Following England losing the Women’s Ashes, former men’s captain Nasser Hussain has raised the question if the side has been making any improvement under skipper Heather Knight and head coach Jon Lewis. Hussain’s stern words come after Australia retained the Women’s Ashes with a win in the first T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground and take an unassailable 8-0 lead in the multi-format series. Though there are four more games left, it looks unlikely that England will make a fightback to at least draw the series.

“The reaction and what has happened reminds me very much of when we were playing out there. I don’t think we were whitewashed – and this England women’s side haven’t been whitewashed, but they’ve lost their first four games.”

“The Ashes have gone; I lost them in 12 days, Heather Knight in nine days – albeit different formats. It must be hugely disappointing. Australia have shown their class. To put it in context, just how good Australia are as a cricketing nation, they haven’t lost an ODI series at home for 38 years!

“They’re one of the greatest sides there has ever been. But, instead of looking at the opposition, have a look at your own side. Are you improving under Knight and Jon Lewis? That’s the question that needs to be asked,” said Hussain on Sky Sports’ Cricket Podcast.

England last won the women’s Ashes 11 years ago, and last won a trophy under Heather’s captaincy when they clinched the 2017 ODI World Cup on home soil. Lewis, who took over as head coach in 2022, is yet to coach England to a big trophy.

After England suffered an early exit at last year’s T20 World Cup, former left-arm spinner Alex Hartley claimed that some players were “letting their team down” with their fitness levels. More recently, she claimed that spinner Sophie Ecclestone refused to speak to her for a TV interview. Hussain, though, chose to sympathise with Alex’s viewpoint.

“I thought what Alex Hartley said was pretty fair. It’s part of her job to call it as she sees it. And it’s part of you to react; I’ve been there, with three fingers held up to (Ian) Botham, (Bob) Willis and (Jonathan) Agnew. It’s also part of your responsibility to do the media.”

“But I’ve known the odd player in the men’s game actually who will ask the question, ‘who is doing the interview?’ She questioned the fitness and the fielding in particular. And obviously certain members of the team have reacted poorly to that. It’s been a disappointing couple of weeks,” he concluded.

All-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin bowed out of international cricket as an absolute legend. Ashwin called time on his career after the third Test between India and Australia ended in a draw in Brisbane. Being the highest wicket-taker among active bowlers with 537 scalps, many expected Ashwin, 38, to continue for some more time. However, his decision left the entire cricket fraternity and fans heartbroken. Recently, the ace all-rounder appeared on a podcast and shared a never-heard before incident about him and the former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Appearing on Sky Sports podcast with former England skipper Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, Ashwin revealed an incident from the 2018 Test series between India and England, where he received some harsh criticism from Ravi Shastri.

In the 2018 series in England, India ended up on the losing side 1-4. Amid the series, Ashwin appeared on a show called “Masterclass”, hosted by former England star Ian Ward. In that show, Ashwin spoke about his bowling technique, variations, and even about his most popular carrom ball.

This act by Ashwin did not go well with Shastri, who then gave some “real pasting” to the all-rounder.

“I got a real pasting from Ravi Shastri for doing that masterclass. I’m sure you’ve heard about that from him. I think he had his point, but somehow, inside me, I never felt insecure about it. I think there’s two things in the game, right?” said Ashwin while speaking to Nasser and Atherton on Sky Sports.

“One is to be able to deliver what you have, and the other is to be able to respond to what you throw down the other end, and I always believed, and I had the courage to say, here’s what I have to dish out,” he added.

Ashwin further stated that he is really confident about his own skills and never hesitated while talking about his techniques.

“Let’s see if you’ve got it in you to come at me and very few times I found that the batters have not had the courage to come at me for that and I think it’s all it also plays a very deep mental game,” said Ashwin.

“Probably it’s a battle I have in my own head but all that aside I’ve never been shy of sharing what I’ve got because for me every time I shared I found a question inside me so when I shared and I got a question I had this unique capability to be able to take that question on board and find answers for it,” he added.

Team India’s premiere pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been earning plaudits from all corners after leading his side to a crushing 295-run win over Australia in the 1st Test in Perth. Leading India for only the second time ever in a Test match, Bumrah made a mockery out of the Australian batting line-up, registering a sensational match figures of 8/72. Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels Bumrah’s achievements aren’t celebrated like they should be just because he is a bowler.

While speaking on Sky Sports, Hussain also called out the bias surrounding the batters, who according to him get more headlines even when bowlers like Bumrah outperform them on the pitch.

“He has that slower ball, the yorker, the bouncer… I was thinking before the game, he was doing the press conference and I was watching, that all of the focus was on Kohli, and Rohit Sharma not being there, balance of the Indian side, Steve Smith, whether these great players will get runs. And I thought, they don’t really talk about Bumrah. Maybe it’s (because) he is a bowler. Batters are highlighted so much more,” said Hussain.

Bumrah’s current career average of 20.06 is the second-best among bowlers who have taken at least 150 Test wickets, only behing former England pacer Sydney Barnes, who played between 1901 and 1914 and took 189 wickets at an average of 16.43.

“Bumrah’s stats, he is up there with Sydney Barnes isn’t he? He has popped under 20 over quite a long period of time, it is incredible. He is the best all-format bowler in the world bar none,” he added.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma started practising in the nets as he joined the team in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the birth of his second child.

He is all set to feature in the pink-ball practice match in Canberra, before officially resuming his duties as captain in the Adelaide Day-Night Test.

(With ANI Inputs)

Coaches have changed, captains have changed, players have changed, selectors have changed, even board chairmen have changed but Pakistan cricket’s problems remain the same. A fresh change in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee was unrolled after the team lost the opening Test against England. Ahead of the second Test, the team management even decided to bench the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. However, England great Nasser Hussan doesn’t feel these players to be blamed for Pakistan team’s current crisis.

“The issue is not Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, or Naseem Shah,” Hussain said on Sky Cricket. “The issue is behind the scenes in the way Pakistan cricket runs.”

Hussain, in a chat with Michael Atherton, further highlighted how Pakistan have used 26 different selectors for the senior men’s national team. The selection committee isn’t the only body that has undergone significant changes the last few years.

For Hussain, no sport or business can be run effectively if it undergoes so many changes on a regular basis. The Pakistan team, hence, only have themselves to blame for the mess they are in.

“In the paper, I saw there were 26 different selectors; in another, it said 27. Nobody can keep count. How many have England had? Two or three, maybe. But if you keep changing selectors, coaches, captains-constantly shuffling leadership-it’s impossible to plan ahead. No successful business or sports team works that way. When you operate with short-term thinking, you show up unprepared, and by the time you lose the first Test, you’re already scrambling for solutions,” he further added

“Their cricket and some of it, you give them a bit of leeway because of the way the finances of the world game have gone with the big three, and they’re picking up the scraps like other nations are. So I really feel for Pakistan cricket and we mustn’t be too harsh on them, but at times, they shoot themselves in the foot,” Hussain remarked. 

Even Pakistan cricket great Wasim Akram reacted to the comments made by Hussain, saying he and Atherton are onto something.

I think finally boys are on too something here https://t.co/AbKlRYXnL4

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) October 14, 2024

Pakistan would hope to produce a change in their fortunes as they take on England in the second Test without Babar, Shaheen and Naseem.

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Brydon Carse ahead of his Test debut for the Three Lions and said that the 29-year-old has got a lot of pace. Carse will be playing maiden long-format match in the upcoming first Test match against Pakistan in Multan. Earlier on Saturday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement and announced that pacer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut in the first Test match of the three-game series.

“England Men have confirmed their XI for the first Test against Pakistan, set to commence on Monday in Multan. Durham seamer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut. With England Captain Ben Stokes still recovering from a hamstring tear, Ollie Pope will captain the side in his absence,” ECB wrote in a statement.

Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Hussain said that Carse can do Mark Wood’s role in a match. The former cricketer added that he was impressed after seeing the 29-year-old’s performance in the white-ball cricket.

“I think someone like Carse can do that Mark Wood role. I was impressed with him in the white-ball cricket. He’s got a lot of pace and if they’re the flat pitches that England played on last time, then you’re going to need that express pace as well as skill, and Carse provides that,” Hussain was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.

He also added that Jack Leach performed well with Somerset.

“I was watching some of the Somerset games towards the end of the summer, and Leach looked like he had really, really good rhythm in those. He’s obviously missed out because of Bashir, his Somerset team-mate, going past him but I think he’s done a really good job for Somerset, and he had a good tour out there last time,” he added.

The first Test will begin on October 7 in Multan, followed by the second Test on October 15, also in Multan. The final Test will be held in Rawalpindi from October 24 to 28.

England’s playing XI against Pakistan in the Multan Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

Nasser Hussain has praised Moeen Ali, calling him an inspirational figure both on and off the field, after the allrounder announced his retirement from international cricket. Moeen, has had a successful career, playing 68 Tests, 138 ODIs, and 92 T20Is. Moeen made history as the first British Asian to captain England in a T20I match against Australia in 2020 and has been an influential vice-captain to Jos Buttler. Despite participating in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Moeen was not selected for the upcoming series against Australia, leading to his decision to retire.

Hussain highlighted that the 37-year-old, Moeen will be remembered not only for his achievements but also for his significant impact on his community.

“He is a hugely important and inspirational cricketer on and off the cricket field,” Hussain said as per quoted by Sky Sports

“One of England’s most influential multi-format cricketers. An Ashes winner, a World Cup 50-over winner, a World Cup 20-over winner,” he added.

“He himself said he has had the odd brain fade. He has played some good shots and some not so good shots,” hussain noted.

“I think anyone who watched him play enjoyed it but also those who played with him enjoyed it,” he said as per quoted by Sky Sports.

“You can imagine his WhatsApp this morning going berserk because he was a very popular member of any side he has played in,” Hussain remarked.

“He was an entertainer but also a really important figure off the field being a British Asian and a British Muslim,” he said

“Moeen was a role model for his community. He spoke about when he was growing up, parents might want you to become a doctor or something, but he and Adil Rashid have shown that there are so many different avenues for people from that community,” he concluded as per quoted by Sky Sports.

Former captain Nasser Hussain thinks Ollie Pope’s appointment as England Test skipper for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka augurs well for the side ahead of the all-important Ashes happening next year in Australia. Pope was made England captain for the Sri Lanka series starting on August 21 as Ben Stokes was ruled out due to a torn hamstring. “I think it’s good for Pope to be captain for three Tests, just in case, Ben Stokes does get injured in the future. They need other options. Just like when they go to Australia, and they don’t want a bowling attack that’s inexperienced. You don’t want to get there with someone (leading) who hasn’t done it before,” said Hussain in the latest episode of Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

At the same time, Hussain thinks Pope has yet to establish himself as a firm leader in the England Test side. “The feeling with Pope is that it doesn’t come naturally, (whereas) the feeling with Stokes is that cricketing intelligence comes very naturally to him.”

“It feels like he (Pope) was given the vice-captaincy to get him out of that shell, the no. 3 position as well, we believe in you, which I think was the right thing to do. But the other side of that, when you’re captain. You’ve to sell that belief. Sell yourself to the team, your plans.”

Similar views were echoed by former skipper Michael Atherton. “Essentially, you’re in a caretaker position. And Ben Stokes has left such a permanent mark on the side, Ollie Pope wouldn’t want to change that. While you are captain and you make decisions, it’s someone else’s team. It’s a slightly awkward position for him.”

Just like Stokes, England will also be without opener Zak Crawley for the series due to a broken finger. Hussain quipped Test head coach Brendon McCullum would employ innovations in selection, instead of going back to players who have been dropped from the side due to form.

“With this regime, in selection they don’t want to look back, even with their opening combinations. They really don’t want to go back to (Alex) Lees or (Keaton) Jennings or someone, they’re constantly looking forward.”

“They’ll just move up one, (Jamie) Smith can bat a bit higher, (Chris) Woakes can bat a bit higher, and maybe Olly Stone can. They’re (looking for) the younger ones, in the Lions game I noticed the lad Kasey Aldridge. I think that’s someone they maybe keeping an eye on the future. The (Shoaib) Bashir selection. They’ll do left-field selections.”

Atherton stated someone like Dan Lawrence, who will open in Crawley’s absence, will be primed to bring their positive gameplay to the top-order for the upcoming Test series. “Stokes came over and said, ‘When Crawley’s fit, he’ll come back.’ So they don’t want to overcomplicate it.”

“Old-timers like me talk about opening being a specialist position. But they aren’t interested in that, they want a middle-order dasher like Dan Lawrence in that position. And if you said to Dan Lawrence, would you wait on the sidelines or have a crack (at) opening. Then definitely, he’s gonna try and grab that opportunity with both hands.”

Former captain Nasser Hussain said England’s quickfire victory over the West Indies in the first Test at the Lord’s summed up the problems the longest format of the game finds itself at. England beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first hour of day three, to now take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. While England had some red-ball preparation in the form of County Championship games, West Indies played just one three-day red-ball game against First Class Counties XI in preparation.

Moreover, the majority of the members in the West Indies squad haven’t played red-ball cricket since the wonderful eight-run win over Australia at Brisbane in January. “Those two days summed up for me where we are with Test cricket. You talk about all the batting they could have but they’re off in a white-ball sunset, you’ve got bowlers who haven’t bowled, you’ve got undercooked cricketers, and then you lose the toss and have the worst of conditions, and everyone goes ‘Test cricket is dying’.”

“But if you prepare for a Test match like that, you’ll get exactly what England get when they go away. It frustrates me because you’ve got to give Test matches the preparation that they deserve, which is a very easy thing to say but a very difficult thing to do in modern times,” said Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

There is curiosity around whether the second Test between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge will prove to be more competitive. “The other story is ‘the West Indies are in terminal decline’ — England haven’t won in the Caribbean for two decades and (the West Indies) hold the Richard-Botham Trophy.”

“England travel to India or Australia and don’t particularly do well, so it shouldn’t just be a West Indies story. All it does is add to the fact that Test-match cricket is in a difficult place, and it is sort of self-perpetuating.”

“If you don’t look after it, then sides turn up and put in a performance like that, and everyone goes, ‘Told you, Test-match cricket is dying’. Listening to you speaking to Jimmy Anderson after 188 Test matches on the podium, I would like to think we would try to look after Test-match cricket.”

Michael Atherton, the former England skipper, elaborated on how Anderson spoke passionately about his love for Test cricket following his retirement from international cricket at Lord’s and will now take up the role of fast-bowling mentor in the red-ball team.

“Anderson said, ‘Test cricket has literally made me the person I am’. So, all the lessons he’s drawn from Test cricket — the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the coming back for that third spell at six o’clock in the evening and having to dig deep within yourself.”

“All of the things which have made him the mature person he is, Test cricket has helped him along the way. I wanted to ask him about it because it’s at a fragile time, he’s going to move onto a mentoring role and you’d hope, because there are young players coming through now who will have career choices to make.”

“You’d like to feel Jimmy would say to them ‘sometimes the easiest choices are not always the most rewarding or most fulfilling’…although everybody needs to pay the bills, one understands that.”

Arguably the greatest pace bowler of all time, James Anderson finally hung up his boots, drawing curtains to his illustrious career as an international cricketer. The England vs West Indies Test at Lord’s turned out to be his final appearance in the England shirt, with the veteran pacer ending his career at the top of the wicket-taking charts for pace bowlers, scalping a whopping 704 wickets. But, after helping England secure a victory in his farewell game, Anderson admitted that there was one moment in the final that left him quite disappointed.

In a post-match interview with Sky Cricket, Anderson held a candid chat with Egland great Nasser Hussain, under who he made his debut two decades ago.

“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd was pretty special,” Anderson said. “But yeah, I’m still trying to hold them [tears] back now, but I think I’m just really proud of playing for 20-odd years. [It] is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler.

“I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far. Happy that I’ve been lucky enough to stay injury-free pretty much throughout my career. And yeah, play for England. It’s the best job in the world, so I’ve been privileged to be able to do it for a long time.”

Anderson was given a fine welcome by the palyers in both teams as he walked into the Lord’s Cricket Ground for the last time as an England international. It was truly an emotional moment for him.

“Yeah, has been different emotions, been so up and down. Saw my girls ring a bell on day one. Walking out today with both teams lined up again was pretty emotional. I forgot what I was actually trying to do with the ball,” Anderson said at a press interaction after the game. “But yeah, it’s been incredible. As I said, the reaction of crowds was phenomenal. I can’t get my head around it right now.

“But yeah, it’s just been an amazing 20 years. Every moment, every great sports person, there is the family, mother, father, wife, kids, who allow you to do what you’ve done for so long.”

‘Gutted’ To Not Get The 705th Wicket

Anderson could’ve finished his career with 705 wickets instead of 704 had he not dropped a sitter to give West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie a lifeline. He still remains disappointed about that spilled opportunity.

“I’m still gutted to have dropped that catch to be honest,” Anderson said. “But yeah, it’s been an amazing week. I’ve been quite overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground and the lads as well, just proud of what I’ve achieved.”

“I’ve been lucky to play with some amazing players,” Anderson said. “Some of the most talented cricketers that have ever played the game, but more importantly, some really good blokes and some friends that I’ve made for life.

“And it is a really special sport. I think no other sport creates this sort of atmosphere, these sorts of friendships, and part of me is a little bit jealous of these lads [who] get to experience that for the next few years. As I said, we’ve got a young team, lots of incredible talent, and the advice I’d pass on to them is just enjoy every moment, because it’s a great ride.”

Speaking of the most memorable moments as a cricketer, winning in Australia, India is what the veteran pacer has enjoyed the most.

“Winning series and winning Test matches,” Anderson said are the most special memories of his career, “it’s been the only thing that I’ve been interested in since I came into the England team – winning in Australia, winning in India becoming number one site in the world and contributing to those those series as well. Taking wickets, they’re the things that are remembered forever; playing with some of the greats in the game as well. It’s just been really really special.”

“Well, I think just the feeling that we’ve got now – winning the Test match,” he said. “There’s no better feeling – everyone’s put in the graft this week. I know it looks like we’ve dominated, but we’ve had to work really hard for this win; sharing other people’s success as well.

When asked what feeling will he miss the most, Anderon said the aches and pain.

“Gus was amazing this week on debut, Jamie Smith on debut as well. Incredible. Seeing the lads go out there and show off their talent, and then you get to sit in here after a win and celebrate those sorts of performances together is an incredible sort of thing that I’ll definitely miss.

“Feeling like I do now,” Anderson said. “I feel about 55 after the overs I’ve bowled this week. The aches and pains that you wake up with, I think I’ll miss them. But yeah, I mean, as I said, I feel really fortunate. I’ve been able to do what I’ve done for a long time and I’m just happy that I’ve made it this far.”

“I think I’ve not really thought that far ahead. I’m going to stick around for the rest of the summer with these guys. Try and help the bowling group out as much as I can, and we will see where life takes is a bit after that. I’m not looked that far ahead.”

Virat Kohli‘s continued poor form in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup has brought in opinions from several cricketers, experts and fans alike. However, few people have seen Kohli’s game from up close better than former India coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri and Kohli shared a great bond as coach and captain of Team India in all formats. After Kohli’s failure against England in the semi-final, Shastri said that he should stick to his natural game without trying to be overly aggressive.

“This is not his game. He’s going too early for it, especially with Rohit Sharma playing aggressively at the other end,” opined Shastri, speaking on Star Sports.

“He is more orthodox, but he can make up quite easily if he spends more time at the crease,” said Shastri.

Against England, Kohli had hit a six off Reece Topley in the third over. However, just two balls later, Kohli had to walk back to the dugout as he misjudged the ball while trying to play big towards mid-wicket.

“When he tries to get out of his zone, he will get out in that fashion,” Shastri said.

“He has tried to manufacture shots that are not there. You should do that when you’re in top form, when you’ve got 300 runs in the competition. When you’re looking to break free when the runs are not there, it’s not easy. The key word is rhythm,” Shastri added.

Despite Kohli’s failure with the bat, his opening partner Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant 39-ball 57. Along with Suryakumar Yadav‘s 47 off 36 balls and handy cameos at the back end, India posted 171 in 20 overs on a tricky, wet Guyana pitch.

“I think Kohli should’ve played like Kohli has done for a decade,” said former English cricketer Nasser Hussain.

Having made just 75 runs in seven innings so far, Kohli will be aiming for a royal finish to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a big score in the final against South Africa, in Barbados on June 29.