Columnists
Mark Butcher: Stephen Fleming is a sound choice but ‘stopgap’ England captain Joe Root faces an uphill battle
Mark Butcher welcomes Stephen Fleming’s appointment as England Test coach but questions the decision to hand Joe Root the captaincy.
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Columnists
/ 3 weeks agoMark Butcher: Sir Garfield Sobers in a league of his own
Mark Butcher pays tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers’ unmatched brilliance and questions the ICC’s controversial new format for the 50-over World...
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Columnists
/ 4 weeks agoMark Butcher: No easy answers as England search for a new coach
Mark Butcher examines England’s search for a new Test coach after Brendon McCullum’s departure, with Stephen Fleming and Justin Langer among...
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoMark Butcher: Harry Brook the ‘best and only option’ to succeed Ben Stokes as England captain
Mark Butcher believes Harry Brook is the standout candidate to replace Ben Stokes as England’s Test captain.
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Columnists
/ 1 month agoMark Butcher: Ben Stokes’ sudden exit leaves English cricket stunned
Mark Butcher questions Ben Stokes’ shock England retirement, his final Test decisions and what his exit means for Bazball and the...
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Columnists
/ 2 months agoMark Butcher: All eyes on Brendon McCullum as English public expects change
It’s difficult to say what change looks like for England. The media seem to want Brendon McCullum to do a volte-face...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoMark Butcher: World Test Championship more muddled than ever
It’s been reported this week that the ICC are ready to resume discussions on Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe being added to...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoMark Butcher: Jofra Archer’s absence sours new-look England Test squad
After all the speculation, England have named a 15-strong squad for the first Test against New Zealand, and there are a...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoMark Butcher: Searching for an Ashley Giles! Who is England’s spinner?
There are no easy answers when it comes to England’s spin conundrum as they consider their options for the first Test...
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Columnists
/ 3 months agoMark Butcher: Ollie Robinson stakes his claim but are England listening?
A lot of the discussion surrounding England’s first Test squad of the summer has been about who should replace Zak Crawley...
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Columnists
/ 4 months agoMark Butcher: Replacement player rule needs an early bath
This season has seen the introduction, on an experimental basis, of a new rule in the County Championship whereby teams are...
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Columnists
/ 4 months agoMark Butcher: Jamie Smith back on track after bleak winter with England
I’m still struggling to get my head around the fact that we’ve had two rounds of County Championship fixtures by mid-April,...
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Columnists
/ 11 months agoMark Butcher: Jacob Bethell in pole position following Ollie Pope’s demotion
We’re in the commentary box for the One-Day Cup final, it’s raining outside, and Nick Knight pipes up: “Who bats three?...
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Columnists
/ 11 months agoMark Butcher: Phil Salt and Jos Buttler go stratospheric
England’s batting performance in the T20 against South Africa at Old Trafford was simply extraordinary.
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Columnists
/ 11 months agoMark Butcher: Proteas ODI defeat showed best and worst of Harry Brook’s England
England’s rollercoaster ODI series against South Africa summed up where they currently are as a side.
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Columnists
/ 11 months agoMark Butcher: Name changes risk undermining the Hundred’s good work
After the most successful edition of The Hundred yet, in terms of both the quality of cricket and audience engagement, there...
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Columnists
/ 12 months agoMark Butcher: Can a revamp reignite the T20 Blast?
As The Hundred draws to a close, attention returns to the Men’s T20 Blast next week, with the first of the...
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Columnists
/ 12 months agoMark Butcher: Jacob Bethell is being asked to run before he can walk
Jacob Bethell’s selection as England captain for next month’s T20I series in Ireland is remarkable in a lot of ways. Not...
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Columnists
/ 12 months agoMark Butcher: The Hundred in holding pattern as identity questions loom
The fifth edition of The Hundred is underway and this feels very much like a holding year. Several of the new...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: The last quick standing – All hail Mohammad Siraj’s Summer
The unforgettable final scenes at The Oval gave us more drama than we knew what to do with. And at the...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: Cricket is not about ‘fairness’ and nor should it be
There’s been some talk this summer about Test cricket introducing substitutes for injured players, in light of Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: Where are the rock-star spinners?
It’s been a tough summer for the slow men, in a tough era full stop. Take Ravindra Jadeja. It has been...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: Jofra Archer adds extra spice to sizzling England vs India series
The Lord’s nailbiter was a throwback of a Test match where conditions dictated the way the game was played. England realised...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: Ben Duckett leads the way for clinical England
We’ve become used to Ben Stokes’ side achieving the unthinkable, but what an incredible win that was at Headingley. India dominated...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoMark Butcher: Triumphant Proteas expose Australian frailties
South Africa’s victory in the World Test Championship final was a fairytale moment for a nation that has been through the...
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