Hello everyone, in this week’s episode we are going to discuss another sensational victory for Ben Stokes’ English team after they incidentally chased almost 300 runs on Headingley and made it look easy in the process.
That means they whitewashed the Black Caps and clinched an unforgettable 3-0 victory over the World Cup champions.
I know correlation is not necessarily equal to causality, but since we launched this podcast, the English men’s team have played three Tests, three ODIs and won a lot.
This test team did something in three weeks that I saw the one-day team do after the 2015 World Cup. It is very clear that a message has been sent that they are going to play Test cricket completely differently than I have ever done before. seen and it goes back to the big, big sides of the 70s, 80s and 90s. It’s risky, it’s flamboyant and it’s brutal.
Will it work every week? Will it work overseas? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m telling you what, they’re going to try to play this kind of cricket every week and whether it’s going to be stupid and stupid at times – I think it’s possible – Stokes’ message is very clear and that’s what I’m like them.
They send a message. Even in the press conference afterwards, Ben sent a message to all the players in the county match that if you want to get into this English team, you have to arrive with your Ferrari. If you arrive in a slow two-seater, you are not playing. You have to score fast, be aggressive, take on the opposition and try to influence the game to get to this English team.
Let’s wait and see if it can work in conditions that are not quite as true and flat as we have seen recently, but I do not think they will take a back foot and I do not think they will stop trying to play this aggressive style of cricket, so we’re in for a great ride.
Elsewhere, it’s the end of an era for England. The one-day team’s history-making captain, Eoin Morgan, has announced that he will retire from the sport. Morgan has struggled for both fitness and form in recent months, but he will undoubtedly decline as one of the greatest captains England has ever produced in any sport. He has turned his team into the most feared in the world and we will look back on his time in charge, discuss who can replace him and ask what now for the one day side.
On top of that, we had a real treat. We chat with New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who catches up with one of the kings of swing to talk about a wide range of topics, from the strangeness of seeing his former captain Brendon McCullum dressed in England’s outfit to how he would bowl to his Rajasthan Royals teammate Jos Buttler and how he keeps himself fit by playing all formats of the game.
You can listen to The Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club on the audio player at the top of this episode, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast application.