Gloucestershire in Pictures: Caving, air shows and the Cotswolds
Deeper and down: The network of caverns and tunnels found under Gloucestershire has been described as one of the largest systems found in the UK in a decade.
Come fly with us: The Royal International Air Tattoo came to an end last weekend, with the Red Arrows, among others, entertaining tens of thousands of visitors to Fairford.
Beautiful: One of our weather watchers, 'Scrambled Legs', caught this view in Lower Slaughter this week, with the sun reflecting off the Cotswold stone.
Magnificent: There can be fewer better spots to catch the cricket than at the College Ground in Cheltenham, where Gloucestershire have been playing Lancashire this week.
Stunning: This eye-catching view was captured from a high up spot in Churchdown.
Bright blooms: Despite a grey morning in Lechlade, the colourful flowers in this part of the county shone through.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Pope's form, Stokes' fitness and pace options – the questions facing England
With England's dramatic Test series against India over after five gripping games and a 2-2 scoreline, minds are already starting to turn to the Ashes. There are just over three months until England arrive in Perth and the planning can now begin in earnest. Here, the PA news agency looks at five key questions England need to answer. Will Ben Stokes be fully fit? England are a completely different team when their inspirational captain is firing on all cylinders. He was in brilliant form this summer, rolling back the years with ball in hand, but missed the Kia Oval decider with a shoulder problem. A six-to-10-week lay-off will follow but any further setbacks would raise serious alarms. Having been struck down by knee, hip, hamstring and shoulder injuries in the past two years, is it too optimistic to expect him to be in peak condition throughout a gruelling tour? What is the pace bowling pecking order? England have talked up the importance of building deep reserves of fast bowlers but when the first Test kicks off in Perth they must be clear on their best combination. Jofra Archer looks certain to be in it after his long-awaited comeback, Mark Wood hopes to be back after missing the entire Test season, while Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes and Sam Cook all played this summer. Woakes looks like missing out with a dislocated shoulder, but how do the others stack up? How do they get the best out of Ollie Pope? A big hundred against Zimbabwe and another century in his first knock against India removed some of the questions that had been circling about Pope's spot at number three. But he finished the series averaging 34 and was 10th on the run-scoring charts. Jacob Bethell's disappointing effort in the fifth Test against India has weakened his case as a replacement but England need more from a senior player in a key position. Could taking the vice-captaincy off him and promoting white-ball skipper Harry Brook be part of the answer? Is the spin situation settled? A lot of faith has been placed in Shoaib Bashir, with England backing their hunch that he can do well in Australia. It has been a mixed bag so far, with 68 wickets in 19 Tests but a stubbornly high average of 39. His broken finger opened the door for them to have an overdue second look at Liam Dawson, but the county scene's standard-bearer was dropped after taking one for 140 at Old Trafford. Will he travel as competition for Bashir, could there be a return to Jack Leach or might England look at using all-pace attacks for some Ashes contests? How will they prepare for the war of words? Australian players, fans and media cheerleaders have been paying close attention to the India series and it is has not been hard to realise the long-range sledging has already started. From David Warner's recent jibe at Joe Root to the social media barrage about the merits, or otherwise, of 'Bazball', the heat is already rising. Expect that to continue all the way until Glenn McGrath shockingly predicts a 5-0 win for Australia. England have refused to entertain much Ashes talk in recent months but the temptation will rise as the weeks tick by. Will they fire some broadsides of their own or keep things on the field?
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
England players paid almost double Test match fee for Hundred matches
England's exhausted cricketers will forgo a significant break after one of the highest-octane Test series in recent memory to play in the Hundred this week, with match fees of £25,000 available. The pay in the Hundred compares very favourably with a Test match fee, which sits at around £15,000 per game. That sits on top of a central contract, which can range from £200,000 just under a million a year depending on a player's status, although there are a limited number of those handed out each year. For the Hundred's fifth season, which the England and Wales Cricket Board are calling a 'transitional' year as new team owners get their feet under the table but do not yet have full control, top players' salaries have risen sharply. In the men's competition, the top pay bracket has risen from £125,000 to £200,000 for the tournament. It is paid on a pro-rata basis, with eight games in the group stages. It is understood that this handsome pay, along with tightened agreements with greater expectations from the teams, has meant that England players have decided to dive straight into the tournament. In the past, England players have typically taken a break before playing the Hundred. Jamie Overton is expected to be the first player back in action after the stunning series against India, alongside Liam Dawson, for London Spirit on Tuesday evening at Lord's, which is just a day after the Test match finished. Both men played just one Test in the series. Harry Brook and Zak Crawley are expected to play for Northern Superchargers in Leeds on Thursday while Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell and Joe Root are in line to play in Birmingham on Friday night. Jamie Smith, who looked the most tired of all England's players having kept for more than 1,000 overs in his first five-match series, will miss one London Spirit match and return to action on Saturday. Ollie Pope will miss two games and plans to return on Monday. England are yet to confirm when their bowlers will return to action. Chris Woakes is out of the tournament injured, while Brydon Carse may not be seen for a couple of weeks. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue are expected to play promptly. Not all England players are in the top pay bracket, but Brook, Root, Smith, Overton, Archer and Duckett are. Crawley and Bethell are one rung below, which still means considerable pro rata match fees. Pope is two rungs below, with a tournament fee of £52,000, and said he needed to 'decompress a little bit, just get away from cricket for a few days' following the Oval defeat. Marcus Trescothick, the England assistant coach, is also an assistant with Southern Brave this summer and will go straight into camp with them this week. Bizarrely, injured England captain Ben Stokes also revealed that he would be involved in the Hundred in a coaching capacity. He opted out of playing in the tournament earlier this year, but said on Monday that he would still be with Brook and Andrew Flintoff's Northern Superchargers in a non-playing capacity. 'I said I would come and give my time to the team while cracking on with my rehab,' he said. Last year, Stokes tore his hamstring playing in the tournament, ruling him out of England's next four Test matches, but that does not seem to have impacted the decision-making process this summer. Brendon McCullum, the head coach, said: 'Most of the guys are involved in the Hundred now. They will change pace and get the pyjamas on. They will be looking forward to getting out of the heat of the battle of what's been an unbelievable six weeks or so for English cricket but also these guys' careers. 'Everyone is tired. Five Tests is tough. Especially the last two as back-to-back Tests. It has been tough, but they wouldn't change it for the world.' This raises the question of when England's all-format players, such as Brook, Smith and Duckett, will get a break, because soon after the Hundred ends, they play white-ball cricket against South Africa. After that comes a short tour of Ireland, which some – including Brook – are expected to be rested from. Trescothick is expected to lead the party, with McCullum heading home to New Zealand for a break before the winter campaign begins in his homeland in October.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
The Ashes rights snapped up by major broadcaster but it could be a terrible omen for England
ENGLAND will once again not be shown on Sky Sports during The Ashes in Australia. A rival broadcaster has stepped in to cover the event, after already agreeing terms for the ODI tours of New Zealand and Sri Lanka which come beforehand and afterwards. 1 TNT Sports have agreed a one-year deal with Cricket Australia to show the full Ashes series. And that could be a bad omen for Ben Stokes' side. TNT Sports - under its previous name BT Sport - showed live coverage of the last two tours to Australia, with England losing both Ashes series 4-0. The broadcaster also showed England's 4-1 series defeat in India last winter. But its coverage was less than popular as they hosted the first Test without even having a studio, as presenter Matt Floyd was forced to simply talk over the highlights during the Lunch and Tea breaks. The channel then rushed to put a studio together in the Netherlands, from which Alastair Cook and Steven Finn provided analysis. TNT will be sending a team to Australia to cover The Ashes live from the event. However, the channel will use live coverage from the local broadcaster. Sky Sports has been scaling back its coverage of cricket's winter tours in recent years. In addition, a number of Sky Sports News presenters were let go over the summer as the channel moves to focus on its Premier League football coverage. TNT snapping up the Ashes means Sky Sports will not be showing the England men's team between this September and June next year, when the three-Test series with New Zealand gets underway.
