World Cup would be his international swansong. Russell has since confirmed a desire to play on until the 2026 edition, though his workload is likely to be carefully managed by Sammy and the West Indies hierarchy. His last international comeback, against England in Barbados less than a year ago, saw him win Player of the Match, and judging by a fiery post in the wake of Trinbago Knight Riders’s CPL exit, the passion for the game remains.England followers will not be looking past Jos Buttler, assuming he is passed fit ahead of the game (and then even if it he isn’t). There has been nothing wrong with Buttler’s T20 form in 2024, albeit he was unable to shape England’s key World Cup encounters with Australia and India – but he had cut an increasingly tetchy figure as captain, particularly in the build-up to their campaign in the Caribbean. McCullum has pinpointed cheering up a “miserable” Buttler as his first job in charge of the white-ball set-up, and an unfettered return – free from injury, ideally at the helm of a winning side – over the next nine days would be a good start.

Team news: Big names back for both sides

The T20 big guns look set to regain their places in West Indies’ XI – although there might be a temptation to include some top-order insurance in the form of Shai Hope or Roston Chase. Romario Shepherd was fit to be included in the squad after being diagnosed with cramp following his tumble in the third ODI.West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Roston Chase/Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Matthew Forde, 11 Shamar JosephSalt has been confirmed as wicketkeeper, with Buttler looking to lighten his load on comeback. Mousley could make his T20I debut after scoring a maiden England fifty in the Barbados ODI, while the other two uncapped squad members, John Turner and Jafer Chohan, will hope to join him at some point during the series.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Jos Buttler (capt), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Dan Mousley, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Saqib Mahmood, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions: Something for everyone – possibly including rain

Kensington Oval was the third-highest scoring venue during the World Cup earlier in the year, and one of only two to see a total of 200 – when Australia left England trailing in their Group B encounter. The ODI surface offered a bit for seam bowling first up but became much easier to bat on under lights. The forecast in Bridgetown is for another hot day with a chance of showers.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies beat England 3-2 in both of their previous bilateral T20I series, in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
• England’s last series win over West Indies in either white-ball format came back in 2018-19, when they swept the T20Is 3-0 – although they did also beat the hosts in their World Cup Super Eights fixture in June.
• Salt needs 56 runs to reach 1000 in T20Is; Hetmyer is 67 short of the same mark.

Quotes

“It’s a definite loss for us, he’s the spearhead of our attack and one of our more experienced bowlers. But having said that we have capable replacements, when you look at the bench strength and guys that are in the wings waiting, it’s good also. It’s an opportunity for somebody to step up and be counted.”
“You walk into breakfast and you see the guys that they bring back and there’s some real superstars – Pooran and Russell. They’re a really strong team and they’ve been a strong team for a really long time and have guys who are well suited to the format. It’s a great challenge.”

Bridget Patterson was involved in a nasty incident while wicketkeeping during Adelaide Strikers’ victory over Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval where Amanda-Jade Wellington produced a key all-round display.In the fourth over of Sixers’ chase Patterson took a ball in the face from a 119kph delivery by Darcie Brown which pitched in front of her and kicked up, striking near the right eye. Patterson stayed on the ground with a physio and doctor quickly onto the field and after a few minutes was able to walk off. She remained at the venue for remainder of the game and will be further assessed in the coming days.”It was a nasty injury,” Strikers coach Luke Williams said after the match. “Obviously we were all worried about her, but it looks like she’s escaped major injury. It certainly was nasty at the time with the cut.”Patterson had earlier played a key role with the bat as Strikers’ middle-order produced a powerful counterattack to enable the visitors to claim the first win of their title defence.In reply, Ellyse Perry dominated the early stages of the chase with a 26-ball fifty then Sarah Bryce impressed again with 62 off 44 balls but when she fell to Megan Schutt the innings faded swiftly in a collapse of 6 for 18. Legspinners Wellington and Anesu Mushangwe were superb in the closing overs with the former comfortably defending 14 off the last.Patterson, Wellington and Orla Prendergast combined to make 123 between them off 92 balls with 32 runs coming off the two power surge overs. Wellington, inparticular, cut loose inside the restrictions with two sixes and three fours off Ash Gardner and Lauren Cheatle to finish with 40 off 16.Those contributions enabled Strikers to recover from 51 for 4 in the seventh over after Cheatle had made early inroads before Perry held onto a stinging return catch – with a juggle – to claim Laura Wolvaardt.Perry and Bryce added 80 in 50 balls for the second wicket with Perry lacing 11 boundaries although she was dropped at long-on on 17. The impressive, and quick, Brown removed Perry when she top-edged a short ball to fine leg and Sixers suffered another huge blow when Gardner fell for a five-ball duck.But Bryce and 19-year-old Elsa Hunter, on her WBBL debut, put on 53 off 35 balls to bring the target in sight aided by some poor catching from Strikers but they couldn’t finish the job for a Sixers side stretched to the limits by injury.

Chamari Athapaththu’s eighth ODI hundred – an unbeaten 80-ball 140 – helped Sri Lanka ease to an eight-wicket victory via the DLS method, against New Zealand in Galle. The result meant Sri Lanka sealed the ODI series 2-1, their first ever bilateral win over New Zealand.Chasing a revised target of 196 in 29 overs, Sri Lanka seemed to be in a spot of bother at 6 for 2, with both Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama falling early. However, Athapaththu, who had scored a century at the same venue against the same opponents last week, launched a counterattack, racing to the three-figure mark off just 60 deliveries. In total, she hit 13 fours and nine sixes, and in the process moved up to joint-fourth on the list of most ODI hundreds in women’s cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While Athapaththu was the aggressor, Nilakshi de Silva also pitched in with an unbeaten 48, as the pair added 190 runs for the third wicket – Sri Lanka’s highest ever partnership in ODIs – to seal the win with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.Earlier, New Zealand had made 127 for 2 in 31 overs on the back of Suzie Bates’ half-century. Opting to bat, New Zealand lost their opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout early, but Bates (63*) and Sophie Devine (38*) kept their team ticking. The pair added an unbroken 74 for the third wicket before persistent rain brought an abrupt end to New Zealand’s innings.