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Mahmudullah admitted the batsman lacked a clarity of plan to counter Neil Wagner’s “bouncer theory”

Mohammad Isam in Wellington12-Mar-2019Neil Wagner’s sustained short-ball attack has dominated Bangladesh over the first two Tests of the series, with the tactic fetching the New Zealand quick 15 out of his 16 wickets so far. Batsman after batsman fell to Wagner’s short-ball persistence: Mahmudullah and Mohammad Mithun were dismissed by the bowler three times, while Liton Das, Mominul Haque and Mehidy Hasan each fell twice. Wagner’s short ball also claimed the wickets of Shadman Islam and Tamim Iqbal.Mahmudullah said that many of the Bangladesh batsmen, including himself, were caught in two minds against Wagner’s lines of attack. Often, their proclivity for attacking to counter Wagner landed them in more trouble. Tamim, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar played Wagner well but apart from Soumya, the other two failed in their attempts to pull off the short length on four occasions.Mahmudullah conceded that the batsmen need to carry much of the blame for the Wellington defeat, where they were effectively bowled out in 117 overs in a match that was already restricted to a maximum of 315 overs, after two days were lost to rain.”In the first innings, Tamim and Shadman gave us a good start and even after Wagner started with his bouncer theory, we were handling him well but then we gave it away,” Mahmudullah said. “We have to bat with more guts for longer periods. A number of our batsmen are playing half-hearted shots, or we are not committed. We are in two minds whether to play a shot or not. You need to back yourself. If you want to attack, you should know how you want to cope with their bouncer theory.”They will probably have a fast wicket in Christchurch, so our batsmen have to be more responsible, particularly with three new bowlers in the side. I think it is the batsmen who should take more of the blame. We were bowled out twice inside two-and-a-half days.”Mahmudullah said that Wagner had had to pitch the ball very short in Hamilton where Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar staged a fightback on the fourth day. But in Wellington where the pitch had more bounce on offer, he could pitch the bouncer slightly further up.”We knew about him from the last time we were here. Now we are talking a lot about the Wagner factor,” Mahmudullah said. “There was certainly help in the pitches for both sets of pace bowlers but we couldn’t utilise it as well as they did. I believe that our batsmen have the skill level to handle their short-ball tactics.”Wagner had to pitch it really short in Hamilton while here he got bounce from a length slightly further up. It was easier to play or leave in Hamilton. Here there was a bit more in the pitch. He made use of it. He was successful to his credit.”Mahmudullah also regretted the reprieves to Ross Taylow, after he Shadman put down chances off Abu Jayed’s bowling when the New Zealand batsman was on 20. Ross was on 20 at the time and he went on to score 200 in quick time to take the game away from Bangladesh.But Mahmudullah also urged the bowlers to find ways to control the flow of boundaries. This was the first time that Bangladesh conceded 400-plus runs in an innings at more than five an over.”If we had captured those chances, we could have given better momentum to the bowlers. It may have brought us few more wickets. They were playing with seven batters and with the kind of help that this pitch produced for the bowlers, it would have helped our guys.”Jayed, Mustafizur and Taijul bowled quite well but we ended up conceding five runs an over. We have to find ways to bowl better in the next match,” he said.

The Middlesex seamer broke down early in the season after returning to action following the injury which ruled him out of the Ashes

Andrew McGlashan02-Aug-2018Toby Roland-Jones has refused to feel sorry for himself despite being ruled out for the majority of this season with a recurrence of the back stress fracture which scuppered his hopes of being on the Ashes tour last year.Two matches into the County Championship season, Roland-Jones felt pain in his back against Derbyshire and subsequent scans showed an eight millimetre fracture (compared to the six millimetre one he picked up at the end of the 2017 season) and he has since embarked on a lengthy rehabilitation programme.Currently he remains in the recovery stage with no fixed timescale on a potential return, but he has been adamant not to dwell on the difficult times which have caused his Test career to be stalled after four highly promising outings. In his maiden home summer in 2017, he claimed 17 wickets against South Africa and West Indies, including a five-wicket haul on debut at The Oval.”The mental side that’s toughest is not being able to play, firstly for Middlesex and then not having the chance to regain an England place,” Roland-Jones told ESPNcricinfo while part of the Match Day coverage of the first England-India Test at Edgbaston. “It’s always important to find a positive side to any scenario, even if you feel like the unlikeliest fella in the world or everything is going your way, you always have to try and stay level.”That was my approach when things were going great after a Test match so at the same time, when things are tougher and there are more negative notes, you have to try and bring yourself up.”Roland-Jones’ initial return following last year’s injury came on the England Lions tour of West Indies where he played a warm-up match and two four-day games. Given the spin-friendly conditions, his workload was not excessive and he then started the domestic season with Middlesex before breaking down.”I don’t harbour any regrets, it’s so difficult with stress fractures to know where they are at or how hard to push them,” he said. “I’ve always been someone who would rather attack the game rather than fear my body. I didn’t want to sit back then wonder if I could have played. I felt fine at the time, I don’t know whether it was too soon … it’s hard to know, it would be wrong to regret. I was trying to play for England again.”Despite the repetitive nature of the injuries, Roland-Jones does not believe he will need to make changes to his action when he does return to the field.”Everyone is always looking to make technical tweaks to be at their best, but I’ve bowled for a long time without having any injuries of note so I don’t think it comes down to my action not being able to hold up to certain things. That’s something that can maybe be discussed further down the line, but it’s not been fed back to me that there’s an isolated problem.”It’s unclear as yet when we’ll look to bowl but physically I’m making some good strides. Hopefully it will put me in a good place to come back stronger and fitter than ever, and stand up to the physical strains of bowling again.”

Leeward’s ten-wicket win, however, had no bearing on the league standings, as Guyana had already sealed the title in the previous round

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2017Leeward Islands ended their Regional 4-Day tournament campaign with a ten-wicket win over Guyana, a result that had no impact on the teams’ standings at either end of the points table. While Guyana had sealed the title in the last round, with a game to spare, Leeward ended the tournament in last place with three wins in ten games.Rahkeem Cornwall led his side from the front, with a match haul of 9 for 136. His 6 for 68 in the first innings had skittled Guyana out for 187, with wickets falling in clusters. Leeward then overcame a slump – they went from 115 for 1 to 140 for 6 in 13 overs – to take a 119-run first-innings lead. Opener Montcin Hodge’s 70 anchored the early part of the innings before Jacques Taylor shepherded the lower order with a 160-ball 72. Raymon Reifer had triggered Leeward’s batting slump with the wickets of Keacy Carty and Hodge, and he finished with returns of 6 for 74.Guyana’s batting struggled for the second time in the game, and they ended up being dismissed for 143. The top score in their innings came from Chandrapaul Hemraj (29), even as Cornwall added three wickets to his match tally and fast bowler Gavin Tonge had returns of 3 for 33. Leeward then needed only 55 balls to achieve the target of 25.

Taskin Ahmed is all set to have his bowling action reassessed by the ICC on September 8 in Brisbane, according to the BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus

Mohammad Isam20-Aug-2016Taskin Ahmed is all set to have his bowling action reassessed by the ICC on September 8 in Brisbane, according to the BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus. Arafat Sunny could also have his reassessment on the same date.Yunus said that former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju, in Bangladesh for a short spin-bowling camp, and head coach Chandika Hathurusingha were both convinced that Sunny was ready to have his action tested. The BCB wanted both bowlers to be given the green-light before the England series in early October.”The test date is most probably September 8 in Brisbane,” Yunus said. “If that happens, we are hoping to get him [Taskin] cleared in the following 10-12 days. We are hopeful about him in the test; we feel that he has rectified his bowling action.”Arafat Sunny worked with Venkatapathy Raju and Chandika Hathurusingha recently. They are convinced that Sunny is ready for the ICC assessment along with Taskin’s. The two might go to Brisbane together.”Taskin and Sunny were suspended from bowling after their actions were found to be illegal during the World T20 this year. It was a body-blow to Bangladesh’s campaign, and the BCB took a chance by appealing the ICC’s decision on Taskin but the decision was upheld.Both players took part in the domestic one-day competition while working to correct their actions under local coaches.Yunus also said that Sanjit Saha, who was reported for a suspect bowling action during the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, is now in the clear in domestic cricket. He was among the five bowlers cleared by the BCB’s bowling-action review committee last week.”Sanjit Saha’s action has changed considerably, and he is bowling within four-five degrees,” Yunus said. “Whether he will remain effective will be visible only when he starts playing matches. He can play domestic cricket but in order to play international cricket, he will first need to clear ICC’s assessment.”

Australian Andrew Tye joins a Gloucestershire squad which won the Royal London Cup last season

David Hopps31-Mar-2016Director of cricket: Richard Dawson
Captain: Gareth Roderick (Champ), Michael Klinger (T20, 50)
Last season
In: Chris Liddle (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Yorkshire, loan)
Out: James Fuller (Middlesex), Geraint Jones (retired), Cameron Herring, Robbie Montgomery (both released)
Overseas: Michael Klinger, Andrew Tye, Cameron Bancroft (April-May)2015 in a nutshell
Gloucestershire pepped up spirits during the first year of a new coaching team – Richard Dawson and Ian Harvey – to such an extent that they won the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s, reviving memories of the times, a decade and more earlier, when they dominated the limited-overs game. Michael Klinger was formidable with the bat and Geraint Jones wandered happily off into the sunset.2016 prospects
Gloucestershire’s squad lacks depth, especially in the bowling department, which suggests limited-overs cricket will again be their chief focus. Their Royal London triumph could be the catalyst for bigger T20 crowds at Bristol (they missed the quarter-finals by a point last season) and their intent is shown by the signing of a second overseas player, Andrew Tye, whose effectiveness for Perth Scorchers won him a place in Australia’s T20 squad. Cameron Bancroft, the WA keeper/batsman, deputises for Klinger in the Championship. Progress for Chris Dent and Roderick should help the runs tally, but James Fuller’s departure for Middlesex invites questions about their Championship attack. Bet365.com don’t fancy them for a 50-over repeat: they are out at 16/1.Key player
Wicketkeeper-captains always have it tough, but Gloucestershire have entrusted the role to Gareth Roderick in the Championship with Michael Klinger not back until late May. Roderick, born in South Africa, also bats top order, all of which means that Gloucestershire need him to shoulder a heavy burden if they are to maintain their progress.Bright young thing
George Hankins broke the record set by Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond for most runs in a season at Millfield School last season and continues their tradition of producing county cricketers by winning a two-year contract. Fresh back from the Darren Lehmann academy in Adelaide, he already had some sizeable 2nd XI scores to his name.ESPNcricinfo verdict
After winning the Royal London Cup, Gloucestershire will seek to spice up their T20 cricket which will make South Group stronger than ever.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 2: 10/1; NatWest Blast n/a; Royal London Cup 16/1

Taking captaincy decisions after consulting the weather forecast is not normally recommended practice but Paul Collingwood will need to keep the forecast in mind on day three

Jon Culley at Chester-le-Street04-Sep-2013
ScorecardPhil Mustard’s half-century took the match away from Sussex•Getty Images

Taking captaincy decisions after consulting the weather forecast is not normally recommended practice but should Paul Collingwood, the Durham skipper, find himself staring out at a covered square on Friday with Sussex clinging on, eight wickets down, he will be cursing this match as a missed opportunity.The win that would see Durham leapfrog Yorkshire at the top of the Championship table, with an advantage of 14 and a half points with three matches to play, is theirs for the taking, with a lead that would already require Sussex to make the largest fourth-innings score to win a match on this ground.The dilemma for Collingwood is that, with two full days left, he would not want a repeat of what happened here in April, in Durham’s only defeat at home, when he declared at 275 for 4, leaving Yorkshire to chase an unlikely 335 to win, only for Andrew Gale’s side to pull it off, with four wickets in hand.Whether that could have happened had Joe Root not been in the Yorkshire side to make 182 is a matter for conjecture. On a wicket that has for the most part not yielded runs easily, however, no one in a depleted Sussex line-up has hinted at achieving anything remotely of that magnitude. Given Friday’s wet forecast, Collingwood would be wise not to old his bowlers back for too long on day three.Collingwood’s record of 11 wins in 18 Championship matches since he succeeded Phil Mustard as captain ought, in any case, to have given him confidence in his decision-making. The calmness and authority he brings to his leadership were qualities that served him well in steering Durham to their position of strength in this game. It was his partnership of 93 with Mustard for the sixth Durham wicket that put him in control.It came on a day in which Sussex, 60 for 3 overnight, were bowled out for 112 before lunch, a fairly abject performance, even taking into account their long list of absentees, that handed Durham first-innings lead of 133.This looked like a match-winning advantage on a ground where low scoring is usual but there was less certainty about it after none of their top five batsmen scored more than 22 in their second innings, leaving them 90 for 5. There was no Chris Jordan in their seam attack, compounding the effects of Luke Wright, Ed Joyce and Matt Machan being absent from their batting line-up — all due to international call-ups — but Steve Magoffin was as impressive as ever, and well backed up, too by Lewis Hatchett and James Anyon.Magoffin struck first as Keaton Jennings, still to find consistency with the bat, fell to a diving catch by Chris Nash at third slip, then Mark Stoneman, having unleashed a couple of handsome boundaries through the covers, was leg before to Anyon, who then made the ball bounce and leave Scott Borthwick, who was caught behind.Will Smith, for the second time in the match, paid the price for a loose drive outside off stump, and when Michael Richardson was caught behind, Durham’s lead was 223. A couple more wickets lost at that point and Sussex might have sensed an opportunity to put themselves back in the race.Instead, they came up against Collingwood in obdurate mood, setting the tone for Mustard to adopt a similarly measured approach and while the next 35 overs did not contain many moment that will readily bring the passage of play to mind, the end result was a stand of 93, in which Collingwood scored most of his runs behind square, with a nudge here and a dab there, and he had made 45 before he played back to a ball from offspinner Chris Nash. Mustard is 57 not out overnight.Earlier, Sussex had capitulated within the first 22.5 overs of the morning session. Graham Onions added two more wickets on his return from injury to the couple he picked up on Tuesday evening, taking his tally for the season to 48. There is something in this pitch for the bowlers to work with and no one exploits it better than Onions, even on days such as this when he was not at his most niggardly, struggling to find his rhythm.In any event, Luke Wells and Rory Hamilton-Brown helped him out by chasing balls outside off stump, falling in turn to catches behind the wicket. Usman Arshad, a 20-year-old right-arm seamer making only his second Championship appearance, took three wickets in seven balls. Yet Chris Rushworth, who bowled better than any among Durham’s seam quartet, somehow ended wicketless.

A question mark has arisen over the continuance of Justice BN Srikrishna as arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab following the Indian board’s objection to his appointment on grounds of a conflict of interest

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sharda Ugra01-Dec-2010The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab, justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the Punjab franchise, in many of their cases in the past.”I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group,” Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. “They said I couldn’t continue, I said that was fine with me.”The news came a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today’s development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. “I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case.”Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board’s objection – made before the day’s proceedings started – stalled it.The irony is that Srikrishna was the BCCI’s own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went to arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that “he was chosen as we have all our faith in him.”Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna’s order staying the Rajasthan Royals termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.”Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises,” Manohar said. “We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters.”The BCCI chief said the board was “not at all worried” about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. “We will work it out … even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that’s fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen.”

Waqar Younis has signed on as the new coach of the Pakistan side, in the process becoming the fourth coach of the team in three years

Osman Samiuddin03-Mar-2010Waqar Younis has signed on as the new coach of the Pakistan side, in the process becoming the fourth coach of the team in three years. The former fast bowler has been in negotiations with the PCB over the last few days, but confirmed that he will now replace Intikhab Alam on a tenure that sees him through to December 2011.Waqar, who is based in Sydney currently, will arrive in Lahore next week to begin work, the first assignment of which will be to prepare Pakistan’s defense of the World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean in April-May. “I’ve signed on and agreed to the contract,” Waqar told Cricinfo. “I’ll be arriving in Lahore from next week to begin work.”Though the PCB had talked of – and approached – at least one foreign option to replace Intikhab in the aftermath of the tour to Australia, Waqar emerged as a favourite to take over last week. He was sent a contract over the weekend and though there initially were a few sticking points, it is believed the chinks have been ironed out.”I’m absolutely honoured to take on the role and it is a very exciting challenge,” Waqar said. “Hopefully I can deliver on the role. Cricket has given me a lot over the years and I want to give something back to cricket and country now. I’ve always played my cricket with passion and aggression and I want the team to play like that.”This will be Waqar’s first official role as head coach at any competitive level, though he has worked with Pakistan twice previously as a bowling coach. The first was a stint under Bob Woolmer between March 2006 and January 2007, a successful stretch during which a number of bowlers prospered. The second time was on the recent Australian tour, where he was one of three coaches in a set-up headed by Intikhab and that appointment was for the series only.But Waqar believes his relative lack of experience in an expansive role will not be a hindrance, hinting that he would relish the broader sweep such a post would afford him. “I’ll probably have more control of various situations and have a say in more decisions. I really enjoyed my time as bowling coach, especially the first one under Bob.”The last one was a little more difficult but I’m confident I can deliver. I learnt a lot from Bob during his time and I’m hoping I can put that to good use.”

“He makes things much easier than what it is,” Shubman Gill says about Rohit Sharma’s century in the Cuttack ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2025

Rohit Sharma celebrated his century in a subdued way•Associated Press

Rohit Sharma hasn’t been in great form in Test cricket. But in ODIs, a format India haven’t played a lot of over the past year, he remains one of the best in the business. A seven-ball 2 in the first ODI against England might have raised fears ahead of the Champions Trophy, but the 90-ball 119 in the second on Sunday in Cuttack should soothe some nerves. He might not say it in so many words, but Rohit did admit after the game that he “really enjoyed being out there, scoring some runs for the team.” Not something he has done a lot of late.”I really broke it down into pieces about how I wanted to bat,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation after collecting his Player-of-the-Match award. “It’s a 50-over format, a little longer than T20 format and a little shorter than Test cricket obviously – a lot shorter than Test cricket – but obviously you still need to break it down and assess what you need to do at regular intervals and that is what I kept doing. It was important for a batter who gets set, needs to bat as deep as possible and that was my focus.”Rohit’s lack of runs in international cricket has been talked about a lot. In the last 12 months, he averages 23.70 in Test cricket, and that comes down to 10.93 since September 2024. On Sunday, though, he was in his element, playing the sort of innings that has made him a giant in the format.Related

• India seal series as Rohit roars back into form with 32nd ODI ton

“Looking at the pitch, when you play on black soil, [the ball] tends to skid on a bit, so it’s important that you show the full face of the bat when you’re batting initially,” he said about his approach. “Once I got into my innings, I understood what they were trying to do: bowling into our body and trying to not give any room, keeping it on the stumps.”And that’s where I prepared my plan as well, what I wanted to do with those kind of deliveries, trying to access the gaps which were there. It’s about understanding what you want to do as a batter and… obviously got very good support from [Shubman] Gill to start with and then Shreyas [Iyer] as well.”With Gill, his opening partner, Rohit added 136 in just under 17 overs, eating into a large chunk of India’s 305-run target, which they eventually got to in the 45th over to win the three-game series with a match in hand.Gill, who Rohit called “a very, very classy player” who “doesn’t seem to get overawed” by the situation, was effusive in his praise for his captain.”He makes things much easier than what it is,” Gill, who scored 60 in 52 balls – his second half-century in the series – said. “The way that he took on the bowlers… we have seen that over the past couple of years, how he’s been batting in the ODIs, and the way he dominated the fast bowlers today was just a treat to watch from the non-striker’s end.”It’s good portents for India ahead of the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19. Their captain, who has been struggling for runs in Tests – he has retired from T20Is – is as good as he always was in ODIs. That’s one piece of the jigsaw that’s firmly in place.

Young batter impresses former captain after composed debut at No.3 in Christchurch

Andrew Miller05-Dec-2024Alastair Cook, England’s former Test captain, believes Jacob Bethell’s temperament can make up for his lack of red-ball experience, after he came through a challenging maiden Test in Christchurch with his reputation enhanced.Bethell was thrust in at No.3 for the first Test against New Zealand, after a hand injury prevented Jordan Cox from making his own Test debut, with Ollie Pope moving down to No. 6 as a makeshift wicketkeeper.Bethell responded with scores of 10 and 50 not out in England’s eight-wicket win, despite having played just 20 previous first-class matches in his professional career, and never having made a century in any senior format.Cook, like Bethell, was also 21 when he made a century on Test debut against India in March 2006, and went on to miss just one subsequent match through illness while compiling a then-record tally of 161 appearances.However, by the time of his call-up, Cook had completed a breakthrough home season in 2005, featuring five County Championship hundreds and a memorable double-century against the touring Australians. And speaking on the eve of the second Test in Wellington, for which he will provide studio analysis for TNT Sports, he warned against expecting too much, too soon from Bethell.”There’s a long way to go, but it’s been an encouraging start,” Cook said. “He’s probably a year or two years behind as a player, in terms of knowing his red-ball game. But all of us who’ve watched cricket and played cricket, have seen something about him.”It’s hard to always pinpoint what it is about certain players that makes you think they’ve got a really good chance of making it to the next level. But I saw Jonny Bairstow bat as a youngster for Yorkshire, and I saw Jos Butler bat for Somerset … it’s not easy to put into words, because it isn’t about words. It’s about something you see.”For some, it’s the time they have at the crease, for some it’s how cleanly they hit the ball. But Bethell’s a seriously talented player, and he’s looked at home in international cricket straightaway. He’s plays the situation in front of him, and he’s not overawed by what is going on.”Related

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That was apparent even in the adversity of England’s first innings at Christchurch. Bethell arrived in overcast, swinging conditions, after Zak Crawley had been dismissed for a duck, and ground his way to 10 from 34 balls before receiving a brute of a delivery from Nathan Smith, in the final over before the lunch break.”I was impressed,” Cook said. “Particularly the way that he gutsed it out in the first innings. His strike-rate in red-ball cricket is actually under 50, so it’s clear he likes to build an innings [even though] his array of shots is why he got picked for the white-ball team. There’s a huge amount of growth to be had there, without a doubt, even though he’s nowhere near the finished article.”Cook himself had been sceptical about Bethell’s selection when addressing his call-up in the build-up to the first Test, but admitted that the manner in which he had handled such doubts was further proof of his potential.”When he got called up, there was some question why [you’d pick] a guy averaging 25 with no hundreds, and that does bring some pressure onto you as a player. To handle that like he’s done, it’s as if he’s doing all the other stuff first, rather than score the actual volume of runs that might have been required [for selection] in the more traditional way.”A lot of Test cricket is played in the mind,” Cook added. “You do need a decent technique, but the power of the mind can overcome a hell of a lot. I don’t want to get carried away, but he’s obviously made of the right stuff, and you are trusting the judgment of people in that leadership group who have played Test cricket, and wouldn’t have taken this risk without thinking that he could cope.”Bethell’s calm arrival now increases the scrutiny on Ollie Pope, especially with Jamie Smith due to reclaim the wicketkeeper’s duties when he returns from paternity leave in the new year. But Cook acknowledged that Pope’s glovework in the first Test had been faultless, while his calm 77 from No.6 turned out to be a vital contribution to England’s eventual victory.”I was pleasantly surprised at how well he kept in that game,” he said. “I don’t think you should ever get to a case where you’ve got a fourth-choice county keeper [doing the job for England], but, actually, maybe I’ve misjudged that situation. He hasn’t really made many mistakes, if any, in his four Test matches as keeper.”So, does that start to be a a viable option down the line as well? Two weeks ago, the XI that played last week wouldn’t have been on anyone’s list of teams, but things change very quickly in sport, because it is a results-driven business. Pope just looks more suited batting at five and six, while Bethell, in that first innings, had more chance of getting through that swinging, nipping ball.”Watch every ball of the New Zealand vs England second Test, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 9.30pm on Thursday, December 5