We look at some of the questions England will try to answer across ODI and T20I series against West Indies

Alan Gardner01-Dec-2023Will Jacks demonstrated his attacking instincts against Ireland in September•PA Photos/Getty Images

Is Jacks the real deal?

Who is the only man to have played all three formats for England in the last 12 months but not receive a central contract? Not yet a regular, at the same time you don’t have to think too far outside the box to come up with the name of Will Jacks. While David Willey’s snub took the headlines, it is the case of Jacks that could become much more pertinent in selection meetings. One of the most aggressive batters among England’s next generation – his commitment to attack was epitomised by his dismissal, caught on the boundary for 94 off 88 balls, with a maiden hundred in sight against Ireland in September – he will have a chance to stake his claim at the top of the order in both white-ball formats. His offspin is also good enough to have brought him a six-for on Test debut (just don’t mention the fact his lack of a central contract might yet mean he opts to fulfil an SA20 deal ahead of the chance to tour India early next year). The ECB’s decision “was disappointing but it does give me freedom,” he told the earlier this week, before adding: “The World Cup is a massive one so playing T20 cricket is really important to me at the moment. The way the game and the world is at the moment definitely suits me.”

Who holds the keys to No. 3?

While Jacks and Phil Salt will be looking to cement their status as a firestarting opening combo in the Hales-Roy mould, the identity of the ODI side’s No. 3 could be even more pivotal. Joe Root indicated during the World Cup that he hoped to still be in the team for the next edition in four years’ time, but a tournament haul of 312 runs at 30.66 raised the heretical notion that – as in the T20 format – England might be better off without their most classically adroit batter. Zak Crawley seems likely to get first bite at first drop in the new era, and there is every chance that one of the Test team’s purest Bazballers could thrive in conditions that are less likely to expose technical issues. Equally intriguing, though perhaps on the backburner, is the prospect of Ollie Pope being ported across from his berth in the Test side. As discussed on the latest Switch Hit podcast, Pope was seemingly preferred in the squad to Sam Hain on the basis of his range and versatility across formats. He has yet to play a limited-overs game for England but, with a run-a-ball Test double-hundred to his name, ought not to have any trouble setting the required tempo.

Is Carse the new Plunkett?

There were a multitude of missteps across England’s doomed World Cup defence, but one of their mistakes could perhaps be charted right back to July 14, 2019. That was the last time Liam Plunkett played international cricket, and his reputation as a middle-overs wrecking ball has grown with each passing year that England failed to find a suitable replacement. In India, their bowlers in the second powerplay (overs 11-40) averaged 43.59, putting them seventh out of the ten competing nations, one below Netherlands – and that despite a successful tournament for Adil Rashid, the legspinning foil to Plunkett’s hit-the-deck enforcer. Enter (belatedly): Brydon Carse. The Durham quick has had an injury-disrupted career and, at 28, has only played 21 List A matches; in 76 T20s, he has 40 wickets at 41.95. But during a handful of England outings spread across two-and-a-half years there have been glimpses of high pace and a Plunkett-esque modus operandi, while his career-bests in both white-ball formats have come in international fixtures. With David Willey retiring, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood unlikely to do another four-year cycle, and Jofra Archer still in injury-enforced limbo, this tour represents a chance for Carse, Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts and the uncapped John Turner to prove that England’s seam stocks still run deep.Rehan Ahmed has come a long way in a short space of time•AFP/Getty Images

Rehan ready to fill Rashid’s boots?

The spin department, meanwhile, already has its coming man. It was in the Caribbean two winters ago that Rehan Ahmed first came to wider attention (beyond his role as a teenage nets bowler at Lord’s) when helping England to runners-up spot in the Under-19 World Cup. Since then he has made his mark in the history books by becoming the youngest man to win senior England caps in all three formats, which included taking a five-for on Test debut, and generally handled every challenge thrown his way while still being a teenager. In the Caribbean, Rehan will provide the main slow-bowling threat for the ODIs – remarkably, with 10 List A appearances, he has twice as much experience in the format as the other spinner on tour, Tom Hartley – before resuming his role as sorcerer’s apprentice when Rashid returns for the T20I leg. Having taken over, and impressed, as Southern Brave’s wristspin option during the Hundred, his continued progress in the shortest format will likely inform his chances of being involved in next year’s T20 World Cup.Will these three World Cup winners make it to the 2024 event?•Associated Press

Is old still gold in T20?

It is the looming defence (and England surely won’t shy away from that word again) of another world title that means the T20I series against West Indies will carry greater weight. England have stuck with the majority of their 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad – Dawid Malan the only member who has been explicitly dropped – but there could still be significant jostling for position, with Jacks, Rehan, Atkinson and Ben Duckett foremost among those looking to make a mark in the absence of established names like Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Wood and Chris Jordan. Even those involved in the Caribbean, such as Rashid, Woakes and Moeen Ali, could be left looking over their shoulders. Moeen, who will turn 37 midway through the tournament next June, has hinted that the World Cup would be a logical end point for his international career but England will want to be clear they are picking him on merit rather than reputation. Getting the old gang back together failed disastrously at the ODI World Cup, although there are two clear differences here – a smaller gap between tournaments and the fact England’s players play a lot more T20 year round. With two-time champions West Indies also trying to rouse themselves after back-to-back blowouts at T20 World Cups, it should be all to play for in Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad.

The Multan Sultans batter on his stop-start PSL career, making the move from Pakistan to UAE, and more

Danyal Rasool17-Mar-2024You’ve been very stop-start at the PSL but every time you bat you look like you’re in rhythm. How have you managed to keep that momentum despite playing only half of the games?I’ve played the PSL for three years but haven’t had the chance to get an extended run. So whenever I play, I keep in mind that this may well be my last match. That’s the mentality I bring to my game, that if I don’t perform here, I might not get the next game. That probably means I have intensity every time I bat.Not many people knew much about you when you made your PSL debut in Karachi in 2021. You scored 81 and impressed people. How did the PSL opportunity materialise?I belong to a village in Sheikhupura called Farooqabad. My region was Sialkot, and when I watched the players there I thought I wouldn’t get an opportunity there. My brother advised me to move to Karachi where I’d get a lot more opportunities. I moved to Karachi in 2012, where I worked extremely hard to make my name. I played for Pakistan cricket club where Saifi [Sarfaraz Ahmed] was my captain. I performed but couldn’t get an opportunity to play for my district.Related

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Chaotic tennis-court cricket with Shadab, Naseem and other PSL players

Low turnout in Karachi cause for concern ahead of PSL final

When I got a chance to keep and open, I topped the charts, and then enjoyed success in Ramzan Cricket, where I had the chance to make my name. I scored a number of hundreds there, and played a tournament at the Moin Khan academy, where I won the Player of the Tournament award, and Nadeem Omar drafted me into the PSL.Did you have aspirations of representing Pakistan at that time?I always had aspirations to play for Pakistan. But I also thought if someone else had nailed a place as opener at the top of the order for 4-5 years, I’d be wasting my time. That was also the case with the Karachi side, so I moved to the UAE. I performed well there, and was the Player of the Tournament in the T10. When you’re a UAE player, you can play the Canada league or other such leagues, you get opportunities as an Associate cricketer more easily.But after making the switch to the UAE, I thought I wouldn’t be picked in the PSL because I’m now an overseas cricketer. I never thought I’d enjoy the success I have now.Tell us about that first PSL innings in 2021…That first innings in the PSL was significant for me to become popular and get name recognition. After that, I didn’t get a shot in the PSL in 2022, but I didn’t get disheartened. I tried to continue my cricket in Dubai. In Dubai, most of the tournaments that happen are on TV. I try to perform on TV so people watch me. I have the flashy shots as well as a proper playing style. And if you perform on TV where you’re visible you get an opportunity somewhere or other.You’re now affiliated with the UAE. How did that move come about?I played for a season in the UAE in 2021. At the time I wasn’t made any promises by the UAE about becoming a national cricketer for them. But when I scored the fastest hundred in the PSL last year, they said we’ll give you a contract if you play for the UAE as a local player. I agreed. That allows me to play the ILT20 and the T10 as a local player which opens doors. I was in the central contract list for the UAE. That means you need an NOC from your board to play overseas cricket. And the UAE grants that easily, so I play wherever I get an offer.Usman Khan has raised two centuries this season for Multan Sultans•PCB/PSLWas it something you decided to go for because of limited international opportunities in Pakistan?In Pakistan, lobbying and contacts make a huge difference to how many opportunities you get and how early you get them. The cricket I’ve played, I’ve played on merit, I don’t have any such connections. In Pakistan, if someone powerful speaks up for you, you’re much more likely to come to prominence. I don’t think you get an opportunity early on in Pakistan despite performances unless you have someone influential to speak for you or a group who stands up for you. Otherwise you won’t get chances.You haven’t played any internationals for Pakistan yet. Is that window completely shut?I have no idea, because where I’m from, there’s no support behind me, nor anyone to call for my selection. I did have a dream to play the PSL though, regardless of whether I play as a local or overseas player. So I’d like to give huge thanks to Ali Tareen [Multan Sultans owner] for picking me as an overseas player. But it’s all up to the selectors. I still have 14 months left before I qualify for the UAE, but I told Waqar [Younis] if I had guarantees that I’d get chances to play in Pakistan for my region or the national side, then it’s only natural for me to be tempted.But as you know, if you don’t have certainty, then it’s hard to commit. I’ve seen the media talk about me now, but I’d always been clear if I don’t get the chance to play for Pakistan, then I’d like to play for the UAE and showcase my talent. But at the same time, we do have responsibilities to our families and financial burdens we have to bear in mind. No one is safe in these economic times, so having financial security is hugely important to me.You didn’t play any recognised cricket from PSL 2021 to 2023. What were you up to for those 18 months or so?I worked my regular job alongside any cricket I played. I worked as a security guard and a storekeeper in the UAE in 2022 because the UAE had granted me a work visa. So I worked and played some domestic cricket alongside that.Those games don’t have official T20 status but there are tournaments between multinational companies that take place there. The goal for me was to spend as much time as possible in the UAE to allow me to complete the three-year residency period. Then in 2022, I played the T10 which set me up for a deal at the BPL, and then the ILT20 and the PSL.

“I don’t think you get an opportunity early on in Pakistan despite performances unless you have someone influential to speak for you or a group who stands up for you. Otherwise you won’t get chances”Usman on why he moved to UAE

What did it feel like going from Quetta to Multan, the least consistent to the most consistent franchise?In Quetta, if you performed well, you would get opportunities, but when you failed once or twice, you might get told you’re not good enough at this level. When you tell a player that, it mentally kills them. The coaches you play under make a huge difference, and playing for Andy Flower and Mohammad Rizwan was fantastic for me. At Multan, they never demotivated a player even if they were dropping me. They’d take you aside and explain why there wasn’t a spot in the starting line-up for you.When I didn’t play four games for Multan this year, Abdul Rehman [the coach] told me my time would come, and to be mentally ready for that. That gives a player something to look forward to instead of falling away. Here at MS, the culture is such everyone is in it together. If someone wins the Player of the Match or Player of the Tournament, the money will be distributed among the whole team. It’s not just Rizwan or Iftikhar who are champions if they win, we all are. They tell us it’s the hard work of all of us, and this matters greatly.You’ve played under both Sarfaraz and Rizwan’s captaincy. How do you compare them?In some ways they’re similar, in terms of their tactics and how they want to win games. Saifi is a little more emotional and at times tenses up. Rizwan never blames a player or scolds them if they’ve gone for runs. No one gets told they’ve cost the team a game. Strategically they’re not dissimilar, but they way to they react emotionally and psychologically to on-field events can be quite different.It has been 18 innings and more than a year since you got out in single figures in T20 cricket. What has brought you such consistency?Like I said, when I played with Quetta. the situation was such that if you performed, you were respected and regarded as valuable. But if you didn’t perform, you remained stressed mentally all the time, because you worried about whether you’d get a chance to play the next match. For a player, this is a huge deal. If a player doesn’t have fear of being dropped, that is crucial to a player’s mindset. Since I’ve come to MS, Rizwan told me, “you’re not a or a substandard player so you don’t need to play with fear. We know what kind of player you are.” And that has freed me up.Usman Khan scoring the fastest PSL ton, in 2023You sometimes start an innings slowly but catch up. Is early caution a conscious approach?I’ve played against Babar and observed how he builds an innings, when he decides to accelerate. And when I batted with Rizwan, I was observing him and trying to learn from him. His mindset was such that even if he scores 50 in 40 balls or so, the next 50 runs or so come much quicker. The 96 I scored this year was the same. Batting after scoring 50 is very easy for me. That’s in my nature, and this has held true wherever I’ve played cricket and at whatever level.If you look at the games I scored a hundred, look at the early phases of my innings. I’m batting on 24 off 22, or 16 off 14, not starting especially quickly. But once I feel some bowler is there for the taking, I can sense that opportunity well. Because I feel I have a very wide range of shots, and so I don’t need to rely on one particular shot for my runs.Multan are about to play another final. How do you cope with nerves ahead of big games?In the final, I just want to play the innings that gives my team the trophy. The final is very easy for me in a way. The cricket I’ve played until now, my mentality is this might be my last match. And every innings is an audition to get the next gig. And thus it feels like it’s my first and last match at the same time.Is this the biggest game of your career? Yes, obviously. All the people who now recognise me and support me, I want to leave them with a great innings. I’ve been thinking for the last two days how I can win my team the final. It’s a big competition. To win, you have to struggle.

We’ve narrowed it down to 10… which one gets your vote?

S Sudarshanan08-Apr-2024

The Multan Sultans batter on his stop-start PSL career, making the move from Pakistan to UAE, and more

Danyal Rasool17-Mar-2024You’ve been very stop-start at the PSL but every time you bat you look like you’re in rhythm. How have you managed to keep that momentum despite playing only half of the games?I’ve played the PSL for three years but haven’t had the chance to get an extended run. So whenever I play, I keep in mind that this may well be my last match. That’s the mentality I bring to my game, that if I don’t perform here, I might not get the next game. That probably means I have intensity every time I bat.Not many people knew much about you when you made your PSL debut in Karachi in 2021. You scored 81 and impressed people. How did the PSL opportunity materialise?I belong to a village in Sheikhupura called Farooqabad. My region was Sialkot, and when I watched the players there I thought I wouldn’t get an opportunity there. My brother advised me to move to Karachi where I’d get a lot more opportunities. I moved to Karachi in 2012, where I worked extremely hard to make my name. I played for Pakistan cricket club where Saifi [Sarfaraz Ahmed] was my captain. I performed but couldn’t get an opportunity to play for my district.Related

• UAE investigating Pakistan-bound Usman Khan for breach of contract

• PSL 2023-24: Babar, Imad and Naseem headline star-studded team of the tournament

• Haider, Imad batting blitz helps United set up title clash with Sultans

• Chaotic tennis-court cricket with Shadab, Naseem and other PSL players

• Low turnout in Karachi cause for concern ahead of PSL final

When I got a chance to keep and open, I topped the charts, and then enjoyed success in Ramzan Cricket, where I had the chance to make my name. I scored a number of hundreds there, and played a tournament at the Moin Khan academy, where I won the Player of the Tournament award, and Nadeem Omar drafted me into the PSL.Did you have aspirations of representing Pakistan at that time?I always had aspirations to play for Pakistan. But I also thought if someone else had nailed a place as opener at the top of the order for 4-5 years, I’d be wasting my time. That was also the case with the Karachi side, so I moved to the UAE. I performed well there, and was the Player of the Tournament in the T10. When you’re a UAE player, you can play the Canada league or other such leagues, you get opportunities as an Associate cricketer more easily.But after making the switch to the UAE, I thought I wouldn’t be picked in the PSL because I’m now an overseas cricketer. I never thought I’d enjoy the success I have now.Tell us about that first PSL innings in 2021…That first innings in the PSL was significant for me to become popular and get name recognition. After that, I didn’t get a shot in the PSL in 2022, but I didn’t get disheartened. I tried to continue my cricket in Dubai. In Dubai, most of the tournaments that happen are on TV. I try to perform on TV so people watch me. I have the flashy shots as well as a proper playing style. And if you perform on TV where you’re visible you get an opportunity somewhere or other.You’re now affiliated with the UAE. How did that move come about?I played for a season in the UAE in 2021. At the time I wasn’t made any promises by the UAE about becoming a national cricketer for them. But when I scored the fastest hundred in the PSL last year, they said we’ll give you a contract if you play for the UAE as a local player. I agreed. That allows me to play the ILT20 and the T10 as a local player which opens doors. I was in the central contract list for the UAE. That means you need an NOC from your board to play overseas cricket. And the UAE grants that easily, so I play wherever I get an offer.Usman Khan has raised two centuries this season for Multan Sultans•PCB/PSLWas it something you decided to go for because of limited international opportunities in Pakistan?In Pakistan, lobbying and contacts make a huge difference to how many opportunities you get and how early you get them. The cricket I’ve played, I’ve played on merit, I don’t have any such connections. In Pakistan, if someone powerful speaks up for you, you’re much more likely to come to prominence. I don’t think you get an opportunity early on in Pakistan despite performances unless you have someone influential to speak for you or a group who stands up for you. Otherwise you won’t get chances.You haven’t played any internationals for Pakistan yet. Is that window completely shut?I have no idea, because where I’m from, there’s no support behind me, nor anyone to call for my selection. I did have a dream to play the PSL though, regardless of whether I play as a local or overseas player. So I’d like to give huge thanks to Ali Tareen [Multan Sultans owner] for picking me as an overseas player. But it’s all up to the selectors. I still have 14 months left before I qualify for the UAE, but I told Waqar [Younis] if I had guarantees that I’d get chances to play in Pakistan for my region or the national side, then it’s only natural for me to be tempted.But as you know, if you don’t have certainty, then it’s hard to commit. I’ve seen the media talk about me now, but I’d always been clear if I don’t get the chance to play for Pakistan, then I’d like to play for the UAE and showcase my talent. But at the same time, we do have responsibilities to our families and financial burdens we have to bear in mind. No one is safe in these economic times, so having financial security is hugely important to me.You didn’t play any recognised cricket from PSL 2021 to 2023. What were you up to for those 18 months or so?I worked my regular job alongside any cricket I played. I worked as a security guard and a storekeeper in the UAE in 2022 because the UAE had granted me a work visa. So I worked and played some domestic cricket alongside that.Those games don’t have official T20 status but there are tournaments between multinational companies that take place there. The goal for me was to spend as much time as possible in the UAE to allow me to complete the three-year residency period. Then in 2022, I played the T10 which set me up for a deal at the BPL, and then the ILT20 and the PSL.

“I don’t think you get an opportunity early on in Pakistan despite performances unless you have someone influential to speak for you or a group who stands up for you. Otherwise you won’t get chances”Usman on why he moved to UAE

What did it feel like going from Quetta to Multan, the least consistent to the most consistent franchise?In Quetta, if you performed well, you would get opportunities, but when you failed once or twice, you might get told you’re not good enough at this level. When you tell a player that, it mentally kills them. The coaches you play under make a huge difference, and playing for Andy Flower and Mohammad Rizwan was fantastic for me. At Multan, they never demotivated a player even if they were dropping me. They’d take you aside and explain why there wasn’t a spot in the starting line-up for you.When I didn’t play four games for Multan this year, Abdul Rehman [the coach] told me my time would come, and to be mentally ready for that. That gives a player something to look forward to instead of falling away. Here at MS, the culture is such everyone is in it together. If someone wins the Player of the Match or Player of the Tournament, the money will be distributed among the whole team. It’s not just Rizwan or Iftikhar who are champions if they win, we all are. They tell us it’s the hard work of all of us, and this matters greatly.You’ve played under both Sarfaraz and Rizwan’s captaincy. How do you compare them?In some ways they’re similar, in terms of their tactics and how they want to win games. Saifi is a little more emotional and at times tenses up. Rizwan never blames a player or scolds them if they’ve gone for runs. No one gets told they’ve cost the team a game. Strategically they’re not dissimilar, but they way to they react emotionally and psychologically to on-field events can be quite different.It has been 18 innings and more than a year since you got out in single figures in T20 cricket. What has brought you such consistency?Like I said, when I played with Quetta. the situation was such that if you performed, you were respected and regarded as valuable. But if you didn’t perform, you remained stressed mentally all the time, because you worried about whether you’d get a chance to play the next match. For a player, this is a huge deal. If a player doesn’t have fear of being dropped, that is crucial to a player’s mindset. Since I’ve come to MS, Rizwan told me, “you’re not a or a substandard player so you don’t need to play with fear. We know what kind of player you are.” And that has freed me up.Usman Khan scoring the fastest PSL ton, in 2023You sometimes start an innings slowly but catch up. Is early caution a conscious approach?I’ve played against Babar and observed how he builds an innings, when he decides to accelerate. And when I batted with Rizwan, I was observing him and trying to learn from him. His mindset was such that even if he scores 50 in 40 balls or so, the next 50 runs or so come much quicker. The 96 I scored this year was the same. Batting after scoring 50 is very easy for me. That’s in my nature, and this has held true wherever I’ve played cricket and at whatever level.If you look at the games I scored a hundred, look at the early phases of my innings. I’m batting on 24 off 22, or 16 off 14, not starting especially quickly. But once I feel some bowler is there for the taking, I can sense that opportunity well. Because I feel I have a very wide range of shots, and so I don’t need to rely on one particular shot for my runs.Multan are about to play another final. How do you cope with nerves ahead of big games?In the final, I just want to play the innings that gives my team the trophy. The final is very easy for me in a way. The cricket I’ve played until now, my mentality is this might be my last match. And every innings is an audition to get the next gig. And thus it feels like it’s my first and last match at the same time.Is this the biggest game of your career? Yes, obviously. All the people who now recognise me and support me, I want to leave them with a great innings. I’ve been thinking for the last two days how I can win my team the final. It’s a big competition. To win, you have to struggle.

Cricket West Indies chief says the revenue-share model is “completely broken”

Firdose Moonda16-Jan-2024The boards of India, England and Australia must work closely with the ICC and act decisively to change the economics of Test cricket or risk more instances of under-strength squads going out on tour.That is the warning from Johnny Grave, the Cricket West Indies CEO, who was responding to criticism aimed at his board and Cricket South Africa for sending inexperienced Test squads to Australia and New Zealand respectively.”The revenue-share model is completely broken,” Grave said. “If we really want to operate as a cricketing community we are only as strong as the weakest team, and we’ve got to change the mindset of bilateral cricket.”Related

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In 2018, Cricket West Indies put forward a paper regarding T20 leagues, which asked for a cap on the number of overseas players in leagues, and a fee for home boards. Those suggestions were greenlit last year, but it was too late, according to Grave. The regulations are not retrospective and exclude the ILT20 in the UAE (which allows nine foreign players in the XI), the Major League Cricket tournament in the USA (six) and the Global T20 in Canada (five). That means the horse has bolted and is perhaps beyond reining in.”If those regulations had been in place, the ILT20 probably wouldn’t have had the enormous effect it has had on bilateral international cricket in January because it wouldn’t have had as many international players, therefore wouldn’t have got the broadcast revenues and probably wouldn’t be offering players the kinds of money they are offering,” Grave said. “And then by consequence, South Africa wouldn’t necessarily have had to compete and invest so much in their international talent for the SA20 in the same window.”

“CWI has spent over 2 million dollars sending teams to Australia in the last four months and whilst CA have received all the economic benefits from those series, we’ve seen zero dollars back. Is that really fair, reasonable and sustainable?”

Grave spoke about the impact on South Africa – who he has a “huge amount of sympathy for” – because their case is starker. They will send an entirely makeshift Test squad, including a debutant captain, to New Zealand, while the majority of their first-choice Test team is engaged at the SA20.When South Africa announced this squad, several Australians, including former captains Steve Waugh and Michael Clarke, criticised them, questioning whether the integrity of Test cricket could be retained. West Indies were also referenced at that point. Like South Africa, West Indies have seven uncapped players in their Test squad in Australia, and some of their highest-profile players are not making the trip.”They [West Indies] haven’t picked a full-strength Test team for a couple of years now,” Waugh said to the Sydney Morning Herald . “If the ICC or someone doesn’t step in shortly, then Test cricket doesn’t become Test cricket, because you’re not testing yourself against the best players.”That someone, Grave says, should include Australia. “As an example of this is that CWI has spent over 2 million dollars sending teams to Australia in the last four months and whilst CA have received all the economic benefits from those series, we’ve seen zero dollars back. Is that really fair, reasonable and sustainable?”West Indies have sent a squad with seven uncapped players to Australia•CWI MediaSince September 2022, West Indies have played six women’s internationals and seven men’s internationals in Australia, incurring a sizeable cost.”We took a women’s team there and we won a T20I against all the odds, and match fees and international air flights cost us three-quarters of a million dollars.”We’ve got a Test team there, an ODI team and a T20I team, which will cost us another million-plus dollars in terms of match fees and airfares. We spend more on airfares than anyone else in the world.” Grave said. “In percentage terms we will spend more than anyone on red-ball cricket so I would argue against any narrative that the West Indies aren’t interested in Test cricket.”Much of the Australian coverage has focused on the absence of Jason Holder, who opted out of the Tests to play in the ILT20, and is arguably West Indies’ most decorated and recognisable cricketer today. There is a sense that without him, and given the inexperience of the rest of the squad, West Indies’ chances of ending their 27-year losing streak in Australia are unlikely, but Grave refused to pin West Indies’ fortunes on any one player.”We are not going to throw money at any player in order for them to say no to the Franchise leagues or force them under contract to go and play Test cricket or ODI cricket. If you want to go play ILT20 or SA20 instead of going to Australia this year, good luck and best wishes, here’s your NOC. We genuinely hope that for any of our current T20 players that they play well in these overseas leagues and work hard because it is part of their individual preparations for the T20 World Cup. But when you come back from it and if you want to play Test or ODI cricket, then you have to accept that someone else was selected to take your place and depending on how they performed and what your preparation and performances have been will depend on whether you are selected again or not.””Every player has a choice to make. As a board, we are going to be consistent. We are not going to force any player to do anything they don’t want to do. We respect their ability to make choices.”

“Anyone who says cricket in West Indies is dying, you can say, ‘Look at the CPL.’ The average age is young. The gender balance is more female than male. Those are the kinds of stats any sports league would love to have.”

While the West Indies board has not always seen eye to eye with their players on the club-versus-country argument, the marketplace has changed and their administrators appear to be changing with it.The Australian position is different. In the past, players such as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have opted out of the IPL to focus on national duties, cushioned by handsome compensation from their boards. Grave was clear West Indies can’t do that.”We don’t have the ability to compete with the leagues on purely salaries and even if we did we wouldn’t have any money left for grassroots cricket and other crucial programmes in our system that need our funding.”That means West Indies are likely to lose a lot of players to leagues and can only hope to ensure they keep developing new ones to take their place. “We play red-ball cricket at Under-17 level, U-19 level, we have A-team tours, we just played an academy series, and our first-class cricket system will cost more than any other place by miles,” Grave said. “We have to put people up in tourist accommodation, we have to [use] hugely expensive regional flights just to be able to have one first-class game. We don’t have a host broadcaster so to produce Test cricket along with hawk-eye and all the cameras is very expensive but we are still very committed to the red ball game.”Johnny Grave: “We are not going to force any player to do anything they don’t want to do. We respect their ability to make choices”•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa are in a similar position. Their first-class competition is not sponsored, is not broadcast, and has been bloated by expansion to a 15-team, two-tier system. Cost-cutting measures have included a reduction in the number of four-day games played – from ten to seven for top-tier teams. A recent South African Cricketers’ Association report claimed most former and current senior players believed standards had declined. But the red-ball game has been left in a state of neglect as CSA launched the SA20 in a bid to become self-sustaining outside of the ICC. It has worked for them financially because the tournament turned a profit in its first year and has attracted new sponsors for its second, but that success is backfiring on the national team.Last year CSA had to forego an ODI series in Australia that left South Africa’s World Cup qualification hopes hanging by a thread, and then played one against England in the middle of the SA20. This year they are potentially sacrificing World Test Championship points against New Zealand, and next year they continue to play only two-Test series to ensure the SA20 has a clear window. Grave understands their position, because he wants the same for the Caribbean Premier League.”The CPL is a fantastic product and we will always want to have an exclusive window so we don’t plan for the West Indies play international cricket ever again during the CPL. We want all our best players playing because we want that competition to be the absolute best it can be. We also want all the fan attention to be on that tournament when it plays. The average age for CPL fans is fairly young and the gender balance is probably more female than male. Those are the kinds of stats that any sports league would love to have. I hope the SA20 becomes like the CPL, so that anyone who says cricket in South Africa is dying – you can say look at the SA20.”But can you say something similar to anyone who says Test cricket is dying in West Indies and South Africa? Only if the other boards help them to revive it.”Hopefully the South Africa series has woken up the Australian media to the realities of what it’s like to operate Test cricket, and unless the boards change the economic model, I don’t think Test cricket will thrive outside of the Big Three,” Grave said. “I don’t think it will die either. But it could be and should be so much better. If the South Africa situation can restart sensible conversations about how we position Test cricket, we would certainly welcome that and give it our full support.”

All the gory numbers from the eight T20 World Cup 2024 games hosted by the Nassau County International Stadium

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Jun-2024137 for 7 Canada’s total against Ireland was the highest across the eight matches in New York. Ireland’s 125 for 7 in the chase during the same game is the only other instance of a team scoring 120-plus at this venue.Nassau County Stadium became the first venue without a 140-plus total after hosting eight or more games in a men’s T20 tournament. The previous lowest ‘highest total’ at a venue was 141 at the Desert Springs Cricket Ground, which hosted twelve matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier in 2021.7.86 India’s run rate during their successful chase of 97 against Ireland. It was the only time a team had scored at above seven an over across the 16 innings in New York.113 The total South Africa defended successfully against Bangladesh, the lowest successfully defended total by any team at the Men’s T20 World Cup in a full 20-over game. India successfully defended 119 a day before South Africa’s effort. This was the joint-second lowest total defended, alongside Sri Lanka’s 119 against New Zealand in 2014.82-15 Wickets taken by fast bowlers and spinners at the Nassau County stadium. The fast bowlers bagged 82 wickets in 236.1 overs, averaging 15.71 and taking a wicket every 17.2 balls, while the spinners bowled only 61.2 overs across the eight matches, taking 15 wickets at 25.46 while striking once every 24.5 balls.