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South Africa batsman Farhaan Behardien has said they were confident at the halfway mark of their match on Tuesday that their total of 189 would be “tough” to surpass for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2016South Africa batsman Farhaan Behardien has said they were confident at the halfway mark of their match against Australia that their total of 189 would be “tough” to surpass. South Africa opted to bat at the Providence Stadium and were struggling at 112 for 6 in the 29th over, before Behardien’s 62 pushed them to a more competitive score.”The chat [during innings break] was to hang in there and we had a score to bowl at,” Behardien said. “We knew that the Aussie team is full of confidence but we knew that 190 would be tough. They didn’t struggle too much getting the score the other night against the West Indies but it was tough. [Today], the first eight overs, Parnell and Kagiso bowled really well and got those three wickets which put Australia on the back foot. So the chat halfway through was that we had given ourselves a chance and if you bowl really well, which we did tonight, we can win the game and I’m very glad that we did. It’s not easy beating the Australian team.”I thought it was one of those wickets where there was quite a lot happening. Finchy played an unbelievable innings considering the conditions. But we always felt that we were in the game. We went with quite a bold game plan with three spinners, and it paid off on a wicket that offers some assistance for the spinners.”Behardien top-scored for his team with his fifth ODI half-century by building partnerships with the lower order. He first put on 37 with Aaron Phangiso, who scored 9 off 41, for the seventh wicket and then 39 with Kagiso Rabada, who stayed unbeaten on 15. Behardien was satisfied to show a gutsy performance on a pitch that was not easy to bat on.”It’s nice to get a score for the team,” Behardien said. “There was a middle-order collapse against Sunil Narine, he kind of got stuck into us on that particular day. Personally, to be out there and grind it out for nearly 30 overs and…the trend of white-ball cricket over the last year has just been of big scores and free-flowing batting innings and sixes and fours. So for me to pull out that performance was pretty satisfying.”Even as teams have struggled to put on big scores at the bowler-friendly Providence Stadium pitches, Behardien hoped the forthcoming matches in the tri-series would be more batsmen-friendly.”Apparently, St Kitts and Barbados offer a bit more pace and bounce, even and through bounce,” he said. “Guyana was obviously low and slow so they brought all the spinners into play. Similarly, our spinners did really well. Phangi took three wickets against the West Indies the other night and Shamsi, Imran [Tahir] and Phangiso again did really well tonight. There’s a big emphasis on playing spin. Hopefully the tracks will be a little more in favour of the batters in St Kitts and Barbados.”Behardien also sang praises for debutant and chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who struck in his first over with the wicket of Glenn Maxwell and finished with an impressive 1 for 36 from eight overs that included a maiden. Shamsi had two lbw appeals in his first over – against Finch and Maxwell – but got only one in his favour.”He brings new energy to the group. He made his debut today against the world champions so we had chucked him in the deep end straightaway,” Behardien said. “I played with him at the Titans, my state franchise side, in South Africa. There’s a little bit of mystery to him.”We’ve seen wrist spinners coming to the fore in the shorter formats – [Adam] Zampa’s coming, a lot of the IPL teams have one or two wrist spinners who turn the ball both ways. I think that’s the key going forward as to try and get some back-up for Imran Tahir. And we need somebody to be groomed by him. Tabraiz Shamsi offers a left-arm chinaman in the mould of Brad Hogg, bit of fire in his belly, always up for the game, always keen to put a performance in. It’s always gold dust to have a guy who turns the ball both ways.”He is tough to pick and I hope he will be tough to pick for the next couple of weeks. Like I said, he’s new so teams won’t have too much footage on him and hopefully the wickets will assist him little bit. But as I’ve heard that the wickets in Barbados and St Kitts are a bit more batter-friendly, he’ll have to work hard and work on his lengths. As a team we’re really excited about a left-arm wrist spinner playing in our starting XI. Hopefully he can be a member of our side for the years to come.”

Middlesex have signed New Zealand left-armer Mitchell McCleneghan as a mid-season replacement for Kyle Abbott in the NatWest Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2015Middlesex have signed New Zealand’s left arm paceman Mitchell McClenaghan, as an overseas replacement for Kyle Abbott in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign after Abbott’s spell with the club expires at the end of June.McClenaghan is currently playing for the Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League, where he is among the leading wicket takers in the competition, with 14 at an average of 22.50.He will be in contention to make his NatWest T20 Blast debut for Middlesex against the Sussex Sharks at Lord’s on July 2 and will be available for the final six group matches of Middlesex’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign.McClenaghan did not have an impressive stint at Lancashire in T20, but his stock has risen on the back of some skilful, wholehearted displays with Mumbai Indians and his figures have given Middlesex additional confidence that he can answer their needs.Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, Angus Fraser, commented: “Replacing one high quality overseas fast bowler with another was not easy but we have managed to do this with the signing of McClenaghan.”Mitchell’s style, left arm fast, gives him a point of difference and his skill has allowed him to take wickets wherever he has played. We look forward to welcoming him to Lord’s at the start of July, for what we hope will be six important and exciting games.”

Alastair Cook praised England’s character after they produced one of their finest Test victories in recent memory to level the series against India with a 10-wicket success in Mumbai

Andrew McGlashan26-Nov-2012Alastair Cook praised England’s character after they produced one of their finest Test victories in recent memory to level the series against India with a 10-wicket success in Mumbai.The win was all the more remarkable for coming off the back of the nine-wicket hammering they suffered in Ahmedabad last week when the pre-series predictions of England struggling to take wickets and battling against India’s spinners came true. However, they have turned their fortunes around, overcoming the home side before lunch on the fourth day, to keep alive their chance of a first series victory in India since 1985.”It was a tough week up in Ahmedabad and the character we have shown in the last three days has been fantastic,” Cook said at the presentation. “I just can’t fault the effort from the lads and the performance they have put in.”England also won the Test the hard way having lost the toss on a pitch seemingly tailor-made for India’s spinners, yet they were comprehensively outbowled by Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann who combined for 19 wickets in the match with Panesar claiming a career-best 11 for 210.When India fought their way to 327 on the second morning it was expected to be a very challenging total on a surface already gripping, but Kevin Pietersen produced arguably his finest Test innings, a scintillating 186, to secure a priceless lead of 86.”It was an important toss, but the way we bowled on the first day was fantastic and then the way Kevin took the game away from India – to get an 80-run lead was vital,” Cook said. “It was a fantastic innings and great to watch from the other end. We could almost have got more of a lead in the end. But the way Swanny and Monty bowled in the second innings when the pressure was on, to not let India get away, was fantastic.” When talking about his innings on the third evening, Pietersen was guarded in ranking its significance, well aware that the job was not quite finished for England. With victory completed he was more verbose but was just as quick to praise his team-mates.”Now that we’ve won, probably at the top,” he said of where the innings stands. “Yesterday I said it was a situation where we needed to win the Test match and hundreds feel a lot better when you win. Panesar and Swann were outstanding in the second innings, and Cooky didn’t talk about himself but he’s a magnificent cricketer. He’ll break every England record. We came to Mumbai, trained hard and worked hard. There’s a good united spirit in the dressing room.”For a couple of months at the end of England’s home season that united dressing appeared a long way away but a working relationship has been restored and a matchwinning hundred will keep the process moving the right away.”Thanks to the guys in the dressing room, the management, for sorting everything out,” Pietersen said. “Every day you put on an England jersey is a special day and we are so privileged as England cricketers. The spectators that travel around with us are magnificent and we couldn’t achieve things without them. Also the Indian support, it’s been brilliant and long may that continue.”

South African players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), have distanced themselves from the ongoing spat between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president Mtutzeli Nyoka

Firdose Moonda10-Sep-2011South African players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), have distanced themselves from the ongoing spat between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president Mtutzeli Nyoka. This comes after CSA said on Friday, at the conclusion of its annual conference, that the national team said Nyoka was a “poor example” because he allegedly breached CSA’s media protocol.”The players are not involved in this issue and have expressed no views in favour of, or against, one side or the other,” Tony Irish, SACA chief executive said. “There have been no letters or statements by the players or by SACA as suggested in some reports.”A letter, written by national team manager, Mohammad Moosajee was presented to the board at their special general meeting on September 8, about his concerns. Moosajee said that he was worried about enforcing protocols and holding the players accountable for their actions in the media if the most senior office bearer of the body is not doing the same.While not stating it explicitly, Moosajee was referring to incidents that have taken place over the past year in the national media. This includes an interview that Nyoka gave to Johannesburg’s biggest talk-radio station, 702, in January in which he called Majola a “liar” and accused him of being dishonest about the IPL bonuses that were paid to Majola and 40 CSA staff. Nyoka has also made various references to corruption in cricket and South African society.The latest development in the CSA saga is a second motion of no confidence in Nyoka, which was tabled at the same meeting. The first attempt to oust the president took place on the eve of the World Cup in February and was said to be a distraction to the players as they entered an important tournament.The national players have not commented on the issue but Moosajee, as manager of the team, has penned the letter to express his concern about the potential for setting a poor media example. He confirmed that the players have “nothing to do with the letter.”Irish said that although the players are not involving themselves in the saga, they would like to see it reach a speedy conclusion. “SACA and the players do however appeal to the leaders within CSA to do whatever they can to resolve the current differences within the organisation in order to prevent further damage to the game.”

Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has said he is desperate to meet with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt so he can get his ban revoked

Cricinfo staff14-Aug-2010Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has said he is desperate to meet with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt so he can get his ban revoked, even going so far as to making several unsuccessful trips to the Gaddafi Stadium in the hope of arranging a meeting.”I am getting desperate now because if the PCB chairman goes abroad once again my appeal against the ban will be left pending for another month or so,” Naved told .The appellate tribunal headed by retired Justice Irfan Qadir is due to hear Naved’s appeal on August 21, but has asked him to meet with Butt before that.”I hope I can get some time with the PCB chairman so that I can state my case to him and have this ban removed,” he said. “If I am unable to meet with the PCB chairman before the next date of my appeal then I am afraid it will be prolonged for another month or so.”Naved, along with several of his team-mates, was punished by the PCB following the tour of Australia in 2009-10. He was banned for one year and slapped with a Rs 2 million fine. All the punished players, except for Naved, have met the PCB again and had their bans revoked, and fines lifted or reduced. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, both of whom were banned, have since been recalled to the Pakistan side as well.”I am ready to go and apologise to PCB chairman if there is a feeling I did something wrong,” Naved said. “I am desperate to play for Pakistan again. But I am not being given the opportunity to state my case before the chairman.”Naved-ul-Hasan was recently permitted by the board to play county cricket. He has played nine Tests and 74 ODIs for Pakistan.

The left-arm spinner had a recurrence of knee soreness after the India series

AAP14-Dec-2024Australia have a fresh injury concern ahead of the Ashes with Sophie Molineux ruled out of the women’s ODI tour of New Zealand with a knee injury.Already sweating on the fitness of captain Alyssa Healy and her sore knee, Australia suffered more bad news on Saturday in the form of Molineux’s injury.Related

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The finger-spinner has battled knee issues this summer, missing some WBBL games with the Melbourne Renegades to manage pain in the joint.She played in the last two of Australia’s 3-0 series sweep over India, but pulled up sore following the last victory in Perth on Wednesday.It means she will now skip all three ODIs against New Zealand this month, with bowling-allrounder Heather Graham to take her spot four weeks out from the Ashes.The games double as the team’s last before next month’s multi-format Ashes series, where Australia will aim to retain the trophy for a fifth straight time.”Sophie Molineux has been withdrawn from the NZ Series due to knee soreness,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “Heather Graham will join the squad in New Zealand on Tuesday, following Tasmania’s Women’s National Cricket League matches against New South Wales in Hobart.”Georgia Wareham would be the most likely player to come into Australia’s XI for the first ODI against New Zealand on Thursday, after she was left out of the final two games against India.In better news for Australia, Healy is at least a confirmed attendee on the New Zealand trip. Australia’s captain missed the three ODIs against India through her own knee injury, after also missing the end of the T20 World Cup with a foot issue.Healy’s return will create a potential headache for selectors given Georgia Voll’s impressive start to her international career against India.Voll made scores of 46 not out, 101 and 26 while deputising for Healy at the top of the order, after a breakthrough WBBL with the Sydney Thunder.But Voll is at risk of being squeezed out of the ODI side in New Zealand, with Healy expected to slot back into opening alongside Phoebe Litchfield.It means the only way Voll would remain in the first-choice XI is if selectors opt to bat her down the order and make the bold call of leaving out a more established player.

Last ball no-ball drama can’t deny home side as London Spirit fall short in chase of 190

David Diangienda15-Aug-2023Oval Invincibles completed the double over London Spirit in a dramatic last-ball thriller to win by two runs and move clear at the top of the Men’s Hundred table.Matt Critchley threatened to steal the win for Spirit with an unbeaten 32 off 13 balls before a Sam Curran no-ball from what should have been the final delivery of the game gave Spirit a second chance with three needed. But tailender Chris Wood could not make contact as the hosts defended 189, which owed to some big hitting from Match Hero Will Jacks who clubbed 68 off 42 before claiming 2 for 22.Heinrich Klaasen also thrashed 46 not out with Curran adding a blistering 35 despite Daryl Mitchell claiming 2 for 16 from 10 balls.Adam Rossington was instrumental in leading the Spirit chase with four huge sixes as he opened with 61 from 32 balls.The opening stages of the match were difficult for Invincibles as they failed to score from five balls, before Jason Roy and Jacks found their fluency in a partnership of 79. The visitors ended the stand when Mitchell had Roy caught behind with his first ball and then Jacks was taken in the deep by Zak Crawley.Klaasen picked up from where Jacks left off as he scored four sixes and he powered Invincibles at the death, while Curran caught the mood of the match before being caught out on the boundary by Mitchell.With the visitors chasing 189 for the win, the partnership of Crawley and Rossington was influential as they scored 58 for none at the end of the powerplay. Rossington reached his half-century off 22 and while Crawley struggled for his timing Spirit kept rolling as the partnership flourished to reduce the requirement to needing 99 off 55.Invincibles got their breakthrough as Curran bowled Crawley off the thigh pad before Jacks claimed two quick wickets, including the key scalp of Rossington.Spirit’s chase started to falter with Matthew Wade out for 19 off 15 balls as three wickets went down in eight balls. But Critchley then found his groove, smashing Curran for back-to-back sixes, before Wood slogged Zak Chappell for four to leave Spirit needing 17 off Curran’s final set of five.Critchley clubbed the third ball into the crowd and thought he had done the same next ball only for Ross Whiteley to somehow palm it back into play. Curran’s no-ball then gave Spirit once last chance but it was too much for Wood as the hosts held on.

Back-to-back centurion describes change in attitude under McCullum and Stokes as “massive”

Matt Roller24-Jun-2022Jonny Bairstow says England are trying to play in a style that is “different to the norm” and has described Test cricket as “a simple game that we complicate” after hitting a 95-ball hundred to rescue England from 55 for 6 at Headingley.Bairstow walked out to bat with England 17 for 3 in the seventh over after a stunning new-ball burst from Trent Boult and had only faced one ball when Joe Root edged Tim Southee behind to leave them 21 for 4. That brought in Ben Stokes, with whom Bairstow had added 179 in 20.1 overs during England’s remarkable run chase in Nottingham in the second Test.”‘Fancy doing another Trent Bridge?’ was the first thing that we said,” Bairstow told Sky Sports. “That was it: ‘OK, let’s crack on’. Sometimes it’s a simple game that we complicate. That’s all we’re trying to do: strip that complicated nature of it back, allow people to go out and express themselves in a way that will bring the best out of them as individuals and also as personalities.”There is sometimes a lot of rubbish spoken about a lot of different things. Sometimes it gets into your mind and clutters it; sometimes you have to just flick it. You have to listen to the people that matter to you and right now I am doing that.”The most important thing is me being me. Literally all Brendon [McCullum] has said is ‘go and impose yourself on the game’. It’s an exciting game and the way I’ve always played my cricket. I’ve gone back to young Jonny, where you’re just watching the ball and seeing the ball.”McCullum, who has quickly instilled an ultra-attacking philosophy since his appointment as England’s Test coach, gave a team talk that Ben Foakes told ESPNcricinfo was “like William Wallace” on the final day of the Trent Bridge Test, but Bairstow said that the message had been stripped back to its core principles in Leeds.Related

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“Literally, there wasn’t anything said,” Bairstow said, “just ‘good luck and enjoy’.” Asked if the simplicity felt new to him, he replied: “Or is that the way that people are so used to it happening? I don’t know. I’m asking you the question. Is that the way that we’re so used to it happening? Or is it just ‘we trust you guys to go and play the way in which you see fit’?”He described the change in attitude under McCullum and Stokes as “massive”, adding: “It’s a buy-in from everyone, from the head coach right down to the guys making their debuts and coming into the squad. Whether you’ve played 170 Tests like Jimmy [Anderson] or making your debut like Jamie Overton, everybody’s buying into a certain way that we believe we’re capable of doing – but also a way of Test cricket that is different to potentially the norm.”It’s a case of putting pressure back on other people. If you sit there, sit there, sit there, there’s a good ball in there for you. Rather than being a sitting duck and saying ‘look, alright, you can bowl at me’ it’s ‘OK, you can’t bowl at me, so let’s go’.”Bairstow hit the sixth and seventh balls he faced for boundaries, both off Boult, and said that he had felt as though he needed to “transfer the momentum” after England’s disastrous start. He continued to attack even after Stokes had chipped Neil Wagner to mid-off for 18 off 13 balls and Foakes had been trapped lbw, leaving England six wickets down early, adding an unbroken 209 with Overton in 37.1 overs to cut the deficit to 65 runs overnight.”There’s different ways of looking at it,” Bairstow said. “You can either go into your shell and bat the way people have done for years and years and years – try to survive against bowlers like Trent Boult and Tim Southee when they’re bowling so well. But you need to transfer the momentum, take them off their lengths. They were hitting their straps, conditions were in their favour.”We’re only a few games into it but we’re definitely looking at it in a different way, going out and expressing ourselves, taking the game forward and hopefully playing in ways that can change games. You need people to stand up and change games. That’s how you win games of cricket, whether it’s a bowler taking five, six or seven-for or batters scoring hundreds.”Bairstow’s hundred was his second at his home ground, and his first since 2016. “You know how much this place means to me,” he said. “Being a Yorkshire lad scoring a Test hundred at home, it’s pretty special. All my family and my mates are here.”Every time you score a Test hundred it’s emotional. It means so much to me to play Test cricket for England and that’s the kind of guy I am: I wear my heart on my sleeve. Sometimes it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I love representing this team, and I am really excited about the journey we are embarking on.”

Finger and calf problems have disrupted his home season but he was still named T20I player of the year

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2021Ashton Agar is hoping to make up for lost time on the T20I tour of New Zealand having seen the majority of his home season wiped out by injury.Agar injured a finger and calf in the ODI series against India, which meant he missed the T20Is, and the latter problem ruled him out of the whole of the BBL with Perth Scorchers who finished runners-up after defeat in the final against Sydney Sixers. He has been preparing for this tour back in Western Australia were his build-up was briefly hit by the Covid-19 lockdown of Perth last week.Despite missing the matches against India, Agar was named the T20I player of the year at the Cricket Australia awards. Now, with the T20 World Cup to work towards in October, Agar is looking forward to getting some time in the middle in New Zealand once the players complete their two weeks managed isolation in Christchurch.Related

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“It has been frustrating, there has been so much cricket on,” he said at Sydney airport. “All I’ve been doing is watching cricket, I’m itching to get out there and that’s a nice feeling to have when you come back after a while to really want to get out there and play.”Lucky I’ve got that opportunity coming up. The injury is coming along nicely. My finger is all healed up and my calf is going really so hopefully fit for game while.”Taking the T20I award and having built an impressive record the ball that reads 30 wickets at 20.86 and an economy of 6.87 has enabled Agar to feel “a bit more settled” in his position but he takes nothing for granted. “You can never get too comfortable because international cricket is a brutal game,” he said.He knows as well that conditions could be a challenge. New Zealand is a tough place for spinners in T20: in the last two years the economy-rate of 8.56 is the joint highest among the top-ranked T20 nations.It’s not certain that Australia will field two frontline spinners in the XI given they will also have Glenn Maxwell’s offspin in the team and perhaps D’Arcy Short’s left-arm wristspin.”That is always the biggest challenge, the smaller grounds,” he said. “I remember going to Eden Park the first time I went to New Zealand and I was like ‘this is a joke, it has to be the wrong ground’ because of how small it was. But it actually brings you into the game as a spinner. They are going to try and hit you for sixes and you’ll get hit for some but you have the opportunity to take a few wickets.”The established pair of Agar and Adam Zampa are joined on this tour by 19-year-old Tanveer Sangha who was the leading spinner in this season’s BBL.”I saw lots of it and was so impressed,” Agar said. “I was just having a chat to him before and have spent a bit of time with him, he’s such a nice level-headed guy. He was able to hold his nerve in his first Big Bash, so his maturity was probably what was most impressive and his skills, I think he’ll be a very fine bowler if he’s not already.”For the new faces – Sangha is one of three uncapped players along with Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith – and the fringe players the tour is a chance to make their claim for a spot at the World Cup. “When you speak about World Cups it takes a whole squad to win one,” Agar said. “We don’t have all the Test stars at the moment but we still have a really good team who I think can beat anyone on their day. Hopefully a few guys can get an opportunity this tour and get a taste.”

T20I format comes to fore as England look to maintain attacking white-ball approach

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2019England’s build-up towards the 2020 T20 World Cup will begin in earnest this week, with the start of their five-match series against New Zealand, and Jonny Bairstow hopes the squad can channel the momentum of 50-over success into next year’s campaign in Australia.England lifted the World Cup for the first time in July, having overhauled their ODI cricket under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan. Although there has been less of a focus on T20 cricket, England did reach the World T20 final in 2016 and the core personnel in the white-ball teams is largely the same.In New Zealand, Morgan will oversee a squad featuring several new faces looking to make a mark. Bairstow is one of the senior batsmen on the tour, with Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali all rested, and after top-scoring in England’s warm-up victory in Lincoln on Sunday, he was excited about the challenge ahead.”I think it does feel like the start of that journey towards the T20 World Cup,” Bairstow said. “It’s going to come around thick and fast. Seeing guys who’ve played county cricket taking the step up to international cricket is going to be fascinating. That, coupled with the guys that are not on this tour but will come back into the team, there’s going to be competition for places.

England XI for 2nd T20 warm-up

Dawid Malan, Tom Banton, James Vince, Eoin Morgan, Joe Denly, Sam Billings (wk), Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Pat Brown, Matt Parkinson

“The cycle for the 50-over World Cup started four years ago. Hopefully we’re fortunate enough that the way we’ve played our 50-over cricket will lead us well into our T20 cricket.”It’s a fascinating period to be playing cricket for England. There’s some very, very talented guys that have played a lot of cricket now
for England that are all together and have the experience of going through the ups, the downs and everything in between.”While the T20I format tends to lose context between major global tournaments – England’s last outing, against Pakistan in May, saw Ben Duckett open the batting and Ben Foakes take the gloves – there is now a clear 12-month run-in for teams to hone their approach. Bairstow is one of a number of England players to have benefited from the ECB hierarchy relaxing its stance on IPL participation, and he suggested the Hundred could also increase Morgan’s options.”You’ve got guys playing T20 in competitions around the world whether that be the Indian Premier League, Big Bash or whatever it may be, so I’m not too sure it’s going to make too much of a difference,” Bairstow said.”Then you’ve got the Hundred that’s starting next year so that’s an even shorter format that will allow people to put their skills on show to potentially push for that squad.”The tour will also bring together many of the same players that contested the 50-over World Cup final during the English summer, on an emotionally draining day at Lord’s. New Zealand’s defeat on boundary countback is likely to gain a mention, even if there are no ODIs scheduled, and Bairstow said they were wary of the hosts’ qualities – despite captain Kane Williamson missing the series through injury.”They’re dangerous no matter what,” he said. “We’ll be expecting a very tough challenge and that’s every time you play against New Zealand because they’ve got quality all the way through. They are a great bunch of fellas but naturally what happened at Lord’s is going to be quite tough for those guys and there will be a fire in their belly and a hunger to put things right.”England could also draw inspiration from watching the rugby team see off the All Blacks in Japan on Saturday morning, setting up the possibility of more World Cup glory at New Zealand’s expense.”We all watched it at the team hotel and it was amazing to see,” Bairstow said. “To say you’ve watched the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand when England were playing New Zealand is pretty cool. Two England World Cup-winning teams in one year would be special, wouldn’t it?”