Will play for England Lions in four-day fixture; Wood still in contention for Adelaide despite knee setback

Matt Roller03-Dec-20250:39

Ben Stokes explains Will Jacks decision

Ben Stokes has insisted that Shoaib Bashir and Mark Wood can still play roles for England in the rest of the Ashes series after missing out on selection for Thursday’s day-night Test at the Gabba.England have made a single change from the side that lost inside two days in Perth, with Wood ruled out and replaced by the allrounder Will Jacks. Wood has been wearing a brace over his strapped left knee in Brisbane this week but will remain with the squad, while Stokes said that Jacks’ inclusion ahead of Bashir was simply a “tactical” decision for a pink-ball Test.Bashir – along with Jacob Bethell – has been released to play for England Lions against Australia A in a four-day fixture at Allan Border Field, which starts on Friday, and Stokes stressed that he is still seen as England’s “best spinner” ahead of the final three Tests in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.”We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used, and there was a bit of a tactical element to it,” Stokes said on Wednesday evening, before England trained. “Obviously Jacksy’s ability with the bat, to have that down the order for us is useful as well. [But] if it ever comes down to picking our best, number one spinner, selection would go the other way.”Stokes and Brendon McCullum explained the decision to Bashir before England named their team publicly on Tuesday afternoon. “It was pretty much that we thought that was the best XI for the conditions and the circumstances of the game,” Stokes said. “But he knows that if it comes down to picking our best spinner, he’s the man.”Related

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Bashir has not played a first-class match since the second Test of England’s series against India in July, when he broke the little finger on his left hand attempting a return catch. He was expensive in England’s internal warm-up match in Perth and, after being named in a trimmed 12-man squad for the first Test, was left out in favour of an all-pace attack.England first picked Bashir for their tour to India in early 2024, when he had only taken 10 first-class wickets, and have backed him as their first-choice spinner for the last 18 months. He also now finds himself in the unusual position of having a contract with England but not with a county, after his Somerset deal expired at the end of last season.Wood’s setback after bowling only 11 overs in his first international appearance since knee surgery is a clear concern for England. At this stage, he appears unlikely to be fit in time for the third Test in Adelaide on December 17, but Stokes said that Wood will do “everything” possible to return later in the series.”It’s obviously a little bit of a setback,” he said. “But he’s doing everything that he can, and the medical group are doing everything they can to try to get him to potentially be available for selection in the last three [Tests]. But yeah, look, we’ve got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we’ll just see how things play out with that.”Stokes said that the “incredibly talented” Jacks has a chance to establish himself as a more regular Test cricketer three years after winning his first two caps in Pakistan, and said that he had performed impressively since arriving in Australia.”He’s turned himself into the cricketer I always thought he could be,” Stokes said. “He’s incredibly talented, and I think he’s gone from strength to strength since that Pakistan tour. He’s been playing so well in the nets and the time he’s been out here training. It’s great for us that we’ve got someone who’s looking in pretty good order coming into a big Test match.”England are 1-0 down heading into Thursday’s second Test and have not won any of their last nine Tests in Brisbane, a run which dates back to 1986.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has taken a fresh swipe at Mohamed Salah ahead of the team's Champions League clash with Inter at San Siro on Tuesday evening. Salah has been left out of the squad for the game in Milan following his critical comments after Saturday's draw with Leeds, and his future at the club remains in doubt. Carragher has already branded Salah a "disgrace" for his outburst and has now followed that up with a fresh post on social media.

Salah in the spotlight amid Liverpool struggles

Salah vented his frustrations at Liverpool after being left out of the starting XI by Arne Slot for the third straight match against Leeds last time out. The 33-year-old Egypt international, who has scored 250 goals in 420 Liverpool appearances, claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" at Anfield and alleged someone at the club wants him out. Salah also claimed his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down. His comments shocked the football world and drew a critical response from Carragher who dubbed Salah a "disgrace" and claimed his comments were designed to "cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position." Slot has responded by admitting he has "no clue" if Salah will play for the club again and subsequently left him out of the squad travelling to Italy for their Champions League match.

AdvertisementCarragher takes fresh swipe at Salah

Salah has posted an image on social media on Tuesday of himself training alone in the gym at Liverpool while his team-mates are in Milan preparing for their Champions League match without their talisman. Carragher has reacted to the post by responding: "I'm not sure I've wanted Liverpool to win a game more than tonight for a long time! Come you mighty reds."

Will Salah play for Liverpool again?

While Salah will play no part against Inter, it's still not clear if he will feature for the Reds again. Slot's side are in Premier League action on Sunday against Brighton, a fixture which will be Salah's last before he is due to link up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Liverpool boss has been asked if Salah will feature against the Seagulls but was coy in his response. He told : "We are here for the Inter game. And I think you can understand that the last two days were already a lot. A lot of things going on, after conceding in the last minute against Leeds. Not for the first time this season. Then what happened afterwards. So I think you can understand that my full focus is now on Inter Milan, and we will see what the future is."

Slot was quizzed further on the saga with Salah and added only: "No, far from ideal. Not good for anyone. First of all, not for the club, not for the team, not for him as well. So, far from ideal, but, yeah, we reacted in the way we did not to take him here. And that tells you what we felt about his comments."

The drama has brought a fresh wave of speculation about Salah's future, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal reportedly willing to sign the forward in the January transfer window if he does decide to move on from Liverpool.

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AFPLiverpool face tough task in Italy

Liverpool must now focus on their clash with Inter and what promises to be tough match against the Serie A giants. The Nerazzurri, who reached last season's Champions League final, head into the game with four wins from their opening five matches in the competition and are also currently sitting in third place in the Serie A table. The Reds were humbled 4-1 last time out in the competition at home to PSV and know another poor result will pile more pressure on Slot during what's fast become a nightmare second season at Anfield for the Dutchman.

The former Sri Lanka opener chats about the challenges of coaching an Associate team and what he’s learning from the experience

Shashank Kishore08-Sep-2025Searing Dubai heat, a fresh squad of players of whom he knew no one, and no time to breathe. That’s how Kaushal Silva’s tenure as Hong Kong’s head coach began two weeks ago.The former Sri Lanka opener had barely been able to shake off jetlag before he was thrown into the thick of preparations for the Asia Cup. Within hours of arrival, he went straight into planning sessions, centre-wicket practice, and match simulations.”It’s been a baptism by fire,” Silva, 39, tells ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t even been to Hong Kong yet. I flew straight from Melbourne [where he lives] to Dubai for our preparatory tour before the tournament.Related

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“The players had already been training back home, and my assistant Andrew [Lloyd] and I were coordinating over the phone to finalise combinations and training plans. Once we got here, it was about getting straight to work.”The work, as Silva describes it, has been less about endless batting and bowling drills, and more about mastering the smaller yet crucial details. His first priority was to get the players outdoors, playing on big grounds and on turf pitches – which they hadn’t been able to do for over two months at home due to non-availability of grounds and rains.”The shift from indoor to outdoor cricket is massive,” Silva says. “We were lucky to have excellent facilities here and to spend time on centre-wicket pitches. It’s those little things that help players polish their game.”After retiring from international cricket in 2019, Silva emigrated to Australia and stumbled into coaching almost by chance. Former Hong Kong coach Trent Johnston encouraged him to combine playing with coaching at club level at Victoria, and Silva jumped at the opportunity.That same year, he completed his Level 3 course at the ICC Academy in Dubai. He calls that moment a “turning point” in how he viewed the game.In Australia, Silva designed grassroots programmes and even ran his own academy while working his way into Victoria’s district and state set-ups with both boys’ and girls’ pathway players. Most recently, he headed the cricket program at a leading private school while continuing to coach a premier-division team.Kaushal Silva emigrated to Australia after retiring from international cricket•Francois Nel/Getty ImagesWhen the Hong Kong job came along just over a month ago, he saw it as a new challenge, and the perfect opportunity to blend his experiences as a player and coach to build something meaningful for an emerging cricket nation. Coming from Sri Lanka and Australia, where international and first-class cricketers have year-round access to high-performance centres, masseurs, physios and coaches, Silva has now begun to experience firsthand the challenges of working with an Associate team.”You don’t have the same resources,” he says. “Sometimes you only get training at certain times of day, and often only indoors. But that’s the reality. We can’t let it become an excuse.”Instead, he has challenged his players to – as the cliche goes – control the controllables.”If we want to go on a journey to regain ODI status [Hong Kong lost it in 2018, soon after that year’s Asia Cup], we have to change our mindset,” he explains. “No one is going to hand us anything. We prepare with what we have, and we prepare as best as we can. That’s the message I want these players to believe.”That belief has started to translate into performances. Hong Kong have played four practice games on this tour, winning two of them. Silva’s message has been about playing what he calls fearless but smart cricket.”I don’t want recklessness,” he says. “I want them to think ‘how do we use the bigger boundaries’, ‘how do we hit into pockets’, ‘how do we convert ones into twos?’ These are small adjustments, but they can make a big difference.”These aren’t things they’re used to being challenged [on], because in Hong Kong, a simple chip over the infield is a boundary. There’s no concept of running twos. It’s either singles or fours. These may seem like small things, but it’s massive.”Given how little time there has been between his appointment and this Asia Cup, Silva has prioritised building relationships. He has already had one-on-one chats with every player in the 20-man prep squad – it was pruned to 17 on Sunday – to understand their backgrounds, their motivations, and their training habits.”This tournament is my chance to observe them in pressure situations,” Silva says. “How they react to others’ success, how they respond when the heat is on. All that helps me figure out how to support them better.”‘As a player, I used to think [coaches] weren’t telling us much. But now I understand. Sometimes, too much information can be a problem.’•AFPSome of Silva’s philosophy on coaching has been absorbed from Sri Lanka’s coaches during his playing career – Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace and Stuart Law.”As a player, I used to think they weren’t telling us much,” he says. “But now I understand. Sometimes, too much information can be a problem. First, you have to understand the person. Only then can you guide them.”That people-first approach, he believes, will be key to Hong Kong’s progress.”Managing personalities is everything,” he says. “How I get the best out of one player might be completely different to how I get the best out of another. That’s my strength and that’s what I’m still figuring out with this group.”At the Asia Cup, Hong Kong play their first two games within three days, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Then there’s the inevitable storyline: Silva coaching against the country he represented at the highest level, on September 15.”Of course it’s exciting,” he says. “But for us, it’s just another game. From day one, I told the boys: we are here to compete, not just to make up the numbers.”That belief, Silva says, will define Hong Kong’s campaign. “Whoever makes fewer errors wins the game. It’s as simple as that. And that can be anyone, including us.”

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