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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Ben Stokes' handshake antics show why other teams hate England
England's sullen and ungracious conduct at the end of an Old Trafford Test match they dominated served up easy half volleys for their critics, quick to leap on perceived double standards. But it also gave England a glimpse of what awaits in Australia. The headlines overnight said it all: Spare us the whinging England, Moral hypocrites England decide tons are anti-cricket and Spirit of what? How pompous England exposed Bazball's great double standard. Meanwhile, Australia has some thoughts... #ENGvIND #AUSvENG — Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) July 28, 2025 A familiar storm is gathering and England gave it plenty of energy. A barrage of this stuff awaits in November, more so than any Ashes tour since 2013-14 when Alastair Cook's team were the first to follow the 2010-11 winners. Then Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad were public enemies No 1 and No 2. This time it will be Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. The Australians respect Stokes but fear what he can do. McCullum they see as someone who always failed on their turf when it mattered. There is nothing England can do to prevent the inevitable attacks, but they can at least make them harder to justify. What England did on Sunday night was lame but the theory that Indian teams play for personal milestones is one shared by Australia. In fact, England's reaction was very Australian. Matthew Hayden once picked up on the 'milestone culture' in Indian cricket. 'We don't really play for stats. We play for wins. That's the Aussie way,' said Steve Waugh, but it could just as easily have been Stokes. England's mistake was making it look petty rather than pointed. 'I thought England behaved badly' @NHoultCricket gives his thoughts on England's behaviour during their draw with India in the fourth test Watch the Telegraph Cricket Podcast ⬇️ — Telegraph Cricket (@TeleCricket) July 28, 2025 Managing individuals is part of a captain's job. Shubman Gill recognised the importance of a maiden Test hundred for Washington Sundar and the great spade work Ravi Jadeja put in for his team throughout the series. He also revelled in sticking up two fingers at England after how they finished the Lord's Test. But England are not a pompous bunch, they are generally great ambassadors for the sport. It is only this summer we have really heard them say anything on the field. They showed a mean side at Lord's after deciding they had been too nice for too long and it served them well. In Manchester, they learnt they need to be better at picking their moments. It is one thing to try to unsettle opponents by playing hard, another to be boorish and look like sore losers. Would Stokes have hauled Jacob Bethell off had he been close to a maiden century or Joe Root in sight of his first in Australia? Currently, the verbals do not quite align with this team. It appears somewhat performative rather than natural. 'I had plenty to say when I played – and copped plenty back,'' said Mitchell Johnson. 'But that came with a bit of purpose. Sledging only works when you are dominating. And to be honest, right now England aren't. Their Bazball model has some punch but it's flimsy when conditions swing or spin. So maybe talking tough is a cover. A bit of theatre while they figure out the actual cricket.'' Bazball has been modified this summer but still has to prove itself in tough batting conditions. India's rearguard highlighted England's weakness. When presented with the challenge of batting for 108 overs at Edgbaston, they were all out inside 69, losing by 336 runs. Jamie Smith was caught on the boundary going for a third six in an over, a shot that showed England were still unwilling to change tack or simply did not know how to play the situation because of how they regard draws. That is what they can take out of the Old Trafford Test. Because they have seen how wound up they were by a team frustrating the hell out of them. It can make a draw feel like a win.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Ringrose would have been 'unbelievable'
British and Irish Lions centre Huw Jones says Garry Ringrose, who he replaced in the second Test starting line-up at late notice after the Ireland midfield man suffered lingering concussion symptoms, would have been "unbelievable" had he been fit to play in Melbourne."It was a pretty mental week. I had the initial disappointment of not being in the squad on the Tuesday," Jones said."I had a chat with Andy and I was gutted. I got over that and was ready to get behind the boys."And then on Thursday we trained and Garry - to be fair to him - said his head just wasn't right. I think he may have got a knock in the session and went to the doctor."That's brave. And pulling yourself out as well. It was at the end of training, I had no idea that he was struggling,"I was gutted for him because he deserved to play and I know he would have been unbelievable. Sometimes that's rugby and that's sport."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Matildas hope to avoid potential pitfalls at Women's Asian Cup draw
Australia have begun a new era under head coach Joe Montemurro but are about to find out that life comes at you fast with the much-celebrated 2023 Women's World Cup a distant memory and the 2026 Women's Asian Cup now just seven months away. The continental tournament will be the second football showpiece on home soil in less than three years with the Matildas under pressure to build on the glorious heights of their semi-final run two years ago. Montemurro has a short runway to prepare for the tournament after taking the reins of the national side in June and immediately casting an eye toward the longer-term as much as the near future. But the focus will turn firmly back on the Asian Cup with the draw to decide the group stage and match-ups taking place on Tuesday evening. Australia qualified as hosts after being knocked out in the last eight four years ago, while 2022 champions China and runners-up South Korea as well as Japan were handed automatic qualification after finishing in the top three at the most recent edition. Vietnam, Philippines, and Taiwan booked their spots when topping qualifying groups and will feature again as they did in 2022. India also won their group and will seek to make up for lost time after being unable to take the pitch for a tournament debut due to a Covid-19 outbreak when co-hosting the last event. Uzbekistan return to the Asian Cup after a 23-year absence, while North Korea are among the leading contenders despite last appearing at the tournament in 2010. Iran return after appearing for the first time four years ago, leaving Bangladesh as the only tournament debutants in Australia and the outlier with a ranking of 128 and nothing to lose. The 12 teams that have qualified for the tournament to be held in March 2026 will be divided into three groups of four on Tuesday. Australia as the hosts are the top seed and placed in pot 1 of the draw, though they would also have earned that right based on their Fifa ranking as one of the top three teams at the event. Japan have the highest ranking of all Asian teams at seven, while North Korea are close behind at nine and the only other team ranked above the Matildas' 15th place when Fifa last ran the numbers on 12 June. (Seedings based on June's Fifa world rankings) Pot 1: Australia (hosts, 15), Japan (7), North Korea (9) Pot 2: China (17), South Korea (21), Vietnam (37) Pot 3: Philippines (41), Taiwan (42), Uzbekistan (51) Pot 4: Iran (68), India (70), Bangladesh (128) The three Asian heavyweights will be placed in separate groups though their hopes for a clearer path through to the knockout stage could be clouded at the draw in Sydney. Nine-time champions China and South Korea both loom large in pot 2, with world No 37 Vietnam the team most will want to face despite them reaching the quarter-finals four years ago. Philippines have their work cut out trying to repeat their efforts of 2022 when they made the last four, while this time being placed in pot 3 alongside Taiwan and Uzbekistan. Iran, India and Bangladesh make up pot 4. The top two teams in each of the three groups will advance to the knockout stages along with the two best third-placed sides. The tournament begins on 1 March when the Matildas face a team from pot 4 in Perth. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The matches will be held in Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast. Accor Stadium at Homesbush and Parramatta's CommBank Stadium will host games in Sydney, while Optus Stadium and HBF Park will be used in Perth. CBus Super Stadium will also feature during the group stage. The Matildas will play in all three host cities in the group stage, while hoping to top their group to set up a dream run at Accor Stadium through to the final. The final will be played at Accor Stadium on 21 March. The Olympic stadium will also host a semi-final, with the other finalist to be decided at Optus Stadium. As well as chasing a prized continental trophy, each team will be out to use the Asian Cup to secure their place at future tournaments. The continental event – for the last time – is also the final stage of Asian qualification for the next Women's World Cup, with the four semi-finalists joining the teams appearing in Brazil in 2027. The four losing sides in the quarter-finals will have another chance with a playoff to claim two more World Cup spots. And for the first time, the Asian Cup is a step towards the Olympic Games, with the eight quarter-finalists booking a ticket to the LA 2028 qualifying tournament.
