Fresh mystery has emerged over Shane Warne’s death after an investigating police officer claimed he was ‘ordered’ to remove a ‘sex item’ from the scene.

Australian cricket legend Warne died in March 2022 at the age of 52 of a heart attack after being found unresponsive in his villa on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

Thailand police ruled out foul play in the shock death of the sporting icon and an autopsy provided by the Surat Thani Hospital found the ‘King of Spin’ died of natural causes.

However, new claims have emerged from a senior police officer at the scene who says he was ‘ordered’ to remove a bottle of pills used in erective dysfunction treatments.

The drug in question, Kamagra, has the same active ingredient used in Viagra but is not regulated in most countries.

‘We were ordered by our seniors to get rid of the bottle,’ the police officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail.

‘These orders were coming from up high, and I think senior officials from Australia were also involved because they did not want their national figure to have an ending like this.

‘So, the official report came out as that he suffered a heart attack and no other details as to what could have caused it.

‘No one will come out to confirm the Kamagra because it remains a sensitive subject. There were lots of powerful invisible hands behind all this.

‘It was a bottle, but we don’t know how much he took. There was also a puddle of vomit and blood at the scene, but we cleared the Kamagra as we were told to.’ 

Manufactured in India, Kamagra is illegal in Thailand but widely sold in pharmacies and at roadside stalls.

It is said to have dangerous side effects for those suffering from heart problems.

A medical source told the Daily Mail: ‘Kamagra is not something a man with congenital heart weakness should be taking.’

Warne is considered one of the greatest cricketers in history, having taken 708 Test wickets, the second most of all time.

He helped Australia win the World Cup in 1999 and starred in several Ashes wins over England, though he was on the losing side in the iconic 2005 series.

In 2000, he was named one of the five Wisden cricketers of the century, alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Viv Richards.

Warne was married to Simone Callahan for ten years and was also engaged to British model Liz Hurley, but the relationship ended before they were married.

A larger-than-life character, Warne worked as a popular commentator and pundit following his retirement from cricket and also held various coaching roles at T20 franchises.

His children, Brooke, Jackson and Summer recently paid tribute to their dad on the three-year anniversary of his death.

Writing on Instagram earlier this month, Summer wrote: ‘Thought your hugs, smile, laughter, your advice and the sound of your voice.

‘I thought the pain of losing you would get easier but I don’t think it ever will.

‘I could write a million pages, but still be unable to say just how much I miss you. I love you Dad, forever and always.’

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India Test captain Rohit Sharma is a major doubt this summer’s series against England.

The long-serving skipper endured a difficult time of it against Australia earlier this year and although he marshaled his team to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy a fortnight ago, Sharma could skip the five-match contest with Ben Stokes’ side which begins at Headingley in June.

Virat Kohli, who has also been going through an indifferent spell with the bat, is likely to feature, however.

Sharma a mainstay of India’s powerful batting line-up and veteran of 67 Tests, endured a miserable series Down Under when India were well-beaten 3-1.

The 37-year-old sat out the final Test of that particular series having scored just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20, while his average across his previous eight games stood at a measly 10.93, with a best of 23 against Bangladesh in September.

At the time, speculation was rife that Sharma had been axed from the teambut he was adamant that wasn’t the case.

‘I had a chat with the coach and the selector was very simple,’ Rohit said on Star Sports coverage of the fifth Test.

‘I am not making runs at the moment. I am not in form and it’s an important game. We need an in-form player.

‘Our batting order isn’t in form at the moment. So out-of-form players can’t carry the team at the moment.

‘This was the simple thing in my mind. It was my understanding that I should tell the coach and the selector and they backed my call.’

According to India Today, Sharma has already decided he will not travel to England in June which could result in Jasprit Bumrah leading the side again, depending on his own fitness.

The fast bowler missed the Champions Trophy triumph and the start of the current IPL season with Mumbai Indians insisting he will not be rushed back.

‘He is doing well,’ confirmed assistant coach Paras Mhambrey earlier this week. ‘We’re happy with his progress from the NCA. I won’t dwell on the timeframe. The management and NCA will decide.

‘He’s a big part of MI’s success—we want him back, but only when ready.’

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes ‘terrible’ rule changes have effectively ‘killed’ ODI cricket.

Moeen, who played 138 one-day internationals for England and over 250 List-A games for his county, described 50-over cricket as the ‘worst format to play’.

The 37-year-old says rule changes in recent years have made ODI cricket too batter-friendly and reckons the format has lost all relevance outside of major tournaments like the Champions Trophy, recently won by India, and World Cup, a competition he won back in 2019.

Moeen struggles to understand the reason two balls are now used in ODI cricket – one from either end – and says the introduction of an extra fielder inside the ring after the powerplay is another ‘horrendous’ rule.

‘The format has almost completely died out, apart from World Cups and Champions Trophy,’ Moeen told talkSPORT. ‘It is the worst format to play and I think there are many reasons for that.

‘I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder in after [the first powerplay], I think it’s a horrendous rule for taking wickets, building any sort of pressure.

‘Guys are averaging 60, 70 in ODI cricket now because of that. When you’re bowling at somebody and you put a little bit of pressure, he just reverse-sweeps and it’s not even a single, it’s a four.

‘It’s just there’s always that option available for the batters [to score]. On top of all this, you have two new balls, you lose the reverse swing, you lose the art of trying to hit a softer ball.

‘Everything’s always in the middle and crisp and it’s flying off your bat and stuff. I think for those reasons, the cricket’s just died. 50-over cricket has died.’

Moeen also said the expansion of T20 franchise cricket around the world is harming not only ODI cricket but potentially Test cricket too, with several players walking away from the international game to cash in on the global circuit.

‘I think franchise cricket is sadly eating it all up and the problem is the money that’s out there and the money that’s being thrown out there,’ he added.

‘It’s so much that people just can’t turn it down. It’s very difficult. There are probably guys who are probably going to retire in the next couple of years from international cricket earlier to play franchise cricket.’

Moeen retired from England duty last summer but continues to feature in T20 tournaments around the world.

He was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2025 Indian Premier League, which takes place between March 22 and May 25.

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A former Pakistan star has taken a swipe at India following their Champions Trophy victory.

India beat New Zealand by six wickets in Sunday’s final to win the Champions Trophy for a second time.

The spin quartet of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel took combined figures of 5-144 in 38 overs, helping restrict New Zealand to 251-7.

New Zealand looked on course for an even smaller total but Michael Bracewell gave the innings some much-needed impetus with an unbeaten 53 from 40 balls.

India openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then put on 105 for the first-wicket partnership before losing three wickets for 17 runs in the space of seven overs.

The chase always looked relatively comfortable, however, and India knocked off the winning runs with six wickets and six balls to spare.

India have now won both the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy since being beaten in the final of the 2023 World Cup.

While they are undoubtedly the best white-ball team in the world, India have faced accusations of bias during the Champions Trophy.

The geo-political situation with arch-rivals Pakistan meant India played all five of their games in Dubai, on the same familiar surface, and had no travelling to contend with.

In a somewhat farcical situation, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all travelled from Pakistan to Dubai for a potential semi-final with India before two teams flew back when the semi-final line-up was confirmed.

Former Pakistan bowler Junaid Khan highlighted the lack of consistency in a post on X and wrote: ‘Some teams win by skill, some win by scheduling.’

Another ex-Pakistan star, legendary quick Shoaib Akhtar, was more complimentary to India, saying: ‘The best team to emerge in ICC tournaments in the last 10 years is India.

‘They won last year and have won again. I think it goes to show the quality of cricket they are playing. Congratulations to India. Thoroughly deserved.’

India skipper Rohit was full of praise for his team after they lifted the Champions Trophy and said the ‘magnificent’ Dubai crowd made it feel like a ‘home ground’.

‘We’ve played some really good cricket throughout the tournament,’ he said. ‘To come out here and win it is great.

‘The crowd has been magnificent. It’s not our home ground but they’ve made it our home ground.’

Superstar batter Virat Kohli, who missed out in the final, added: ‘It’s an amazing feeling, lovely to be playing with such amazing youngsters.

‘So much talent in the dressing room and they’re taking Indian cricket forward in the right direction.

‘These guys are stepping up in a massive way and that’s why we’re such a strong team.’

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, meanwhile, said the ‘better team’ won after his side fell short in the final.

‘It’s been a good tournament overall,’ he said. ‘We faced some challenges along the way but we’ve grown as a group.

‘We played some good cricket but we fell short to a better team. Credit to how they played, they’re world class spin bowlers.

‘We were probably about 20 runs under what we wanted but we just went out looking to restrict them.’

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England’s woeful showing in the Champions Trophy, as well as their two white-ball series in India beforehand, has left many questioning the management’s philosophy of trying to unify the bowling attack across all three formats including Test matches.

The reason for this, and it has come after Test coach Brendon McCullum was given charge of the other two formats (another unification), was it would meld and bond the bowlers, the quicks especially, into a band of brothers for next winter’s Ashes series, a holy grail should England manage to win it.

It will all seem rather spurious now that McCullum has overseen nine defeats in England’s last ten white-ball games. Not that the bowling was the only problem in the Champions Trophy but it was rather a large one given they allowed Afghanistan to reach 325 for seven after reducing them to 37 for three in the ninth over.

The main aim has been to hit their opponents with speed. Few batters relish the 90mph stuff and in Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood, England had three such quicks with another three, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, a tick below that benchmark.

The trouble was nobody reminded these bowlers of their special power (raw pace) and instead allowed them to indulge in their belief that they were skilled bowlers with all the tricks of those less able to subdue batters with speed and aggression.

As a result slower balls and cutters abounded, almost none delivered with a bluffer’s timing and panache, which meant most were despatched to the boundary.

Such variations can be a good thing in keeping batters in check but only when used judiciously. According to a recent ECB coach, modern batters set themselves to hit the slower ball from quicks to the boundary knowing that they need only to deflect pace-on deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking.

If England’s analysts knew that, and they ought to, Archer and Co should have been told to use slower balls only as a last resort.

As former England fast bowler Devon Malcolm said recently: ‘If I am blessed with being able to bowl at 90mph why am I going to bowl 70mph cutters?’

Which is exactly what Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, a tall fast bowler with similar pace to Overton, did after his mix of hard length and bang-in short balls brought him five England wickets.

By contrast, England’s quicks tried to be fancy with a slew of slower balls and got smashed, the pace trio conceding 20 boundaries compared to the 11 given away by England’s three spinners, two of them non-specialists.

Sixes and fours are T20’s main currency but in 50-overs it is more nuanced. In the game against Afghanistan England struck more boundaries (32) than their opponents but lost by eight runs, perhaps proving the adage of former Australia captain and coach Bobby Simpson (one scoffed at by modern coaches) that the team with the most singles usually wins.

And that is the problem with most of England’s batters bar Joe Root. They don’t have ones and twos in their intentions. Take opener Phil Salt. A whizz, bang innings of 25 off 17 balls has value in T20s but is a liability in 50-over cricket because it exposes the middle-order to the new ball.

Salt does not appear to understand that – though whether it is entirely his fault, given 50-over cricket’s lowly status in the domestic fixture list (a position unlikely to change now that the Hundred’s monied glitz has grabbed even more attention), is a moot point.

Jos Buttler’s captaincy was another weakness. When you appoint the best player as captain they need to lead from the front. Buttler didn’t, even dropping down the order to six to play the finisher’s role; a job, ironically, that requires high levels of confidence which had long since drained away from him.

Much has been made of his captaincy versus that of his predecessor, Eoin Morgan, a man whose leadership credentials have become myth-like, somewhat unjustifiably. Morgan was fortunate to have a slew of high-class all-rounders like Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and even Chris Woakes to call upon, something this team did not.

All-rounders help to balance sides but curiously, and this might explain why England sometimes veer between indomitable and fragile, they get some of their all-rounders the wrong way round.

Take Moeen. For his county he was primarily a batter who bowled spin, something which was reversed when he played for England. The same goes for Sam Curran who is really another batter who bowls, though he often takes the new ball for England in white-ball cricket.

Despite not being involved in the Champions Trophy, Curran, 26, will be one being considered for the white-ball captaincy which McCullum may split, having both a T20 captain and a 50-over captain. Harry Brook, also 26, is another candidate though there are those who feel the extra responsibility will overburden someone who is a three-format player.

It is a valid point but I think responsibility can sometimes help freewheeling talents like Brook to focus on what is important. For Brook that may be maximising his earnings in the Indian Premier League, but if it isn’t then at least one of the white-ball captaincies should be his.

Yet, whoever is captain the challenge remains as it has since the birth of international one-day cricket in the early 1970s. Don’t overthink it. Make sure players know their roles. And only plunder when you cannot steal.

MORE: Three reasons England’s white-ball team has gone backwards after Champions Trophy exit

MORE: Jos Buttler steps down as England white ball captain after ICC Champions Trophy embarrassment

MORE: Michael Atherton highlights ‘problem’ with ‘obvious candidate’ for England white-ball captaincy

Michael Atherton says Harry Brook’s status as a multi-format player could be deemed a ‘problem’ as England mull over who should replace Jos Buttler as white-ball captain.

Buttler announced that he would be stepping down as ODI and T20 skipper after England were eliminated from this year’s ICC Champions Trophy at the earliest possible opportunity with back-to-back defeats to Australia and Afghanistan.

A third straight loss at the hands of South Africa piled yet more misery on England’s already anguished players and the work now begins on rebuilding a squad capable of challenging for major tournaments once again.

England’s wretched Champions Trophy campaign followed disappointing showings at both the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup under Buttler’s captaincy – and the side’s latest defeat was their tenth in 11 white-ball matches since the turn of the year.

‘I’m going to stand down as England captain,’ Buttler said in a statement following the eight-run loss to Afghanistan.

‘It’s the right decision for me, it’s the right decision for the team and hopefully somebody else can come in and work closely alongside Baz [Brendon McCullum] to take the team back to where it needs to be.’

Pressed on the exact reasons behind the decision, Buttler added: ‘It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important results-wise for my captaincy.

‘Obviously two losses and being out of the tournament, with a bit of a hangover of some tournaments before, I’ve reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy.

‘Which is a shame, I’m sad about that and obviously with Brendon coming in only recently I was really excited to be working closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and take the team forward.

‘It’s not quite worked out that way so it feels like it’s the right time for me and also for the team to have a change.

The overriding emotions are sadness and disappointment. I’m sure in time that will pass and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket and I’ll be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country.’

England vice-captain Brook is the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Buttler having skippered the side in their ODI series with Australia back in September.

Nasser Hussain feels Brook is the ‘obvious candidate’ to take over the reins but fears the added responsibility may be too much to a player who is also a linchpin of the Test team.

‘Harry Brook is the obvious candidate to take over. He did it at the end of the summer against Australia,’ the ex-England captain told Sky Sports.

‘He’s the obvious one with the amount of important cricket coming up for England.

‘Do you want to put that pressure on a young man who’s got an India series at home, an Ashes away and then a World Cup T20 in India and Sri Lanka? Or do you go to a stop-gap, James Vince, Sam Billings, Lewis Gregory, seasoned, domestic, franchise captains to just do it for a while?

‘I think personally England don’t look back, they look forward. If they think Brook is the next captain, they go to him as soon as possible so he can start learning about being captain.

‘But obviously the caveat is then there will be a lot on his plate.’

Atherton agrees with Hussain that Brook is the standout contender to replace Buttler as England’s white-ball skipper.

However, Atherton also has concerns about Brook’s workload, which he believes ‘makes it tricky’ for England’s selectors.

‘They have two ways to go. They either go with somebody who’s in the side now, certain of his place, like Harry Brook who is the vice-captain, has done it before at the end of the season, and did it very well against Australia,’ Atherton said.

‘The problem with Brook is that he’s a multi-format player. He plays Test cricket, T20s, ODIs. England’s schedule, although it’s easing a little bit with fewer Test matches this year, I think that makes it tricky.’

Atherton added: ‘The other route they could go is to go for somebody slightly outside of the multi-format approach, like Sam Billings, James Vince or Sam Curran. I’m not going to give you a name because I really don’t know.

‘It’s really the direction. At the moment, what’s happening is that they’re bringing the red-ball and white-ball teams closer together.

‘I actually think with the scheduling they need to be pushing them further apart.

‘You’re going to have a core of players who are across formats – Brook being one, Joe Root – these outstanding players who are good in all formats but I also think given the schedule, you need to have a distinct separation between red-ball and white-ball teams as well.’

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Jos Buttler has stepped down as England white ball captain after elimination at the earliest stage from the ICC Champions Trophy.

England lost to Australia by five wickets on Saturday and then were stunned by Afghanistan on Wednesday, losing by eight runs.

That defeat meant they were eliminated at the group stage, despite having a game to play against South Africa on Saturday.

The loss was was their ninth loss in ten white-ball matches since the turn of the year.

Asked about his future after the shock loss to Afghanistan, Buttler told Sky Sports: ‘I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now. But I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities.’

Announcing his decision to step down on Friday, the 34-year-old told a press conference: ‘I’m going to stand down as England captain. It’s the right decision for me, it’s the right decision for the team and hopefully somebody else can come in and work closely alongside Baz (Brendon McCullum) to take the team back to where it needs to be.’

On the reasons behind his decision he added: ‘It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important results-wise for my captaincy.

‘Obviously two losses and being out of the tournament, with a bit of a hangover of some tournaments before, I’ve reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy.

‘Which is a shame, I’m sad about that and obviously with Brendon coming in only recently I was really excited to be working closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and take the team forward.

‘It’s not quite worked out that way so it feels like it’s the right time for me and also for the team to have a change.

The overriding emotions are sadness and disappointment. I’m sure in time that will pass and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket and I’ll be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country.’

Buttler will remain in charge for the final group game against South Africa after announcing his resignation.

The devastating batsman has not been able to produce his best form of late during England’s struggles and admitted after the Afghanistan loss that he was not sure why.

‘If I knew I probably wouldn’t be playing the way I am,’ he said.

‘I don’t feel far away, obviously, but at my best I’m one of the best players in the world and it’s disappointing if you’re not reaching that level.’

Buttler took over as white ball captain in June 2022 and had won the T20 World Cup in Australia before the end of the year.

Things have gone downhill since then, though, in both 50-over and the shortest form of international cricket.

He holds a record of just 18 wins from 44 ODIs as captain, with 26 wins from 51 T20s.

Not so long ago England were the best and most feared team in white-ball cricket. After another failure at an ICC event – this time an early Champions Trophy exit – they are at risk of becoming a laughing stock.

The 2019 and 2022 World Cup wins felt a lifetime ago as England slumped to an agonising defeat to minnows Afghanistan and crashed out of the Champions Trophy at the group stage.

This was a tournament they only sneaked into in the first place after finishing seventh at the last World Cup, again missing out on a place in the knockout stages – surely the minimum requirement for a team with such resources.

That failure cost Matthew Mott his job as head coach but his replacement, Brendon McCullum, faces similar scrutiny after a dismal start to his reign.

McCullum has now lost nine of his first ten games in charge of the white-ball side, England thumped 7-1 by India across both formats before losing their opening two games at the Champions Trophy.

It was in India that England’s issues really became apparent as an unvaried bowling attack and overeager batting line-up disappointed under a captain who looks increasingly short of ideas and energy.

PACE ATTACK FAILS TO DELIVER

With Australia recovering from 27-2 to chase 351 and Afghanistan posting 325 after being 37-3, it’s clear something was amiss with England’s bowlers.

Nasser Hussain was among those to criticise a ‘samey’ attack with right-arm quick Jofra Archer and right-arm quick Mark Wood supported by one of right-arm quick Jamie Overton and, you guessed it, right-arm quick Brydon Carse. They went for 226 in 26 overs against Australia and at a similar lick against Afghanistan.

The balance of the attack was never going to be perfect without the presence of all-rounder Ben Stokes but not picking a left-armer – Sam Curran and Reece Topley both come to mind – or someone with different attributes like Saqib Mahmood or Liam Dawson (if you wanted another spinner) proved to be a mistake.

Over-reliant on the ever-brilliant Adil Rashid, England lost control and lacked potency during the middle overs and were missing a bowler like Liam Plunkett, one of the key figures during their 2019 World Cup win.

Despite three early wickets against Afghanistan, there is also a slight but growing concern over Jofra Archer, who Michael Atherton has said appears to have, perhaps understandably, regressed since his severe injury issues.

MISFIRING BATTERS PAY THE PRICE

England’s batters will point to two 300+ scores as a defence but they too shoulder some of the blame for a premature Champions Trophy exit.

Jos Buttler stressed the importance of finding the right batting tempo before the tournament began but only Ben Duckett – who smashed 165 against Australia, and Joe Root, who scored his first century in this format since 2019 – managed it.

Treating games like an extended T20, Phil Salt has reached double digits in every innings of McCullum’s tenure but only once passed 50.

The same criticism can be levelled at Liam Livingstone, who has arguably been selected more for his bowling than batting. Getting Jamie Smith to bat at first drop when he has played so little 50-over cricket and would take the gloves felt and proved to be too big of an ask.

Harry Brook, the most talented English batter since Joe Root, averages less than 17 in 2025. There are even concerns over the form of Jos Buttler, England’s greatest in white-ball cricket, who has just two ODI hundreds to his name in 42 innings since the 2019 World Cup was won by the barest of margins.

Mark Butcher recently emphasised how this format requires a refined approach from batters, many of whom spend much of their time and earn most of their money in T20 franchise tournaments around the world.

But it has proved to be a difficult task for players who play virtually no 50-over cricket outside ICC events. England’s 50-over comp, the One-Day Cup, has effectively been relegated to a minor competition since the arrival of The Hundred.

LEADERSHIP CRISIS

Buttler admitted his captaincy was on the line before England’s must-win clash with Afghanistan so a resignation would not come as a surprise.

A team who were once world-beaters, world champions in two formats, are now in danger of falling to eighth in the rankings. Nine defeats in ten does not reflect well on McCullum but the issues began before he took over, with England losing 11 of their last 14 games against full member nations at ICC events.

Buttler, who has been in charge throughout that period, now looks shot of confidence so passing on the baton would be the sensible decision despite the lack of viable replacements, with Brook perhaps the most likely to take over following his brief stint in charge of the side last summer.

Even if Buttler goes, the perpetually laid-back McCullum must also start to prove his worth to the white-ball set-up ahead of a T20 World Cup in 12 months’ time and a 50-over competition a year later.

The Test side have done some incredible things under McCullum but Rob Key’s decision to give the former New Zealand captain responsibility for both teams already looks questionable.

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Jos Buttler says he must ‘consider the possibility’ of standing down as captain after England crashed out of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy at the earliest opportunity with an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan.

England required victory to remain in the competition and Joe Root rallied with the bat to gave his side a fighting chance, scoring a stunning 120, after Afghanistan had set a target of 326.

But Root was caught out with England needing 39 runs from 26 balls and Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid fell short at the death, with the latter dismissed off the penultimate ball.

England’s latest setback was their ninth loss in ten white-ball matches since the turn of the year.

Buttler won the 2022 T20 World Cup in his first outing as captain but disappointing campaigns at the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup have seen the 34-year-old’s role as skipper called into question.

Having suffered a five-wicket defeat in their opening Champions Trophy contest with Australia, Buttler and Co will be playing for pride only in their final group game against South Africa on Saturday.

Asked if he had any update on his future as captain after England’s elimination, Buttler told Sky Sports: ‘I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now. But I think for myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities.’

Buttler conceded that his side were some way from their best, though not helped by injuries to both Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone.

On the injury to Wood, Buttler said: ‘It was difficult and Livi went off the field at some point as well with his ankle, so credit to him for coming back on.

‘It was difficult, trying to marry up using our best resources to try and break the partnerships and restrict them that way but, obviously, knowing that we would have to fill in a few overs here and there.’

Buttler was unsure why he had repeatedly failed to produce his world-class best in an England shirt in recent months, which he admitted was a source of immense ‘disappointment’.

‘If I knew I probably wouldn’t playing the way I am,’ he said.

‘I don’t feel far away, obviously, but at my best I’m one of the best players in the world and it’s disappointing if you’re not reaching that level.’

Buttler reserved special praise for Root after the batter notched an extraordinary century in vain in England’s unsuccessful chase.

‘He’s obviously been a brilliant player in all formats and his ODI record is outstanding,’ the England skipper added.

‘He played an unbelievable innings tonight, he showed a lot of character and the way to handle the pressure in a run chase.

‘If one of us in the top six could have really stayed with him for longer then I think we would have got home tonight.’

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Former England captain Eoin Morgan has named India as the ‘out-and-out favourites’ to win the ICC Champions Trophy as he ‘can’t really pick any holes in their side’.

Shubman Gill scored a sublime unbeaten century as India got their campaign off to the perfect start with an emphatic six-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

It came after joint-hosts Pakistan were well beaten by New Zealand in the opening match of the 50-over competition, which returned for the first time in almost a decade this week.

England, meanwhile, led by Brendon McCullum, kick off their tournament this weekend with a stern test against Australia, who triumphed at the most recent ODI World Cup in 2023.

But India are the bookmakers’ favourites to come out on top after their 3-0 series whitewash of Jos Buttler and Co and Morgan expects Rohit Sharma’s men to be there or thereabouts come the business end of the event.

‘To do the runners and riders, the side that’s the frontrunner, best positioned across the squads, I would say India… out-and-out favourites,’ Morgan – whose England side finished as runners-up at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy – said.

‘I can’t really pick any holes in their side and I know that’s been the case the last couple of tournaments they’ve gone into.

‘Finally, Ahmedabad, where Australia picked them, and then the T20 win, where they robbed the trophy out of the South African hands.

‘You have to still believe that winning trophies and tasting champagne brings confidence, because once you’ve been there, you can believe that you can do it again.

‘That’s why India are the favourites.’

Morgan feels ‘home conditions’ could prove a major factor for Pakistan, who host this year’s tournament alongside the United Arab Emirates.

‘As far as outsiders are concerned, I would never rule Pakistan out of it. Home conditions will favour them,’ he added.

‘I would say England is an outside chance as well. They’ve been in not in great form for a period of time, and Brendon McCullum has just taken over, and in a short space of time, it’s hard to achieve anything.

‘They have their first match with Australia on Saturday who are a side without a number of stars like Cummins and Marcus Stoinis, who recently retired as well.

‘I’d imagine whoever among those two sides wins will be there.

‘I think England could go on a bit of a ride, but I’m excited.’

Speaking to The ICC Review ahead of the tournament, Ricky Ponting talked up Australia’s chances of getting their hands on the trophy.

But Ponting conceded that India and Pakistan both pose a major threat to Australia’s hopes of securing the title for a third time after their previous wins in 2006 and 2009.

‘It’s hard to go past India and Australia again,’ the legendary ex-Australia captain said.

‘Just think about the quality of players in both countries right now, and you look back in recent history when these big finals and big ICC events have come around and inevitably Australia and India are there somewhere.

‘The other team that is playing some really good cricket at the moment is Pakistan.

‘Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding.’

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Darren Gough believes India are worthy favourites to win the Champions Trophy but says Afghanistan could ‘surprise everyone’ by ‘doing the business’ in favourable conditions.

Formidable India kick-started their Champions Trophy campaign with an emphatic six-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Thursday.

Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami ripped through Bangaldesh’s top order to reduce the Tigers to 35-5 in the powerplay.

Tawhid Hridoy’s heroic century and a half-century from Jaker Ali got Bangladesh up to 228, with Shami finishing with 5-53.

India’s chase was always under control, with opener Shubman Gill hitting an unbeaten century and captain Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper KL Rahul both making 41.

Victory was sealed with six wickets and 21 balls to spare, with India joining New Zealand at the top of Group A ahead of their next group games against the Black Caps and arch-rivals Pakistan.

Gough struggles to ‘look past’ India, who thumped England in a one-sided warm-up series before the tournament, but has backed minnows Afghanistan to ‘surprise everyone’ with a deep run.

Afghanistan are in Group B – which Gough views as the ‘weaker’ one – alongside South Africa and Ashes rivals England and Australia.

‘If I had to pick a winning team, I think I would go for the favourites, India, purely because they’ve got just about everything,’ said new Ladbrokes ambassador and ex-England fast bowler Gough.

‘You know, they’ve got experience in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja… that’s serious experience in your starting eleven.

‘Then they’ve got the stardust players, the likes of Rishabh Pant – who couldn’t get in the starting eleven against England, but what a player he is.

‘Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, who has come into the squad, and Shubman Gill. These are all wonderful players to watch, and they they’ve got the spin of Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy.

‘They’ve got a bit of everything in there; Arshdeep Singh is obviously the left-arm seamer as well, who’ll give them a bit of difference if they wanted to go with that.

‘I just find it hard to look past them, to be honest. If I was to go for a surprise team, with the conditions, I would go with Afghanistan.

‘I think they surprised everyone at the World Cup a couple of years ago, and being in the easier group they might just surprise everyone once again, and do the business.’

Co-hosts Pakistan were thumped by New Zealand in the opening Champions Trophy fixture on Wednesday.

Afghanistan face South Africa on Friday before England take on the old enemy Australia in Lahore on Saturday.

‘This is a hard one to predict, actually, but I’m going to go for an England win,’ added Gough, who took 235 ODI wickets.

‘I know they’ve not been in great form recently, and it doesn’t look a balanced squad on paper.

‘But Australia are without their first-choice seam attack of Hazelwood, Starc and Cummins, and that’s going to be a huge loss for them to have to deal with.

‘They’ve still got strong batting; people like Glenn Maxwell and Marnus Labuschagne in the middle order, and a lot of youngsters in there.

‘I look at England and I’m a little bit worried, really. They’ve lost Jacob Bethell, now, he’s going to be out, and they’ve brought in Tom Banton who has been playing most of his stuff in franchise cricket this winter.

‘Looking on paper, for England, it just lacks a little bit of balance, it really does. But I still fancy them to beat Australia.’

Pakistan won the last Champions Trophy which was held back in 2017, beating India in the final at The Oval.

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India begin their bid to win the ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday but will do so without their No.1 pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

The 31-year-old, , who was the highest wicket-taker in the recent test series with Australia, which India lost 3-1.

Bumrah, however, suffered with back spasms during the final test in Sydney, which also caused him to miss a five-match T20 international series with England.

His absence will be a major blow to India, with Bumrah widely considered one of the best all-format fast bowlers in the sport.

‘Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The men’s selection committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement,’ the BCCI announced in a statement last week.

Rana has played two ODIs, both of which came against England this month, picking up four wickets.

The BCCI added that spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who took 14 wickets in a five-match Twenty20 series against England in January and February, would replace batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India are in Group A in the Champions Trophy and meet Bangladesh in tomorrow, before taking on defending champions and rivals Pakistan and ending their group campaign against New Zealand.

Bumrah is far the only high-profile player to be absent from the tournament with Australia’s Mitchel Starc also missing.

Starc’s withdrawal, for personal reasons, means Australia are without the entire pace attack from last year’s World Cup victory.

Australia were already without captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood, as well as all-rounder Mitchell Marsh through injury.

Experienced all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, meanwhile, announced his retirement from ODI cricket last week.

Chairman of selectors George Bailey said: ‘We understand and respect Mitch’s decision.

‘His well-documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first should be applauded.

‘His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity to someone else to make a mark on the tournament.’

Sean Abbott, who was part of the World Cup-winning squad, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshuis provide the less experienced pace options in a 15-man squad captained by Steve Smith.

England’s white-ball men’s cricket team play Australia this Saturday in Lahore, 
the first of three group matches in the Champions Trophy. Finish in the top two and they will be in the knockout phase and just two wins away from claiming the top prize, the only global limited-over competition they have yet to win.

Sounds straightforward enough except that their form coming into the tournament, held jointly in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, is woeful. Over three 50-over games and five T20s played away against India, they won one and lost seven – a crushing result for new head coach Brendon McCullum especially after former player, Kevin Pietersen, accused him and the team of adopting a ‘best when fresh’ approach to playing by not practicing enough.

The absence of net sessions was overstated but McCullum’s approach has always been laid back. Indeed it wouldn’t surprise if he now turned to an old favourite from the 20th century and had T-shirts for the players emblazoned with the slogan: ‘Form is Temporary but Class is Permanent’ in preparation for this next challenge. You see McCullum might be called a head coach but in reality he is a motivator who leaves any technical tweaks to others.

Nothing wrong with that, players need to be boosted mentally, but if you keep telling every one of them they are world beaters all of the time, the feeling will soon grow that none of them are. People might claim to be born equal but in a cricket team not all are equally talented. Great coaches offer a bespoke service, not a one-size fits all.

There are further problems facing England. The Champions Trophy is 50-overs per side and most in England’s squad no longer play the format for their counties, the One-Day cup being seen as a development competition where the best players are rested.

Jos Buttler’s team are well versed in T20 but 50 overs is not simply T20 x 2.5, which is how England are trying to play it.

In the recent games against India, age-old problems of playing spin arose with unsurprising predictability. Over the years we’ve been told ad nauseam (mostly by those picked) that the Indian Premier League improves players. If it does, there was precious little evidence from within England’s ranks.

Of course it works both ways and maybe India’s players were just better at exploiting the weaknesses of opponents exposed to the IPL.

Injuries to left-handers Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett will rob England of variety in the batting (unless Duckett recovers before the weekend), while there is not a left-arm bowler in the squad. Predictability is rarely rewarded in white ball cricket, especially among bowlers, which is where Gus Atkinson falls down.

England have decided that tall pace bowlers are the best way to take wickets and keep run-rates in check. It didn’t work in India but it might go better in Pakistan where pitches tend to be quicker and less grippy for spinners.

Atkinson, though, will need to show more variety and be cagier about when he uses it. The immaculate line and length that produced his sensational start to Test cricket (52 wickets in 11 Tests) is a liability in the white ball game as batters know where to expect the ball and at what pace. Jimmy Anderson, England’s best-ever Test bowler, suffered the same problem, which is why his one-day international career ended nine years before his Test one did.

The trouble with firmer pitches is it will almost certainly make England’s spinners easier to play, especially Adil Rashid, the one banker among the bowlers. Indeed, Rashid has never played 50-over cricket in Pakistan but he has played seven T20 internationals where he leaked runs at 8.29 an over, almost a run higher than his record overall. He took five wickets in those matches, one every 32.2 balls, which is well down on his career strike-rate of a wicket every 19.8 balls.

Pressure on Rashid means pressure on the other bowlers which in turn 
places pressure on the batters to give them bigger totals to defend whenever the team bats first.

In India, England got off to good starts but faltered once spin came on. Once that happens it puts extra pressure on the early order to push for even better starts knowing that the run-rate will come hurtling down in the middle overs.

Not that England’s batters need to play more shots, just better ones. Just as fast bowlers became obsessed with the speed gun when it first appeared, trying to push it higher at the expense of accuracy and movement, so too the batters with their obsession of having strike-rates over 130.

And therein lies the problem with England’s batting, they want to play the ultimate game and make totals that crush their opponents even if it means dancing on the edge of a volcano.

For some reason they seem incapable of managing their way to a score that is competitive and likely to prove winning providing the bowlers do their jobs and the catches are taken.

I loathe those buzz phrases beloved of sports psychologists and lifestyle gurus but for once I’m going to relent as this one has been attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire – ‘Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.’ Now that would look good on a T-shirt.

MORE: Kevin Pietersen slams England star over comment that ‘should never be said’

MORE: England respond to claims they only trained once during dismal India tour

MORE: Australia selector reacts to Mitchell Starc withdrawing from Champions Trophy

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has named his three favourites to win the Champions Trophy.

After almost a decade away, the ICC Champions Trophy returns for its ninth edition this week.

Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates hosts the eight-team 50-over tournament involving Pakistan, India, New Zealand and Bangladesh in Group A and South Africa, England, Afghanistan and Australia in Group B.

Each team will play three group games and the top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The final takes place on Sunday, 9 March but the venue is yet to be confirmed.

Pakistan won the last Champions Trophy back in 2017, beating arch-rivals India in the final at The Oval in south London.

Six other nations have won the tournament – South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Australia and India. India and Sri Lanka were declared co-champions in 2002 after successive finals were washed out.

Australia won the last 50-over World Cup at the end of 2023, beating India in a one-sided final, and Ponting believes there could be a rematch in the Champions Trophy final.

‘It’s hard to go past India and Australia again,’ Ponting told The ICC Review.

‘Just think about the quality of players in both countries right now, and you look back in recent history when these big finals and big ICC events have come around and inevitably Australia and India are there somewhere.

‘The other team that is playing some really good cricket at the moment is Pakistan. Their one-day cricket over the last little bit has been absolutely outstanding.

‘We know they’re not always the most predictable team in those big tournaments, but they seem like they’ve sorted things out a little bit.’

Australia’s preparations for the Champions Trophy have been hampered by a series of injury blows that has ruled Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out of the tournament.

India’s prep has gone much more smoothly, with Rohit Sharma’s side thumping England 3-0 in a one-sided ODI series ahead of the Champions Trophy.

It was that display from India’s gun white-ball cricketers that convinced Shikhar Dhawan that the trophy was heading back to India.

‘I can’t look past India. I am quite confident,’ the former opening batter told the ICC.

‘They have a solid team and played very well against England in their recent ODI series.

‘The obvious concern is that they will miss Jasprit Bumrah. There is no doubt he will be a big absence and I think they will feel it very strongly.

‘For me, he is the best bowler in the world, and his accuracy is hard to replicate. He is also a very calm character and that is crucial in a huge ICC event like this.

‘But there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic for India. They have a very balanced side, especially with the bat, with a nice blend of experience and youth.’

The 2025 Champions Trophy begins on Wednesday with co-hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi.

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Jos Buttler has responded to claims his England team trained just once during their dismal and unsuccessful tour of India.

England were smashed by India in Brendon McCullum’s first tour as white-ball coach, losing 4-1 in the T20 series and 3-0 in the ODI series.

The tourists are preparing for the Champions Trophy, which starts next week, but were accused of failing to meet standards during the India tour.

As England were slipping to a third successive defeat in the one-day international series, former India head coach Ravi Shastri claimed he had ‘heard’ McCullum’s side had taken part in just one net session during the entire tour.

‘From what I’ve heard, England have had just one net session this entire trip, if not any,’ he said on TNT Sports commentary. ‘If you’re not prepared to do the hard yards, you’re not going to improve.’

Buttler, however, denied those claims and said the team had trained plenty as they balanced what proved to be a jam-packed tour with an unrelenting travel schedule.

‘We obviously try to create a really good environment but don’t mistake that for a lazy environment or a lack of effort,’ Buttler said. ‘The guys are desperate to perform, do well and improve.

‘I think we’ve had a reasonably long tour, a few long travel days, there have been a couple of times we’ve not trained but we’ve certainly done plenty of training throughout the tour.’

England are believed to be frustrated at how their training arrangements have been described by Shastri and former England star Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen appeared to corroborate Shastri’s damning claim, saying Joe root was the only player to have a net in the second-half of the tour and claiming Tom Banton spent the day before the third ODI playing golf.

‘They had one practice session, the day before the Nagpur game. They’ve had no practice since,’ he said.

‘The only batter who had a net was Joe Root. Sorry, but you cannot come to the sub-continent, keep on making the same mistake and then not practice.

‘There is not a single sportsperson who goes into a series and decides, “I am going to get better without practice.” I am sorry.

‘I was flabbergasted when I learnt England hasn’t practiced since the first game. I get it. Enjoy yourselves. These are the best time of your life. Play golf. Go out, eat in a beautiful restaurant.

‘But you get paid to score runs. That is why you get paid. You get paid to win games of cricket. You don’t get paid to play golf. This is not a golf tour, this is a cricket tour.

‘You practice so that you leave on a flight tomorrow knowing you have given everything to win a game of cricket for England.

‘I am gutted they have disrespected Indian conditions and India so much. I am absolutely gutted as an Englishman.’

Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior said it was important for touring sides to find ‘balance’ but insisted he was surprised at the reported lack of practice sessions.

‘It is easy to say they should be in the nets every minute of the day,’ he said. ‘And I am sure people will be frustrated by watching England lose.

‘It has been a long tour. There has been a lot of time away and the travel is an element. You can’t take all elements of fun away.

‘You try to find balance. My view is a young team, trying to build, you should be in the nets and trying to improve. You have got to run talent into reality. You have to give yourself the best chance to perform.

‘A lot of the younger guys, you would expect them to make the choice to get the extra nets in and work with McCullum who scored runs in the sub-continent.

‘Sometimes you have to make that choice. It is those hard yards that earn you the right to have your day out.’

Ex-England bowler Steven Finn added: ‘You play, travel, play. It fatigues you. It is an eight-week long trip towards the end of the Champions Trophy.

‘On the face of it you think they should be in the nets but you can also compound bad habits in the nets before going to Pakistan, where spin averages more than seam. It is not as prevalent as India.

‘Am I infuriated they didn’t practice in this Champions Trophy? I don’t think I am.

‘On the 2013-14 Ashes tour, I spent the entire tour making bowling complicated in my head by practicing.

‘The more I practiced the worse I got. It took 18 months to untangle the rubbish I put inside my head by complicating the game.’

England, who have lost 16 of their 23 ODI games since the 2023 World Cup, begin the Champions Trophy against Ashes rivals Australia on February 22.

Buttler’s side will also face Afghanistan and South Africa as they bid to progress from Group B and qualify for the knockout stages. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and New Zealand make up Group A.

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Kevin Pietersen has slammed England opener Ben Duckett over a ‘really poor’ comment he made before the final one-day international against India.

England have made a poor start to Brendon McCullum’s reign as white-ball coach, losing six of their seven matches against India.

India won the T20 series 4-1 and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series ahead of the third and final match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the third ODI, Duckett insisted he ‘did not care’ if England lost the series 3-0 – providing they triumph in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

‘We have come here for one thing and that is to win the Champions Trophy,’ Duckett explained. ‘We still believe we can do that. It’ll be completely different conditions, all different teams we are playing against.

‘If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy. If we do that, we probably won’t look back on this if we do the business in that competition.’

Pietersen was ‘disappointed’ by Duckett’s comments, however, and believes they ‘never should have been said’.

‘Goodness me, it’s pretty poor that Duckett would say that he doesn’t care if England lose today and lose 3-0 to India,’ he posted on X.

‘Context is important when reading quotes, but those words should NOT have been said! NEVER!’

Speaking on Star Sports ahead of the third one-day international, Pietersen added: ‘Those words should be frowned upon.

‘I sort of understand his reasoning saying that losing to India would mean absolutely nothing if they win the Champions Trophy.

‘And I hope that England can turn on that tap and flick that switch that enables all their batters to get hundreds and their bowlers to get wickets, because it’s quite statement of what that dressing room thinks.

‘But if they think that just here in India they can just turn up it doesn’t matter… The results do matter.

‘You’re playing for your country. You’ve got many cricketers in England who would love to be in your position and would love to come to India, would love to play in front of these crowds.

‘It’s stuff that I as an ex-player, wish that I still had. I wish I could still play in front of these crowds. So when you hear statements like that, it just really is disappointing.

‘From England’s perspective, my goodness, I just hope there is that switch or that tap of runs that they can just turn on because they don’t seem to care.’

India won the first two ODIs by four wickets, chasing England’s targets of 248 and 304 with ease.

McCullum’s side begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 22 against Ashes rivals Australia, before further group games against Afghanistan and South Africa.

Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan make up the other group, with the top-two from each progressing to the knockout stages.

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Australia selector George Bailey insists he ‘understands and respects’ Mitchell Starc’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming Champions Trophy.

The 35-year-old left-arm seamer will not be sharing his reason for pulling out of the tournament and has asked for privacy.

Australia will attempt to win their third Champions Trophy when the tournament starts on February 19 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

But Australia will be without Starc – one of their best ever white-ball bowlers – and the injured Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh.

Starc, who has 244 wickets in 127 one-day internationals, played all seven of Australia’s recent Test matches against India and Sri Lanka.

‘We understand and respect Mitch’s decision,’ chair selector George Bailey said.

‘Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia.

‘His well-documented ability to play through pain and adversity, as well as forgoing opportunities in other parts of his career to put his country first should be applauded.

‘His loss is of course a blow for the Champions Trophy campaign but does provide an opportunity for someone else to make a mark on the tournament.’

Steve Smith will captain Australia during the Champions Trophy in the absence of injured skipper Cummins.

Australia are in Group B along with Afghanistan, England and South Africa. They begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 22 against Ashes rivals England.

Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and co-hosts Pakistan make up Group A.

Starc helped Australia come from behind to beat India at home and regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, before the Baggy Greens smashed Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series.

In another blow to Australia’s Champions Trophy preparations, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis retired from ODI cricket on the eve of the tournament.

‘The squad has changed significantly over the past month on the back of some untimely injuries and the retirement of Marcus Stoinis,’ ex-Australia batter Bailey added.

‘The upside of that is that we have been able to call on players who have had international exposure and success over the past 12 months.

”A strong core of some our most experienced players will provide a strong foundation in our attempt to win this edition of the Champions Trophy.

‘We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face.’

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Jos Buttler hailed Adil Rashid as the ‘most important player’ in England’s white-ball team after he starred in the 26-run T20 victory over India in Rajkot.

Having won the first two T20 matches, India would have taken an unassailable lead in the five-match series had they won the third game but the hosts fell 26 runs short of England’s 171-9.

Ben Duckett smashed a 28-ball 51 and Liam Livingstone hit 43 from 24 balls to give England a superb platform after being put into bat by India.

The tourists then lost six wickets for 39 runs in the space of 27 balls to fall to 147-9 at the start of the 17th over.

Rashid and Mark Wood not only survived the remaining 17 balls but managed to get England up beyond 170 despite India spinner Varun Chakravarthy claiming sensational figures of 5-24.

India lost regular wickets during the chase and were always up against it, eventually finishing on 145-9, 27 runs short of a series-clinching victory.

Rashid only took one wicket but his invaluable spell of 1-15 from four overs saw India fall further and further behind the required run-rate and Buttler described the England veteran as his ‘trump card’ after the win.

‘He’s been brilliant,’ England captain Buttler said of the two-time World Cup winner, who also impressed in the second T20 in Chennai, taking 1-14.

‘I always say he’s the most important player for us and he always just seems to keep getting better.

‘He’s got so many different styles of bowling, he’s got so much variety and one of his great skills is in his first couple of balls, he seems to work out exactly how he needs to bowl on that wicket.

‘He’s an absolute trump card to have as a captain. He’s been brilliant the last couple of games.’

Speaking more generally about England’s impressive win, Buttler added: ‘It was a great win and a great performance.

‘So many good performances from across the group so I’m delighted. I just love the way the guys played.

‘We’re absolutely moving in the right direction. We’re really happy with the style we’re trying to play and continuing to be aggressive and taking our shots on with the bat.

‘Our bowlers adapted really well, obviously they can bowl very fast but I thought they showed off their skills as well. They used pace-off deliveries and executed different deliveries very well.’

India captain Suryakumar Yadav also heaped praise on Rashid after the match, calling him a ‘world-class bowler’.

‘With Hardik and Axar in we still had the game in our hands,’ he said.

‘But credit goes to Adil [Rashid], he bowled really well. We wanted to rotate the strike. That is why he is a world class bowler.

‘You always learn something from a T20 game. We let them get too much at the end.’

Rashid, who is closing in on 400 wickets in international cricket, has been one of the most consistent white-ball bowlers in the world over the past decade.

England will look to level the series against India and set-up a decider when the two teams meet for the fourth T20 on Friday.

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Alex Hartley has called out Sophie Ecclestone and members of the England women’s team for ‘refusing’ her TV interviews and giving her the ‘cold shoulder’ after Australia successfully retained the Ashes.

Australia remain on course to whitewash England after storming to a comprehensive 57-run victory in the opening T20 in Sydney, which sealed them the series at the earliest possible opportunity.

The result ensured the hosts took an 8-0 lead in this winter’s multi-format series Down Under, with England only able to draw if they triumph in all of their remaining matches.

Australia have been in control of the urn for the last decade and will no doubt be looking to inflict further misery on the touring side when the series resumes with the second T20 at Canberra’s Manuka Oval on Thursday.

‘They have been [miles away from Australia],’ former England spin bowler Hartley said of the tourists’ first T20 loss to Australia on the BBC TMS podcast.

‘Australia, in the first two ODIs, didn’t play their best and England couldn’t capitalise on that having bowled Australia out for 180 in that second ODI.

‘England weren’t able to chase it down and since then Australia were able to come back and they’ve come back with a bang.

‘It’s very, very rare that this Australia side give you a sniff. When they do, you’ve got to capitalise on that and England haven’t been able to.

‘We look at this England side and we look at them dominate world cricket when they’re playing bilateral series. But when it comes to the Ashes and World Cup, they just haven’t been able to dominate.

‘Australia are the team that have dominated over the last ten or 15 years and you look at these two sides now and Australia are just better.’

Hartley has not been afraid to voice her opinions in recent years and took aim at England’s fitness levels in the wake of the side’s elimination from the Women’s T20 World Cup last October.

‘I’m not going to name names, but if you look at them, you know. You know who’s blowing a gasket and who isn’t,’ she said at the time.

‘About 80 per cent of the England team are fit and athletic enough, but there are girls in that side who are letting the team down when it comes to fitness.

‘It’s really disappointing, isn’t it? West Indies played a totally different game to England. There are going to be a lot of questions asked and some of them, rightly so, on fitness. England need to get fitter.’

Hartley has not been alone in calling out England’s apparent lack of fitness and athleticism, with Lauren Winfield-Hill making similar comments in the wake of last year’s World Cup.

However, after Monday’s one-sided T20, Hartley claimed that she had been ‘hung out to dry’ by the England team as a result of her remarks.

‘Sophie Ecclestone refused to do a TV interview with me today,’ Hartley – a key member of England’s World-Cup-winning side of 2017 – explained.

‘I’ve been hung out to dry by the England team, none of them will talk to me on the boundary edge.

‘The reason I said that they were not as fit as Australia is because I want them to compete with Australia, I want them to be better than Australia and I want them to win Ashes series and World Cups.

‘I’m giving my opinion and I’ve been given the cold shoulder by the England team ever since.’

Asked whether the players’ reaction had surprised her, Hartley replied: ‘Yeah, it really, really surprises me.

‘And not all of them have given me the cold shoulder. I don’t want to say that they’ve all been the same because they haven’t.

‘Some of the players have been absolutely outstanding. I’ve spoken to them in the street, at the ground, whatever, but a few individuals, coaches, players, they literally haven’t looked at me.

‘And as I say, Ecclestone refused to do an interview with me today.’

Hartley believes the way she has been treated by certain members of the England camp has been ‘totally unfair’.

‘I’ve upset them, clearly,’ she added.

‘I guess so [they think her comments were unfair] because Jon Lewis has come out and said there isn’t a problem with fitness in his squad, there isn’t a problem with fitness in the England environment.

‘They’ve obviously think I’m completely wrong in my opinion which is fine. I’m entitled to my opinions and they’re entitled to their opinions.

‘It’s my job to say if I see something that needs to be better and I did, but the way that I’ve been treated since, I think, is totally unfair.

‘But they will say that my comments were unfair so if that’s the way our relationship is going to be moving forward, then so be it.’

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Australia want to inflict more misery on England and seal a stunning series whitewash after retaining the Women’s Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity.

The hosts’ 57-run victory in the first T20 at the Sydney Cricket Ground saw Australia take an unassailable 8-0 lead in the multi-format series.

Four successive defeats means even if England win the remaining two T20s and one-off Test match they can only draw the series 8-8.

Australia have held the urn in women’s cricket since 2015 and have no intention of taking their foot off the gas with a chance to whitewash the old enemy.

‘The girls are pretty pumped, but the job’s not done, we want to win it outright,’ spinner Georgia Wareham said after taking three wickets in the T20 win.

Asked if Australia were targeting a series whitewash, she added: ‘That would be great! We always strive to keep on winning games.’

Opener Beth Mooney inspired Australia’s latest victory over England, hitting 75 from 51 balls as the hosts piled on 198-7.

Sophia Dunkley smashed 59 from 30 in England’s reply but the tourists collapsed from 96-3 at the halfway stage to be bowled out for 141 in the 16th over.

England captain Heather Knight said: ‘I thought it was an outstanding innings by Beth Mooney. She makes it really hard for the bowlers to execute.

‘We gave them 20-30 too many runs, if we’d conceded less we’d have been in with a real chance.

‘We felt like we were in it, Sophia Dunkley’s innings was really smart. She was outstanding, played with freedom. But in the end it was a frustrating today.’

Knight has been at the helm since 2016 but England’s poor performances Down Under has prompted scrutiny over her position as captain.

But Dunkley insists England are ‘100 per cent’ behind Knight and hopes the tourists can save some face before leaving Australia.

‘Look, I think we just back Heather 100 per cent to lead us out there,’ the 26-year-old said.

‘She’s done the job amazingly for the last… I don’t know how long it is but it’s been for a long time.

‘She’s a massive part of our changing room, a massive leader and I back her 100 per cent to help turn this team around.

‘All we can do is stick together now and fight as hard as we can for the last three games and absolutely back her 100 per cent as our captain.

‘I’m sure she can bring the best out of us in the last couple of games, for sure.’

Speaking to TNT Sports shortly after England’s latest defeat, Dunkley added: ‘I think we’re just really disappointed, we wanted to bring a lot of energy and we fell quite short.

‘I wanted to go out there and give it my best shot and put the pressure on Australia. We can still draw the Ashes, it’s not completely gone, so we’ll focus on that.

‘We’ve got to keep bringing that positive energy, there were moments when we played really well and we’ve just got to keep them going for longer.’

The second of three T20s takes place in Canberra on Thursday. The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts the one-off Women’s Ashes Test from January 30 to February 2.

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India have been urged to drop superstar batter Virat Kohli for their upcoming tour of England following his struggles in Australia.

Kohli, one of the best players of his generation, has suffered a significant dip in form in recent years and continued to struggle during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The 36-year-old scored his 30th Test century in the series opener in Perth as India thrashed Australia to take an early lead, but contributed just 85 runs in his next seven innings.

Kohli looked vulnerable outside the off stump, repeatedly nicking off as Australia mounted an impressive comeback to win the series 3-1 and book their place in this summer’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s.

India will also be in England in 2025 as they face Ben Stokes’ side in a five-match Test series, but it remains to be seen whether Kohli is part of the touring party.

Kohli averaged less than 25 across 10 Tests in 2024 and has only scored three hundreds since the start of 2020.

Discussing Kohli’s drop-off, ex-England cricketer and coach David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd told talkSPORT: ‘Virat Kohli is 36. I was 36 when I retired but there’s a bit of difference between the ability of Virat Kohli and me.

‘He will know he is past his best and that will hurt. I knew, I wanted to finish earlier but was persuaded to keep playing county cricket.

‘He knows what he should be doing up there [in his mind] but you’re reflexes just gently go. Most players hang on and perhaps go on too long.

‘Has he got enough credit in the bank? He’s been world-class, one of the best we’ve seen, but he’s past his best.

‘The question is have India got better players and do they want to build for the future now? It’s been a prolonged spell now for Kohli.

‘If you keep nicking off, it’s a tell-tale sign for anybody that your reflexes, your reactions, are gone.’

Asked whether he would take Kohli on India’s tour of England, the former Sky Sports pundit responded: ‘No.’ 

Australian journalist and broadcaster Jarrod Kimber also believes India should omit Kohli from their Test squad going forward.

‘I wouldn’t pick him, no,’ he said. ‘He’s been on the decline for a while overall even though he’s been able to produce some good innings.

‘I don’t think he can play against England. I thought it was very fair to take him to Australia but other than that hundred in Perth, he didn’t really make another run.

‘I thought he had to make a significant amount of runs in Australia to get on the England tour and he didn’t do that.

‘He’s had one good year in his last four or five years now, it’s a long period of time now. With most players, when that decline starts, it doesn’t come back.’

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was India’s second successive series defeat following a shock 3-0 loss at home to New Zealand.

England were beaten 4-1 by India in the last series between the two sides but largely impressed in 2024, winning eight of their 12 Tests.

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England and Hampshire cricketer James Vince has ‘taken the decision’ to move to Dubai following ‘several attacks on his family home’.

Vince’s property near Southampton was damaged by criminals twice last year, first in the early hours of April 15 and then on May 11.

Vince and his family were believed to be inside the property when two cars on the driveway were damaged and the front windows of the house were smashed.

The 33-year-old has been one of the best players in county cricket for well over a decade, scoring 46 centuries across all formats.

Vince has played 55 games for England – including 13 Test matches – and was part of the squad that won the World Cup in 2019.

Hampshire announced in a statement on Wednesday that Vince would ‘take a break’ from red-ball cricket in 2025 and only play T20s for the county as well as The Hundred.

Vince has stepped down from his role as club captain, having guided Hampshire to three T20 Blast titles during ten consecutive years at the helm.

Hants also revealed Vince’s intention to move to Dubai, saying in a statement: ”In 2024, James endured a challenging year on a personal level, following several attacks on his family home.

‘As a result, the family have taken the decision to move to Dubai.’

Explaining his decision, Vince said: ‘I love Hampshire, it’s been my club and home for 16 years.

‘I want to be able to maintain my best to keep delivering for Hampshire in T20 cricket, and hopefully even further our success in the competition.

‘I also need to understand what is best for my family, and combine that with the stage of my career I am at.

‘I am so grateful to everyone at Utilita Bowl for supporting me last year through a really tough time, and for allowing me to make this next step.’

Vince’s new deal with Hampshire will allow him to play in the Pakistan Super League, which runs from early April to mid-May, a key period at the start of the County Championship season.

The batter had already opted not to feature for Hampshire during the Global Super League over the winter after being signed by Abu Dhabi T10 side Delhi Bulls.

Director of Men’s Cricket at Hampshire, Giles White, said: ‘James has been at the heart of the club for the best part of 20-years, showing absolute commitment on and off the field as the team’s leading batter and captain.

‘We recognise that this announcement will be tinged with disappointment for many fans but hope everyone will join us in celebrating what he has given to our club over many years and supporting him as he fulfils his commitment to continue leading the Hawks in the 2025 Vitality Blast.’

Vince is regarded as one of the most talented English batters of his generation and admired by fans for his elegant technique and fluent style of play.

Since his professional debut in 2009, Vince has scored nearly 12,500 first-class runs for Hampshire at an average of 41.

He played in England’s run to the World Cup final in 2019 after Jason Roy suffered an injury but missed out in the latter stages as Roy returned to the team.

Vince, a regular in white-ball franchise tournaments around the world, scored his first international century against Pakistan in 2021 and last featured for England in March 2023.

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Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has hailed India star Jasprit Bumrah as the ‘best fast bowler of all time’ across all three formats.

Bumrah underlined his status as the best bowler in the world during India’s recent defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While India went down 3-1 – losing their second series on the bounce following a shock defeat at home to New Zealand and failing to qualify for the World Test Championship final – Bumrah was immense, taking 32 wickets at an average of 13.

Given Bumrah is also the best white-ball bowler in the world – he averages 23 in 50-over cricket and goes at less than seven-runs-an-over in T20s – Clarke believes he may well be the best all-format bowler of all time.

‘The thing I’ve thought about Bumrah, after the series finished and I was sitting and thinking about his performances, I actually think he’s the best fast bowler ever across all three formats,’ Clarke told ESPNcricinfo.

‘I know a lot of great fast bowlers, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, didn’t get to play T20 cricket, so I’m not talking about those guys, but in regards to anyone who has played all three formats, I think he might be the best ever.

‘He’s actually that good in any conditions, that’s what makes him great; any conditions, any format, this guy’s a freak.’

Another former Australia cricketer, Brad Haddin, also heaped praise on Bumrah following his scintillating performances during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

‘By the time he finishes his career, we will be talking about him in the same breath as Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram,’ the ex-wicketkeeper said on the Willow Talk podcast.

‘He was that influential over the series. I wouldn’t put him on top of that league. He’s got a long way to go. He’s got 200 Test wickets.

‘But if he continues the same way he is going, his name will be in that conversation.’

India beat Australia in a one-sided opening Test but were outplayed for much of the rest of the series as the hosts booked their place in this summer’s World Test Championship final, where they will face South Africa at Lord’s.

Following the series defeat, Bumrah said: ‘There are lots of ifs and buts. The whole series was well fought and today as well we were in the game, so it was not like it was totally one-sided.

‘This is how Test cricket goes in those moments when whatever team holds their nerve for the longest time, sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series.

‘It was a great series, congratulations to Australia, they fought really well for a well-deserved win.’

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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticised Virat Kohli’s conduct during the series defeat to Australia.

Australia came from 1-0 down to win the fiery five-match series 3-1, successfully regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade and qualifying for this summer’s World Test Championship final.

It looked like India might clinch yet another series win Down Under when they beat a shell-shocked Australia by 295 runs in the opening Test.

But the hosts responded superbly, levelling the series with an emphatic victory of their own in the second Test before heavy rain prevented them from pushing for another win in Brisbane.

Australia dominated a record-breaking Boxing Day Test and won again in the series finale in Sydney to clinch the series 3-1.

Ex-India captain Kohli made his 30th century in the opening Test but failed to surpass 36 thereafter, going for single-digit scores five times in his nine innings during the series.

The 36-year-old, considered one of the best players of his generation, was involved in some controversial moments, most notably when he barged into Australia opener Sam Konstas at the MCG.

Kohli also made headlines on the final day of the series as he cheekily made reference to the sandpaper scandal that rocked Australian cricket back in 2018.

Gavaskar was disappointed by Kohli’s conduct and says he inadvertently ‘put more pressure on his teammates’ by riling up the local fans.

‘What Kohli did with the shoulder bump is simply not cricket,’ Gavaskar wrote in a column for The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘Indians are not shy to retaliate if provoked, but here the provocation was simply not there.

‘The one thing that players learn with experience is that it’s futile to try and get back at the crowds, who have come to have a good time, so booing players is never personal but just a way to entertain themselves.

‘To react to that doesn’t do the player any good, and in fact does more harm.’

Referencing Kohli’s sandpaper gesture at the Sydney Cricket Ground, India legend Gavaskar added: ‘Kohli must understand that whatever he does to react to the crowd actually puts more pressure on his teammates, who also then become targets of the spectators.

‘With his continued failures to avoid nibbling at the deliveries around the off-stump, he failed to make the contribution that could have boosted the total.’

Australia captain Pat Cummins said he was ‘immensely proud’ after the Baggy Greens came from behind to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and book their place in June’s World Test Championship final, where they will face South Africa at Lord’s.

‘It has been an amazing series, it has been in the calendar for a while, one you’ve had your eye on it for a year or two,’ the fast bowler said.

‘I am immensely proud, we have spent a lot of time together as a group over the years. We knew we were not at our best at Perth, but it is never as bad as it seems.

‘We doubled down on what makes us a good side, and had a lot of fun along the way as well.

‘We talk about needing a squad, especially in these five-match series, you rarely play the same 11. Three debutants came in and contributed at different times, it feels like we are building something nice.

‘There were some key moments from some of our mainstays who really stood up, and you need that to beat a side like India and in those key moments those guys put their hands up.’

Losing skipper Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, who was named the Player of the Series after taking 32 wickets in five Tests, said: ‘There are lots of ifs and buts.

‘The whole series was well fought and today as well we were in the game, so it was not like it was totally one-sided.

‘This is how Test cricket goes in those moments when whatever team holds their nerve for the longest time, sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series.

‘It was a great series, congratulations to Australia, they fought really well for a well-deserved win.’

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