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Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rookie teen Eddie Jack thanks Andrew Flintoff after getting the call to join England's Test squad
Eddie Jack will venture into the Headingley nets next Tuesday after following his daily ritual. 'I'm a big routine guy, especially when I go away from home. Going all around the country, all over the world, staying in different hotels, I've got a little check list,' he tells Mail Sport. 'I try to do all sorts of stuff first thing before I look at my phone. I wake up, read my Bible, make my bed, shower… and then I can start the day properly. If I control the beginning and the end of the day, then what happens in the middle takes care of itself.' It is for the stuff that happens in the middle period that England have invited a teenager yet to make a County Championship appearance to join their first Test squad in Leeds. You will be forgiven for not having heard of Jack, a hulking fast bowler enjoying a remark-ably rapid rise in his first year as a professional with Hampshire. It is only a fortnight since he made his first-class debut, but his cause has been championed by the increasingly influential England Lions coach, Andrew Flintoff. Flintoff, flanked by bowling coach Neil Killeen, broke the news on Monday — ahead of the final day's play of the draw against India A at Northampton — that he would be joining up with Ben Stokes 's team ahead of the first of five Tests against India. 'I think the plan is just to get to know those guys, see the environment, train with them,' Jack says. 'Testing myself against Joe Root and Harry Brook will be a huge privilege. It's an opportunity to show them what I'm about, provide me with a bit of exposure, but I don't think there's much intention of me playing.' Under this regime, however, a wildcard selection cannot be completely ruled out. As they showed last summer with Josh Hull, or with Rehan Ahmed previously, they are not averse to picking either raw pace bowlers or teenagers. And, if the ankle twist Josh Tongue suffered last week has caused more damage than anticipated, he would be a like-for-like replacement as someone who swings the new ball at a pace closer to 90 miles per hour than 80 and is prepared to thud the pitch halfway down when it goes softer. Jack will not be over-awed by such a prospect. At 6ft 4in, he is physically imposing, but the greatest strength of the middle son of a Dorset school chaplain is his faith. 'It's a massive part of my identity, and it helps me hugely in my sport as well, keeping me grounded when things are going well and not too despondent when they're going badly,' he explains. 'Some of my idols, like Eric Liddell, have been famous for not competing on a Sunday, but I think each Christian has their own interpretation and, for me, it's part of my job, so I do my job on a Sunday and try to get some time with the Lord on other days.' Jack has known Flintoff since 2023, when the former television presenter returned to cricket following his horrific Top Gear crash by coaching England Under-19s. So it was a pleasant surprise last month when Jack was told during an unofficial match for a County XI against Zimbabwe in which he claimed five wickets: 'There's something different about you.' Jack explains: 'I'd clearly gone up in his estimation a bit. Fred's such a good coach. He's got so many iconic moments: that over to Ricky Ponting in the Ashes, another over to Jacques Kallis, things that you try to emulate. To have him singing your praises and egging you on is so encouraging. Coming from him, it carries that little bit extra gravitas.' Jack was born on the second day of the historic Oval finale to the 2005 Ashes — one of three Tests in which Flintoff claimed five wickets. Flintoff's mentoring, including the parroting of a Brendon McCullum phrase — 'To be where your feet are' — was influential during two matches against the Indian second string that saw the 19-year-old dismiss both Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. Jack says: 'I've found that really helpful. If you find yourself bowling at Jaiswal, it's no good thinking, "Oh my goodness, he was hitting such and such into the stands last year". I'm like, "I've got the ball in my hand, he's at the other end, let's try to get him out." 'It's something (former All Black) Dan Carter spoke about. If he missed an easy kick, he just kicked the ground. Digging your toes into the turf is quite a good way of being where your feet are because, suddenly, they're what you're thinking about. Grounding yourself, getting back in the zone. I copy him, having a little kick of the turf at the top of my mark.'
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Bennett scores Zimbabwe's fastest Test century before England regain grip
There were a few sideways glances during the first day of Zimbabwe's first Test match in England for 22 years, followed by some renewed calls for cricket's longest format to adopt a two-division structure. After a flogging like the one their players had just suffered across three sessions, perhaps this was to be expected. But on day two, cheered on by some wonderful pockets of support in the stands, the tourists managed a pushback. First came a sharper bowling performance, England losing three for 67 to declare on 565 for six, followed by a fairytale century from opener Brian Bennett. Though bowled out for 265, and closing on 30 for two following on, they had given Ben Stokes a far tougher workout along the way. Bennett was still in the womb he shared with his twin brother, David, when Zimbabwe were last on these shores but now his name is etched in their cricketing history. Faced with a mountain of runs, and a green England attack that was desperate to impress their captain, the right-hander peeled off the fastest Test century by a Zimbabwean – from just 97 balls – en route to 139 from 143. It was quite not as frictionless as the strike-rate might suggest but, if anything, this was to Bennett's credit. A couple of edges squirted through gaps in the cordon and, on 89, a third was grassed by a perplexed Joe Root. But each time the 21-year-old got his head down and regathered his focus, before cruising through the 90s with a hat-trick of laced fours and sampling some pretty rarefied air. Only two Zimbabweans, Andy Flower and Murray Goodwin, had scored Test centuries against England before him and once the renovation of the old pavilion is complete, Bennett will join the latter on the overseas honours board at Trent Bridge. His day ended lbw for one second time around – a fourth wicket for Gus Atkinson across the two innings – but was scarcely tarnished. For England this was the early summer workout they were craving and, given the surface on which they racked up the fifth 500-plus total of the Bazball era, one they might have expected too. Despite falling for nine in the morning, undone by some extra bounce from Blessing Muzarabani, Stokes claiming figures of two for 11 from 3.2 overs on his return from hamstring surgery was arguably the biggest plus of all. Stokes had only brought himself on after Shoaib Bashir injured his right ring finger fluffing a return catch. But after overstepping initially, his first legal delivery was a snorter that climbed off the pitch and produced an edge that Root put down. This was merely a taster, it transpired, with Sikandar Raza soon undone by repeat – Jamie Smith holding on – and Wessly Madhevere castled off an inside edge. Bashir's injury was not too serious, mercifully, and across 16.4 overs the off-spinner picked up three for 62. The battle for control of his length remains but so too do the magic balls that see England persist. Snaffling a couple of senior pros in Craig Ervine (42) and Sean Williams (25), and returning to bowl Tafadzwa Tsiga through the gate, Bashir also became the youngest Englishman to reach 50 Test wickets. At just 21 years and 222 days old, Bashir is the also most experienced member of England's frontline bowling attack with 16 caps. At the other end of this slim spectrum is Sam Cook, who shared the new ball with Atkinson and began with a 12-run over that included an inside edge off Bennett's bat flying past the stumps. An inauspicious start, perhaps, but soon there was new entry into Cook's little black book of wickets. It was a pretty smart piece of bowling, too, Cook going around the wicket to the left-handed Ben Curran and squaring him up for an edge to second slip. Having kicked the door down to get this chance, and overcome doubts about his medium-fast speeds along the way, Cook's delight was unbridled. At the other end of the pace spectrum to Cook is Josh Tongue, England's quickest option after Mark Wood and making a comeback here after an 18-month injury ordeal. Across 13 overs of grunt he offered Stokes a significant point of difference and gave the experienced Williams a headache with one missile to the helmet. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion A no-ball denied Tongue the wicket of Bennett on 139, likewise Ollie Pope a spectacular diving catch at short leg. But four balls later the pair combined for a simpler repeat, leaving Zimbabwe 246 for six. The resistance rather slipped away thereafter, with Atkinson and Bashir combining to wipe out the remainder. After a punchy half-century from Harry Brook in the morning, it added up to a pretty tidy performance from England overall. And with Stokes asking his guests to have another crack, and soon watching Atkinson and Tongue whistle up a couple more strikes, a three-day Test match appears to be very much on the cards. Nevertheless, despite the gulf in quality and that torturous opening day, Zimbabwe have stamped their mark on this short tour. The flashing blade of Bennett is to thank for this, an innings worthy of the exclusive club it saw him join.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jacob Bethell ‘has done himself world of good' – Ben Stokes hints at Test recall
Ben Stokes has dropped a heavy hint that Jacob Bethell will reclaim his England Test spot next month – news that could put Ollie Pope or Zak Crawley in the firing line. Bethell will be 4,500 miles away when England line up against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on Thursday, having been cleared to remain at the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore. But the strong impression the 21-year-old made in his debut series against New Zealand before Christmas, when he batted with fearlessness and verve in an unfamiliar position at number three, has not worn off. That means he has a decent chance of dropping back into the side for the five-match series against India, cranking up the pressure on Crawley and Pope. Both men have been first-choice players throughout the 'Bazball' era but have endured big swings in form and crunch time could be imminent. Crawley averaged just 8.66 in New Zealand and has had mixed returns for Kent in Division Two of the Rothesay County Championship, while vice-captain Pope has struggled to become a consistent performer in the pivotal number three position. The pair will be desperate to shut down any further scrutiny with commanding showings against Zimbabwe, but Stokes' endorsement of Bethell suggested they may be fighting over one place. 'We picked the squad for Zimbabwe under the impression Beth would be away, so it wasn't too much of an issue for us… but who knows what happens in the summer going forwards?' Stokes said. 'If you're smart enough, (looking at) the series that Beth had out in New Zealand, and obviously he's going to be back in the UK for that India series… so I think you put two and two together and you probably know what's going to happen. 'If you talk about nailing down a position, Beth has done himself the world of good by the performances he put in there to be part of our plans going forward. It's great to have a versatile player such as Beth at your disposal.' Whichever way the selection dilemma goes between the three, it will fall to head coach Brendon McCullum or managing director Rob Key to relay the decision. 'I don't do the good news, I don't do the bad news,' Stokes said. 'All those conversations go on with Keysy and Baz. That stems back to how I wanted that kind of role within my captaincy to be. I've got to focus on the group and the 11 guys on the field.' Another factor in Bethell's favour is his ability to bowl left-arm spin, something England are known to value and which neither Pope nor Crawley can match. England's number one slow bowler, Shoaib Bashir, has endured a difficult start to the summer. He was sent out on loan by Somerset to Glamorgan and has struggled to make an impact, chipping in just two wickets at 152 runs apiece with the Welsh side. 'It's such a tricky one with Bash,' Stokes said. 'I rang him a while ago and said, 'Look, I know it can be tough when you're an England spinner and then you're getting loaned out to play'. 'It's not obviously ideal. But I said, 'If you take where you were last year, you weren't even playing'. He's learning on the job, as we constantly say.'
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Gary Ballance joins Zimbabwe coaching staff for Test against England
Former England batter Gary Ballance is set to be in the opposing dressing room this month after being appointed as a coaching consultant for Zimbabwe's one-off Test at Trent Bridge. Zimbabwe-born Ballance moved to the UK as a teenager and after impressing for Yorkshire, he featured in 23 Tests and 16 ODIs for England between 2013 and 2017, helping his adopted nation win the 2015 Ashes. After being heavily implicated in the Yorkshire racism scandal in 2021, Ballance started afresh with Zimbabwe but made only a further seven international appearances for them before retiring in 2023. However, the 35-year-old's vast experience on English soil could work to Zimbabwe's advantage when they play their first Test against England since 2003 in Nottingham from May 22-25. 'We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ballance to our coaching set-up for this historic tour,' Zimbabwe's managing director Givemore Makoni said. 'His deep understanding of English conditions, gained over years of playing at the highest level, will be a valuable asset to our team's tactical preparation.' Ballance took just 17 innings to reach 1,000 Test runs – only Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton have done so quicker for England, while Harry Brook equalled his former Yorkshire team-mate in 2023. He made four hundreds in his first 10 Tests but none thereafter and, as his form tailed off, he found himself in and out of the side following his initial run, finishing with 1,498 runs at an average of 37.45.
