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12th over: England 98-1 (Duckett 46, Root 15) Root reverse sweeps Chase mischievously for four to move into double figures. He’ll be 36 during the 2027 World Cup so it makes sense for England to work on the assumption he’ll bat No3 in that tournament – while still looking at alternatives when Root is rested from bilateral series.
11th over: England 91-1 (Duckett 45, Root 9) Duckett swishes and misses at Alzarri Joseph, who so far has been the best bowler by a Proclaimers song.
“It’s definitely not news anymore that Duckett is doing it again,” says Luke Dealtry. “Are we getting to a point where Ben Duckett is an all-format cricketer we should speak of in the same breath as Joe Root, Ben Stokes and YJB? He’s certainly our best all-round opener since Marcus Trescothick (who am I forgetting?). I think due to his more low-key and lengthy journey to get to this point, people haven’t really caught on yet.”
I wouldn’t put him in that company yet – he’s not at Root’s level and hasn’t yet played as many matchwinning innings as Stokes and Bairstow. Yet yet yet. I like the Trescothick comparison – both make batting look easy and Duckett’s record is reminiscent of Trescothick in 2005, when he was the unsung hero of England’s Ashes win. Lots of game-shaping scores between 40 and 90; that’s how it feels anyway. I still worry slightly about the bounce in Australia but in this form you’d trust him to find a way.
10th over: England 90-1 (Duckett 44, Root 8) Duckett, reaching a long way outside off stump, top-edges a sweep that lands fractionally short of Andrew near deep square leg.
Chase then bowls a no-ball. He’s an offspinner FHS! Root pings the free hit over backward square for his first boundary. That’s the end of an excellent Powerplay for England.
“Tom Van der Gucht’s email over brought back a long forgotten memory (no, me neither…) of a Jamie Oliver show where he knocked up one of his own ‘Botham Burgers’,” says Mark Lewis. “Surely the only other example of a cricket-related eponymous foodstuff?”
What about the ‘Tim’ David Sandwich?
9th over: England 81-1 (Duckett 42, Root 2) A tight over from Joseph is loosened when Duckett ramps the last ball over everyone for four, prompting even Alzarri to smile.
Duckett is playing beautifully, but I’m not sure that’s news any more.
8th over: England 75-1 (Duckett 37, Root 1) Roston Chase, West Indies’ new Test captain, comes into the attack. It’s brave bowling spin to Ben Duckett in the Powerplay; he saunters down the track to thump six over midwicket. A two and three singles make it a good over for England.
“Morning Rob (it’s 8.30am here in Ottawa),” says Eddy Nason. “Loath though I would be to lose him, Ed Barnard at Warwickshire has been piling up runs and wickets the last few seasons and has a handy partnership-breaking habit with the ball.”
Does he not open in the One Day Cup? I guess he knows what he’s doing at No7 and is definitely worth a look if England Lions ever start playing 50-over games again. Having a proper seamer at No7 would be ideal.
7th over: England 64-1 (Duckett 27, Root 0) That was the last ball of the over, and the end of a promising cameo from Smith: 37 from 24 balls.
WICKET! England 64-1 (Smith c King b A Joseph 37)
Brandon King takes a superb catch to break the opening partnership. Jamie Smith smashed a pull off the new bowler Alzarri Joseph towards midwicket, where King got hit head out of the way, reversed his hands and took a sizzling two-handed catch.
6th over: England 59-0 (Smith 37, Duckett 22) By his high standards, Jayden Seales is all over the place. Smith hits successive boundaries with a back cut and a clip over midwicket, both from really poor deliveries. You still have to put them away and Smith is doing that with a flourish: 37 from 21 balls with seven fours.
5th over: England 46-0 (Smith 27, Duckett 19) England’s new opening partnership are playing nicely. Smith gets those hands high to drive Forde over mid-off for four and drive another boundary through the covers. The second shot was beautifully timed.
Smith has 27 from 16 balls, Duckett 19 from 14.
4th over: England 34-0 (Smith 15, Duckett 19) Seales overpitches twice to Duckett and is punished with efficient flicks to the midwicket boundary. Ben Duckett, 30 years old and totally at peace with his game, is an increasingly remarkable player. I’m not sure there has ever been an England opener quite like him.
“Can’t help but feel England’s team looks a tad lop-sided,” says James Brough. “Seven front line batsmen and then batting down to Adil Rashid at no 10 - all well and good. But the bowling looks a bit optimistic. Three seamers, of whom Overton has not yet convinced at international level, and Rashid. But then you have to cobble together 10 overs from Root, Jacks and Bethell. If just one frontline bowler has an off day, I think we could have problems.”
I’d agree with that, but at this stage – even allowing for the rankings table – I think it’s good to play around with the XI. When Australia won the World Cup in 2023 they had four bowlers (better than England’s, I realise) plus Maxwell, Head and Marsh. No7 is such an important position and at the moment we don’t really have anybody, so the team will be slightly unbalanced either way.
Ben Duckett leaves the ball again!
3rd over: England 24-0 (Smith 14, Duckett 10) The ball after crashing Forde to the point boundary, Duckett offers no stroke for the second time in the innings. I just don’t know what’s going off out there.
“It may be a new dawn and a new day, but are you feeling good, Rob?” says Simon McMahon. “The OBO is a like a KitKat Club for sports fans. Leave your troubles outside. So, life is disappointing? Forget it. In here, life is beautiful. The cricket is beautiful. Even the live bloggers are beautiful!”
I want to whether this is a reference to a recent speech, Simon. But given the repetition of the word ‘beautiful’, I’m slightly scared.
2nd over: England 17-0 (Smith 13, Duckett 4) Jayden Seales starts with a very low full toss, possibly accidental, that hits Smith on the foot as he whips across the line. West Indies go up for LBW but it would have missed leg stump.
Smith is dropped two balls later, a very tough diving chance to Greaves at second slip, and then there’s an LBW review when he misses a clip across the line. It looks a poor review to the naked eye, and even worse on UltraEdge. Missing leg by a distance.
An eventful over ends with successive boundaries for Smith, a flowing extra cover drive and a wristy clip through mid-on. Lovely stuff. It’ll take time to get used to such an unfamiliar position, but Smith has everything you need to be a seriously good ODI opener.
“Exciting times,” says Tom Van der Gucht. “I’m a big fan of Brook and live in the village he hails from where the local butchers (Spauls) makes a speciality sausage called the Burley Banger. That feels like a suitable nickname for our new captain. He seems like one of the good guys – I’m pretty sure I spotted him a few weeks ago in the village nets doing some throw downs for a local lad.”
1st over: England 5-0 (Smith 1, Duckett 4) Ben Duckett leaves his first ball, a Halley’s Comet moment that elicits chuckles from Nasser Hussain and Eoin Morgan chuckling in the Sky box. He’s then beaten either side of a typical punch through extra cover for four.
Matt Forde, a tricky little nibbler who should do well in English conditions, will open the bowling.
Team news
West Indies are without Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd, who are still at the IPL. The teenager Jewel Andrew is a last-minute replacement for Evin Lewis, who took a blow in training just before the toss.
England Smith, Duckett, Root, Brook (c), Buttler (wk), Bethell, Jacks, J Overton, Carse, Rashid, Mahmood.
West Indies King, Greaves, Carty, Hope (c/wk), Jangoo, Chase, Andrew, Forde, A Joseph Motie, Seales.
Ali Martin’s series preview
West Indies win the toss and bowl
It’s a very windy afternoon in Birmingham; Harry Brook isn’t asked what he’s have done.
England named their team yesterday, with Jamie Smith getting first crack as Ben Duckett’s opening partner. Will Jacks at No7 is an interesting choice. It feels odd to see him so low but England desperately need a reliable death-hitter so it’s worth a try.
England XI Duckett, Smith, Root, Brook (c), Buttler (wk), Bethell, Jacks, J Overton, Carse, Rashid, Mahmood.
Preamble
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day. Harry Brook’s reign as England’s white-ball captain begins with a three-match ODI series against West Indies, starting today at Edgbaston. The start of a new era is inevitably the main focus, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the C-word: context.
England’s one-day form has been sufficiently miserable that they are eighth in the ICC rankings, three points above West Indies. Only the top eight will qualify automatically for the next World cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia at the end of 2027.
There’s still a fair way to go – the cutoff point is March of that year – but England need to get their white balls in a row sooner rather than later. Today would be a perfect time to start.
The match starts at 1pm.
