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Pakistan will have a new captain after their tour of Australia comes to an end in early February, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Pakistan will have a new captain after their tour of Australia comes to an end in early February,
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said. Mohammad Yousuf was appointed to lead in New Zealand and Australia after Younis Khan quit in a huff back in November.”This captain [Mohammad Yousuf] was for this series only and we will decide after the tour of Australia about the captain, [but] we will change,” Butt told the private ARY News channel.Under Yousuf, Pakistan squared a three-Test series against New Zealand but lost three Tests in a row to Australia before they surrendered the first ODI in Brisbane today. The relationship between Yousuf and the selection committee, headed by Iqbal Qasim, has been tense over the course of the long tour of Australia. He had Misbah-ul-Haq sent over to New Zealand after the player had been dropped from all three formats of the game just a month before.Butt termed Younis’ decision to relinquish the captaincy as unfortunate for Pakistan. “We did not change Younis. Unfortunately the sports committee of the parliament made him run away after they levelled match-fixing allegations against him,” he said.Butt squashed the match-fixing allegations against Pakistan after the Champions Trophy, in specific the game against Australia in which they lost by one run off the last ball. “How can someone fix a match on the last ball? Only a magician can do that and on this allegation Younis was mentally disturbed and resigned,” Butt said. “Younis was a good captain but he was hurt on the allegations and quit. Now we will soon decide about the change.”Butt also said there could be changes to the coaching staff. “Coaching is a very difficult job so I don’t want to comment on it, but yes, we are looking at options to hire batting and fielding coaches, foreign or local, for the national team,” he said. “The problem is no foreign coach is willing to come to Pakistan in present security conditions and a local coach appears to be a more feasible prospect.”Pakistan’s next Test assignment is in England where they play Australia, a series shifted out of Pakistan over security fears. They are scheduled to play four Tests against England on the same tour.

Hosts record their fourth win in five games after chasing down Essex in tense contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jun-2025Warwickshire continued their impressive Women’s Vitality Blast charge with a tense two-wicket win over Essex at Edgbaston.Georgia Davis’s side recorded their fourth win in five games after chasing down Essex’s 150 for 3. Cordelia Griffith, 47 not out off 36 balls, and Madeline Penna’s unbeaten 41 from 42 balls pulled the visitors round from 56 for 3 but never escaped the shackles of a disciplined attack.Warwickshire then slipped to 43 for 4 in reply but recovered to reach 154 for 8 with one ball to spare as Charis Pavely struck a dynamic unbeaten 68 from 40 balls with five fours and three sixes.Essex chose to bat and started solidly as openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens added 44 in 35 balls before Scrivens fell to the antepenultimate ball of the powerplay when she skied a slog at Phoebe Graham to midwicket.Laura Harris took that catch and accepted another four balls later when Alice Macleod drove Hannah Baker to extra cover. Those two blows for Essex were quickly followed by a big self-inflicted one. Winfield-Hill, on 30 from 23 balls, was called for a quick single by Griffith, hesitated and was run out by bowler Davis who chased the ball down with the precision and purpose with which she used, as a police officer, to chase villains round Walsall.The loss of three wickets for 12 runs in 11 balls required some shoring up and Griffith and Penna stemmed the collapse before seeking to accelerate. Each hit six fours in an unbroken stand of 94 from 75 balls to assure a competitive, if less than imposing total.MacGregor, leading wicket-taker in the competition, inflicted brisk damage on Warwickshire’s reply with two wickets in her second over. Davina Perrin chipped a low full toss to mid on and Meg Austin top-edged a leg-side scoop to the wicketkeeper.Essex’s bowlers continued to exploit Warwickshire’s top-order carelessness as Natasha Wraith swung Eva Gray to deep midwicket and Sterre Kalis missed an attempted cut at Abtaha Maqsood’s first ball and was bowled.That left Warwickshire 43 for 4 which could have been worse had an early big hit to long on from Pavely off Sophia Smale not passed through the hands of Penna for six. Pavely survived to add 43 in 28 balls with Issy Wong (33, 25) who batted responsibly to rebuild the innings but then misjudged a second run and was beaten by Joanne Gardner’s throw.Harris swept Gray to short fine leg but Pavely pulled MacGregor into the Hollies Stand for six to leave Warwickshire needing 35 from five overs. Successive fours took her to a 31-ball half-century and another handsome six, off Jodi Grewcock, put the equation firmly into the home side’s hands with just three needed from the last over.Scrivens started it with a dot ball and a wicket – Davis caught at mid-on – but two singles followed to level the scores with two balls left and Baker struck the next to the midwicket boundary.

Tom Jones, the grandson of former captain Jeremy Coney, also finds a place in team heading to South Africa in January

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2023There were a few familiar names in the New Zealand men’s Under-19 squad picked to play the World Cup which begins on January 19 in South Africa.Zac Cumming, the son of former player turned commentator and coach Craig Cumming, Matt Rowe, the cousin of Hannah Rowe, and Tom Jones, the grandson of former captain Jeremy Coney all find a place in the 15-member squad.New Zealand won the ICC East Asia Pacific qualifiers in Darwin in June to qualify for the 15th edition of the Under-19 World Cup and 11 members of that squad have been retained for next month’s assignment.The 16 teams at the Under-19 World Cup have been broken into pools of four before the Super Six phase of the event ahead of the semi-finals and final in Benoni. New Zealand are grouped with Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan with their opening match in East London on January 21.”This tournament will be an awesome opportunity for our players to test themselves against the best in the world in their age group, and we hope it will be a great experience,” the U-19 coach Jonny Bassett-Graham said, “You only have to look at the impressive list of players who have represented New Zealand at this tournament to understand it’s importance – from senior Blackcaps like Kane Williamson and Tim Southee through to rising stars like Rachin Ravindra and Adi Ashok.”New Zealand will miss Cam Paul, who already has experience of playing the Ford Trophy, with the Canterbury allrounder ruled out with a shoulder injury. The squad departs for South Africa on January 11.

New Zealand U-19 squad

Oscar Jackson (capt, bat), Mason Clarke (pace), Sam Clode (wk), Zac Cumming (spin/bat), Rahman Hekmat (spin), Tom Jones (bat), James Nelson (bat), Snehith Reddy (bat/spin), Matt Rowe (pace), Ewald Schreuder (pace), Lachlan Stackpole (bat), Oliver Tewatiya (bat/spin), Alex Thompson (wk), Ryan Tsourgas (pace), Luke Watson (bat)Reserves: Ben Breitmeyer – (pace), Nick Brown (wk), Henry Christie (bat), Robbie Foulkes (bat), Josh Oliver (pace/bat), Amogh Paranjpe (pace)

He played 13 Tests for West Indies between 1953 and 1957 before emigrating to New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2022Bruce Pairaudeau, the former West Indies and Northern Districts batter, has died aged 91.Pairaudeau, who was born in British Guiana in 1931, played 13 Tests for West Indies between 1953 and 1957 alongside Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Alf Valentine. He fell in love with New Zealand on a tour to the country in 1956. After emigrating to New Zealand, he captained Northern Districts to their first Plunket Shield title in 1962-63 before retiring from domestic cricket in 1966-67.Pairaudeau had made his debut for Guiana in 1947 at the age of 15 and scored his maiden hundred the following season. He then scored a century on Test debut against India in Port of Spain in 1953, but in 20 further innings he only got into double figures six times. He finished with an overall 454 runs in 13 Test matches at an average of 21.61.Related

• Archive: That familiar Guyanese accent

More recently in 2015, Pairaudeau and his friend drove from Hamilton to Napier to watch the visiting West Indies team train.”We heard a West Indian voice and when I looked at who it was, I thought it might be Bruce Pairaudeau. We knew he lived in New Zealand but we didn’t know he was coming over,” Philip Spooner, West Indies’ media manager, told ESPNcricinfo at the time “All the guys just loved meeting him.”Pairaudeau is survived by son Jeffrey and three grandchildren.

Henry ripped through top order while Wagner exposed England’s fragile middle order

Valkerie Baynes12-Jun-2021A devastating opening spell from Matt Henry backed up by Neil Wagner and later Ajaz Patel snuffed out England’s hopes on the third day of the second Test at Edgbaston.England were left reeling at 3 for 30 as Henry tore through their top order either side of tea and by the close, they were nine down and just 37 runs ahead. Their fragile middle order was exposed once more and New Zealand were on the cusp of victory – although not enough to take the extra half-hour at the end of the day to try and finish it off.Having resumed on 229 for 3, still 74 runs behind, New Zealand lost their remaining seven wickets for 96 runs, but that wasn’t quickly enough for England, who collapsed to 76 for 7 still nine runs adrift, only clawing their way ahead via an eighth-wicket partnership between Mark Wood and Olly Stone.Bearing in mind that New Zealand were resting spearheads Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson ahead of next week’s WTC final, a theme that had developed surrounding the tourists’ incredible depth became outright dominance as England had no answers.Ross Taylor batted with greater fluency than on the previous day, pushing his overnight score on from 46 via a series of boundaries, including a deft sweep off Dan Lawrence to bring up his fifty. He then hit back-to-back fours off James Anderson through the point region, with the second looking more intentional than the first.Taylor was dropped on 68 hooking to long leg, where Sam Billings grassed the chance but he was eventually out nicking Stone through to wicketkeeper James Bracey for 80, the third New Zealand batter and fifth overall this match to be dismissed in the 80s.Bracey, the England wicketkeeper playing his second Test, had a moment to forget a short time later when he dropped Tom Blundell off Stone with the batter yet to score.Wood was bowling with sharp pace for reward as Blundell and Henry Nicholls withstood the pressure. But that was only until Nicholls was struck on the helmet attempting to pull a rapid bumper. No sooner had he been given the all-clear to continue, Nicholls gloved Wood’s next delivery down the leg side and Bracey held on.Anderson had toiled for 24.2 overs before taking his first wicket of the match, bowling Wagner for a duck and, when Wood had Henry out lbw, New Zealand’s lead was just 50 with only two wickets in hand.Ross Taylor batted with great fluency•AFP/Getty Images

Stuart Broad mopped those up, including the wicket of Blundell, caught by Joe Root, who let out an almighty shout directly at the ball after he held on at slip, having dropped one the previous day off Stone that would have dismissed top-scorer Will Young on seven. Broad remained the pick of England’s bowlers with 4 for 48 from 23.1 overs.But the lead was 85 by that point and, when Henry had Rory Burns out for a second-ball duck, attempting to drive and edging to Tom Latham at second slip, the danger signs were there. Burns had been England’s in-form batter this series and it would fall to someone else this time. As it turned out, not even Root could come to the rescue.Henry had Dom Sibley caught by Daryl Mitchell at third slip shortly before tea and, after the break, Zak Crawley’s lean run continued when he fell lbw to Henry for 17 Ollie Pope rattled along to 23 off just 20 balls but he was struck on the knee roll by a Wagner inswinger and sent on his way with England still 27 behind.Lawrence, who has impressed among the relative newcomers to this England side with a fifty on debut in Sri Lanka in January, scores of 46 and 50 against India in Ahmedabad and an unbeaten 81 in the first innings of this Test, was Wagner’s second scalp, caught behind without scoring.Bracey, out for a duck on debut at Lord’s and again in the first innings here, managed a wry smile as the Edgbaston crowd roared when he got off the mark and they were equally enthusiastic when he pulled Trent Boult through midwicket for four.His relief was brief, though, when Patel was re-introduced into the attack and struck with his third ball when Bracey moved across his stumps and ended up pressing the ball into middle with his glove.Where there was Root there was hope, even if he had faced 54 balls to reach double figures. But his attempted cut off Patel produced only a top-edge through to Blundell.What remained for home fans was another entertaining knock from Wood, who had put on a show on the second morning to reach 41 with some big hitting. This evening he took England into a five-run lead with a slog-sweep off Patel for six over deep midwicket. Two fours off as many balls in Patel’s next over brought up England’s hundred but they were seven wickets down and only 15 ahead.Wood’s partnership with Stone was worth 44 before Wood skied a Wagner short ball almost directly above his own head and Blundell had aeons to set himself beneath it, gloves at the ready.Boult rearranged Broad’s stumps in the last over of the evening, but Anderson survived the remaining four balls to ensure the match would see a fourth day.

Without their allrounder going into the series, losing their in-form opening batsman to injury during the series decider, India found a way to win

The Report by Sidharth Monga19-Jan-2020
Without their allrounder going into the series, losing their in-form opening batsman to injury during the series decider, India found a way to win the three-match ODI series against Australia despite losing all three tosses. Australia’s decision to bat first left Virat Kohli smiling ear to ear, his bowlers only widened that smile by keeping Australia down to 286 despite a Steven Smith century, but the chase was not your regular stroll that the scoreline suggested. On a testing, slow pitch, Rohit Sharma scored a special century to negate the challenge.In the final equation, on a pitch that spinners from both sides were a threat, the two main quicks from either side proved to be the difference. Jasprit Bumrah was stellar in conceding just 38 in his 10 overs, and Mohammed Shami took wickets with the new ball and old. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, though, were a big letdown for Australia, conceding 130 runs in 16 wicktless overs between them, which meant when the spinners and Josh Hazlewood bowled well, Sharma and Kohli were not under any asking-rate pressure.Australia’s team management had stayed at the ground till late on match eve to know dew wouldn’t play a big role. Combined with a dry pitch, and their own suspect middle order, they wanted runs on board. Shami dealt those hopes a big blow in the first exchanges despite a wayward – eight wides in first three overs – by both of India’s opening bowlers.In the fourth over, Shami got the ball to shape up to swing back into David Warner, but leave him upon pitching, taking the edge. This was a dismissal from an opening hour of a Test match. Bumrah’s edge over Aaron Finch was apparent again with two runs off 13 legal deliveries. Even when India removed Bumrah after just three overs, the edginess remained, especially with Navdeep Saini bowling the eighth over for just two runs.In the ninth over, Finch went for perhaps a highly risky single to Jadeja at point, but Smith was the bigger culprit in not trusting the call from the non-striker. The run-out left Finch furious, and Smith with a big task of shepherding the suspect middle order. Except that he was met in the middle by his clone Marnus Labuschagne, who has quickly shown he doesn’t need much shepherding. Yet, had Kuldeep Yadav collected a slowish throw cleanly he might have run Labuschagne out to make it 57 for 3.4:10

Bowlers set up series-clinching win for India

That error survived, Smith and Labuschagne pulled Australia out of that crisis, taking them into the last 20 overs with eight wickets in hand. This time Labuschagne reached his maiden half-century too. However, just like the last match, Ravindra Jadeja had begun to frustrate the batsmen with tight overs. In partnership with Yadav and Shami, he strung together 45 deliveries without a boundary. Then he had Kohli helping him in the 32nd over.At a close extra cover, Kohli made an excellent diving save to his left to deny Labuschagne a boundary first ball. To the third ball, he dived to his right to dismiss Labuschagne after a maiden fifty. An experiment to pinch-hit with Mitchell Starc lasted three balls with a slog sweep ending up with deep midwicket. Before this double-wicket maiden, at 173 for 2 in 31 overs, Australia were looking good for a score in the vicinity of 320 despite that recent slowdown.If Starc’s dismissal was a sign the pitch was not the usual flat Bangalore surface, Smith’s failure to place the ball in the coming overs only reinforced it. A mix of orthodox and reverse sweeps from Alex Carey gave Australia some momentum in a run-a-ball 58-run partnership, but the moment Carey tried to hit a six even he ended up miscuing Yadav to deep cover. Add to it the reverse swing India extracted, and Smith had to recalculate and target only the very last overs.Smith threatened a final kick with 25 off eight deliveries, but Shami not only had him caught at deep midwicket, he also ensured there was no annoying cameo from the tail.It was obvious fairly early this was not going to be an easy chase. Not often in ODI cricket do you see two fairly close lbw appeals, three plays and misses and one edge falling short against Sharma in the first 10 overs. Also just as rare is Sharma taking extra risks and scoring 41 runs in those 10 overs.Mohammed Shami celebrates the wicket of David Warner•Associated Press

This was a delicate situation. Shikhar Dhawan had injured himself while fielding. KL Rahul was opening with him after having kept for 50 overs. The ball was doing a bit off the seam. India’s batting more or less went till No. 6 Jadeja. Rohit, though, backed himself and knew he couldn’t let India fall behind the game by the time spin came on.So when Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Hazlewood put the squeeze on, taking Rahul’s wicket and conceding 35 in the next 10 overs, India could sit back and absorb that pressure. And when pressure was built, Finch didn’t go to his main bowlers to go find the breakthrough. He gambled. First with Labuschagne, then with himself. Twenty runs in two overs. Pressure off. And when Finch finally brought his main bowlers, they released the pressure further. Before Rajkot, Starc had taken a wicket at least in his previous matches; now he had two wicketless outings.Not that Sharma really needed freebies. He knew Kohli was going to set up to play till the end. He kept taking calculating risks, hitting six sixes in his innings, reaching his hundred with India’s score only 154. When he did perish, he did so trying to put the chase beyond doubt, looking to hit his seventh six. It left India 81 to get in 80 balls, and if there were any nerves with a shortened batting line-up, the king of chases was there to soothe them.In Kohli’s company, Shreyas Iyer too made a mini comeback from a mini slump. Kohli missed out on a century, but by the time he fell for 89 India needed just 13 from 25.

It will mark the first ever T20I series to be played in Oman, and the first visit by a Test-playing nation

Peter Della Penna22-Nov-2018Oman Cricket has reached an agreement in principle to host Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands for a quadrangular T20I series early next year for the first ever T20I series to be played in Oman. Ireland’s participation would also mark the first ever visit by a Test nation to play matches in Oman.The announcement of the quadrangular series was made by Oman Cricket officials during a victory function held for the team after their undefeated run at WCL Division Three on home soil earlier this week. Multiple sources from the other teams confirmed that the series has been tentatively scheduled for February 10-17 at the Oman Cricket Academy in Al Amerat.All four teams participated in the opening round of the 2016 World T20 in India, during which Oman scored a famous win over Ireland. As a result of their appearance in India, all four countries have been exempted from participating in the regional qualifying process leading into the 2020 World T20 in Australia and instead have been fast-tracked into the global qualifier.According to a source, the global qualifier is scheduled for October 2019 at a venue yet to be determined. By virtue of their exemption from regional qualifying, all four teams are keen for opportunities to play in the lead-up to the global qualifier in October and this series provides them that.The three European sides staged a T20I tri-series held in the Netherlands last June, which Scotland won after sweeping both matches against Netherlands and tying Ireland once to end on five points. That was Scotland’s last T20I series whereas the Netherlands have since played a one-off T20I against Nepal in July at Lord’s that ended with no result. Meanwhile, Ireland lost a three-match series at home to Afghanistan this past August in their most recent T20I action.While the Oman Cricket Academy has two grounds that would allow for matches to be played simultaneously, the main turf ground is equipped with stadium floodlights. Such infrastructure may provide a good simulation exercise for conditions at the global qualifier later in October as well as for the 2020 World T20 in Australia.Aside from the recently concluded WCL Division Three tournament, Oman has hosted two prior series at the Al Amerat facility. UAE toured for three one-day matches in April 2017 ahead of Oman’s participation at WCL Division Three in Uganda a month later. USA also toured in December 2017 for three one-day matches while the Oman Cricket Academy building, which includes seven indoor nets, was still under construction.

Jack Leaning and Andrew Hodd have made limited impact in Andrew Gale’s first season as coach but they stirred themselves as Yorkshire cast uncomfortable glances towards the foot of the table

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2017Jack Leaning produced an invaluable half-century•Getty Images

Jack Leaning and Andrew Hodd posted important half-centuries either side of tea as Yorkshire had the better of day two of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Middlesex at Headingley.After day one was washed out, this was the first day’s play of a fixture between the teams who have shared the Division One title for the last three years.But, with four matches to play including this, they find themselves looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.Yorkshire closed on 317 for seven from 98 overs, recovering from 116 for four as Leaning posted 85 from 142 balls and wicketkeeper Hodd 51 from 90, sharing 114 for the fifth wicket inside 30 overs.Bad light meant six overs at the end of the day meant six overs were lost.Middlesex captain James Franklin opted for an uncontested toss this morning before Steven Finn claimed the only wicket of the opening session when he had Australian Shaun Marsh lbw playing around one for 22, leaving the score at 39 for one in the 19th over.Adam Lyth impressed for 40, battling hard before expanding – in a similar way to Leaning and Hodd did later in the day.James Harris bowled six maidens on the trot to start his spell having replaced Finn from the Kirkstall Lane End before he got Lyth caught behind with a beauty shortly after lunch.That was the first of three wickets to fall in the first eleven overs of the afternoon as the score fell to 116 for four in the 44th.Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance marked his first bat for the county since the reverse fixture at Lord’s in late June (England commitments and a fractured finger) by edging behind for 12 as he played expansively outside off.Alex Lees (27) was then trapped lbw by Franklin’s left-arm seamers.Yorkshire were in danger of undoing their early good work against a tidy visiting attack, who could have created more pressure with tighter lines.But Leaning and Hodd eased those concerns during their fifth-wicket alliance, which started cautiously before expanding on a pitch with plenty of pace and carry.Leaning drove nicely on the way to his second successive Championship fifty – his third in all this season – off 58 balls.Hodd whipped Harris straight of mid-on for four to mark the shot of the day on the way to his third of the campaign.A first batting bonus point had been secured in the final over of the afternoon before their century stand was recorded just after tea.Hodd reached 50 off 87 balls before edging Franklin behind as the score fell to 230 for five in the 74th.A second batting point for 250 came on the cusp of the second new ball.Tim Murtagh lifted Middlesex spirits by bowling Leaning as he played to leg and trapped Adil Rashid lbw with successive deliveries at the end of the 85th over, leaving the score at 270 for seven.But the visitors could not prevent Yorkshire from reaching 300 for the first time in nine completed Championship innings.Tim Bresnan and Liam Plunkett shared an unbroken 47 for the eighth wicket, reaching 26 and 34 not out.

Glenn Maxwell has been named in Australia A’s squad for the quadrangular series involving the National Performance Squad, and A teams from India and South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016Glenn Maxwell has been named in Australia A’s squad of 15 for the upcoming Quadrangular series involving the National Performance Squad (NPS), and A teams from India and South Africa, in Townsville and Mackay later this month .

Australia A squad

Squad: Chris Lynn (capt), Peter Handscomb, Scott Boland, Cameron Boyce, Jake Lehmann, Glenn Maxwell, Joe Mennie, Kurtis Patterson, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain, Sam Whiteman, Dan Worrall

Maxwell was left out of the national squad for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, having averaged 11.80 in six innings in Australia’s last 10 ODIs. He made 0 and 38 in Australia A’s 197-run win over South Africa A in a four-day fixture in Brisbane that concluded on Tuesday.Seven members of the A squad, led by Chris Lynn, have been a part of Australia’s national squad. Peter Handscomb, the Victoria batsman who will captain in the four-day fixtures, has been named vice-captain.”Although we have selected a squad with an eye towards the future, we have also rewarded the most recent domestic cricket performers, and this is a perfect opportunity to showcase their talents against international opposition,” Rod Marsh, the national selection panel chief, said.”Chris has shown in his time with Queensland and the Brisbane Heat that he can lead a team whilst also putting in high-quality performances with the bat and in the field. Peter led wonderfully in Australia A’s victory over South Africa A at Allan Border Field in the longer format and will benefit from having a leadership role in the one-day matches. He shapes as one of this country’s best up-and-coming leaders on the field.”South Australia’s Alex Ross and Kane Richardson, along with Cameron Boyce, Mitchell Swepson and Matthew Renshaw, are all part of the National Performance Squad.NPS open their campaign against South Africa A on August 13 in Townville, while Australia A play India A the following day. Each team plays the other twice, leading up to a third-place playoff and the final on September 3 and 4 respectively.

Graeme Swann has blasted previous England regimes for their “arrogance” in sticking to outdated game plans in limited-overs cricket and suggested that they “massively cocked up” by not selecting Adil Rashid in the Test team for the series in the Caribbean

George Dobell19-Jun-2015Graeme Swann has blasted previous England regimes for their “arrogance” in sticking to outdated game plans in limited-overs cricket and suggested that they “massively cocked up” by not selecting Adil Rashid in the Test team for the series in the Caribbean.In a wide-ranging interview at a Chance to Shine school in Nottingham where he helped launch a new card game called “Switch Hits” for the charity, Swann celebrated the revival of England’s ODI side but suggested the team that he played in had been flattered by their rating as No. 1 in the world and claimed they had been “awful” since 1992.But despite his criticisms, Swann insisted that England are not the outsiders some suggest for the Ashes series and claimed Australia are not as good a Test side as New Zealand.While delighted by England’s improved performance in the Royal London ODI series against New Zealand, Swann remains frustrated that England persisted with what he believes was an “outdated” method for so long. “England were justifiably vilified in the World Cup,” he said. “They were so stuck in their ways. It was the most obvious thing in the world that we were playing an outmoded, outdated form of the game. But arrogance saw us stick to our guns and say ‘everyone is wrong’.”It is so refreshing that now they have said ‘yeah, tear up the old stats book, now we see what you mean we’re going to go for it’. The whole outlook has changed.”We were No. 1 in the world but if anyone says ‘that’s because you were the best team’ then that’s absolute bollocks. We were nowhere near the best one-day team in the world. We got extremely lucky. We had 18 home games, we had a series against India where, if we struggled, it rained. And it made people think what we were doing was right, hence the stifled approach up until three weeks ago.”It’s not Peter Moores’ or Paul Downton’s fault. It’s English one-day cricket from the year 1992 onwards when we were world leaders. Ian Botham opened the batting and we experimented and had exciting players. You can’t say they have been exciting ever since. They have been awful.”When Michael Vaughan was Test captain, he was nowhere near good enough to be in the one-day team. But he was captain of the Test team and that has always held that much sway in England. The Test captain is the be-all-and-end-all of English cricket.”Swann accepted there would be times when the new-found aggression would backfire and results would go against England. So he believes it is essential the team management show the resolve required to endure the fallow periods. He remains adamant the young players coming into the squad now have the quality to succeed.”We’re too afraid of failing in this country,” he said. “And we are a reactive public. So it will take courage to stick to the new approach. But they should take what New Zealand have done as a blueprint. There is no way on God’s green earth we have a worse talent pool than any other country. We’ve got these players who, if unleashed and given free rein, can be incredible one-day players. You’ve just got to stick with them.”Jason Roy will be brilliant opening the batting if given say, two years. He should be told: ‘it doesn’t matter if you keep failing, just keep going out there and whacking the ball’. Get James Vince in there, too. If they get given the same amount of time that the old England players used to get they will get the same results. They should be given more.”Swann, the top wicket-taker when England won the Ashes in 2013, believes Moeen Ali should start the series as England’s spin bowler. But he remains angry that Adil Rashid, the uncapped legspinner, was not given an opportunity to gain some exposure of Test cricket in the Caribbean.”England missed such a gilt-edged opportunity to see whether Adil could cut the mustard in the West Indies,” he said. “At the time we all said it was a joke, but it seems all the more a glaring klaxon moment now. It is laughable. I would love to have seen him play three Tests in the West Indies. There was, as Test cricket goes, as little pressure as an England player can play under at the moment. It was the ideal schooling ground and they massively cocked up there.”But the Ashes is a massive thing. Mentally it’s a step up from Test cricket, which is, in itself, a step up from county cricket. So, Moeen has to play in the first game. He has bags of ability. He just doesn’t have the 10 years of spin-bowling nous and experience he would have had had he been a spin bowler rather than a batsman who used to be thrown the ball a bit. Which in a weird way has put him ahead of the pack as he has avoided the coaching system that teaches spinners not to spin it in this country. He’s very natural. He rips it. I still think he’s the best option.”But I think the Ashes are going to be a lot closer than people think. I truly believe that Australia aren’t the best Test team in the world at the moment. New Zealand are. They’re a similar team to Australia. They’ve good seam bowling, aggressive batting and their spinner, although he takes wickets, is probably their weakest link.”They’re similar teams. And, when you see what England did to New Zealand at Lord’s, there’s no saying they couldn’t do that. If England fire – if Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have good games – they’ll win a couple of Tests.”Chance to Shine Schools and Yorkshire Tea are giving young people the opportunity to play and learn through cricket. Download ‘Switch Hits’ for free at bit.ly/switchhits