England Cricket 2026

Addick Addict said:

The ECB review has come out with some stunning revelations (well not really - everyone bar Key and McCullum could see what they were doing wasn't working):

There is acknowledgment from all sides that mistakes were made in the lead-up to the Ashes and that, in future, there will need to be more adequate preparation for England players that will involve them playing more county cricket where that fits the schedule and their workload. There will also need to be better and more intense warm-up matches before away series where this can be arranged with the host board. There has already been an agreement between the ECB and Cricket Australia to allow for higher quality warm-up matches before each Ashes series, both here and in Australia.

McCullum and the Test captain, Ben Stokes, will need to realign on what they believe should be the style of play and tactics after the two appeared to diverge during the Ashes. McCullum seemed to stick with his belief that aggressive, attacking cricket was the best approach while Stokes moved more towards a traditional style of defensive play, hinting he wanted a team that showed grit and determination, perhaps more than style or flair, as that is what is required to win in Australia.

The review has also recognised that a great deal of goodwill towards the team was lost over the winter, both because of the nature of the meek surrender of the series, in only 11 days, but also because of the perception that they were unprofessional and unbothered. There was a sense too that the team’s management had allowed the culture to become overly relaxed and consequence-free and that is why some players felt it was acceptable to take part in excessive drinking and late nights out, even on the evening before a match, as was the case with Harry Brook before the ODI in Wellington in November.

Since the Ashes, a midnight curfew has been introduced and the ECB is understood to have made clear that, without veering too far the other way, the culture of the team must be more professional and focus on high performance, rather than one that sees golfing and nights out as an avenue to success. McCullum had already put in place some cultural changes to the dressing room during the T20 World Cup with more intense and longer practice and net sessions.

Addick Addict said:

fenaddick said:

Addick Addict said:

fenaddick said:

I mean I don’t like the Hundred but he hasn’t exactly criticised it has he? Professional cricketer doesn’t enjoy not being picked to play much cricket isn’t much of a story. Especially as he’s worked for broadcasters covering the tournament before. Maybe I’m being dim but nothing in that quote is criticising the competition 

Anderson says he "hated every minute of the Hundred". That means playing as well as sitting around not doing anything (3 games and 50 balls delivered). There will be some that enjoy the Hundred, especially now with the inflated salaries, but a lot don't like it and others who treat it like a joke of a competition. They are not going to bite the hand that feeds them in saying that publicly. 

Anderson also says that he wants to play in the Blast as well as the CC - there are professional cricketers, especially those with traditional roots in the game, who do genuinely hate the concept and treat it the Hundred "mickey mouse" competition. That means he does see the Blast above the Hundred and is prepared to turn down the extra money in committing to the latter. The fact he would rather be on hols than commentating or even watching is further evidence of his contempt. In fact, unlike others who have been prepared to wax lyrically about each and every average catch taken or shot played, he might have felt a bit of a fraud in commentating.  

The other thing about this is that Anderson has had a fall out with the ECB - he wanted to carry on playing for England. He was also England bowling coach for a time but his desire to carry on playing county cricket didn't sit comfortably with the ECB. So he probably is just speaking his mind without fear of any reprisals. The word "hate" isn't used publicly very often by individuals who want to form an alliance with the body that runs a sport. 

Like I say, I’m also not a fan of The Hundred but I think that’s a bit of a reach. Anderson wanting a holiday over the summer for the first time in about 20 years doesn’t mean he hates a competition, neither does the fact he hated his experience of playing it. Surely if he is letting loose and really hated the whole competition  he’d just say that. 

I feel like there’s some bias here and the wider cricketing public will jump on any bit of criticism and praise it to high heaven. If Matt Potts came out and said he hated every minute of The Ashes over the winter would we assume he hated The Ashes? Or would we just assume he had a bad time because he barely got a game for a team who performed badly and then had a shocker on the field too. 

But Matt Potts didn't come out and say he hated the Ashes though. Anderson did say he "hated every minute of the Hundred". The former made no such negative statement about an experience whilst the other could not have been more vehement if he tried - Anderson didn't qualify any part of saying that he "hated every minute of the Hundred" as not being a criticism of the competition itself. He hasn't said that he hates the Blast - in fact he wants to play in it. There is no CC match for Lancashire in the four-week gap between 23rd June and the start of the Hundred on 21st July so if he wanted a break and play in the Hundred then he could have had that then. He specifically indicates that he wants to be as far away from the Hundred as he possibly can be.