With a year to go before the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa, Daily Mail Sport examines the state of England's one-day team and the questions to be answered over the next 12 months.

Kevin Pietersen is watching Jordan Cox drive in the nets during the series against Sri Lanka, and latches on to an error with a perfectionism that made him one of the world's best batsmen.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: It's possible no English summer has generated as many uses of the phrase 'the penny has dropped' than 2026, but for Duckett it feels more than a cliche.

Back in early June, the Lord's Test against New Zealand began with a delivery from Matt Henry that kept low outside Ben Duckett's off-stump and bounced twice on the way through to Jamie Smith.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Whatever concerns England fans may have about the decision to reappoint Joe Root to the captaincy of the Test team, no one can accuse him of lacking self-awareness.

With the fallout from the past fortnight far from over, and further changes inevitable in Nottingham, Daily Mail Sport looks at the doubts hanging over England's under-pressure Test team...

When Jordan Cox finally makes his Test debut against New Zealand at The Oval this week, he will complete an improbable journey that began with a show of bravado at the age of 10.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - Cricketer of the year

Only a few days after the win that was supposed to put to bed a dark winter and open the curtains on sunlit uplands, English cricket feels more confused than ever.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Among the crowd of 30,000 at Lord's this week for the first Test between England and New Zealand will be a face many thought would never fit.

Even now, months later, England's lack of preparation for the Ashes induces a grimace. The bad news is that Australia are unlikely to make the same mistake ahead of their return trip in 2027.

Cricket is on the brink of a major technological breakthrough with three counties practising with balls containing a chip that provides access to new levels of data.

The meeting was called due to increasing worries among non-host counties about spiralling costs and inflation. A document seen by Daily Mail Sport flagged up widespread fears of 'irrelevance or failur...

Allan Lamb can't shake off his anger - both because of England's performance in Australia and the subsequent decision to stick with the managerial status quo.

It is not quite a year since Sam Cook won his lone Test cap. But as well as being a little older, he is also wiser. Having tried too hard back then, he is more relaxed now. And he wants his England pl...

The latest in Wisden's long-running series of almanacks has topped the Independent Bookshop Top 20 in its first week, according to the latest set of data released by NielsenIQ BookScan.

Outgrounds have a special place in the hearts of cricket lovers, the more so when not only abandoned by their county, but demolished and built over.

The camaraderie, work ethic and sheer strength from doing pit work once bred a host of fine players, writes Tanya Aldred

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Rew's name keeps cropping up in the England conversation - and no matter that he prefers the No 4 slot to the top three.

In a winter of regret for the England Test team, one question went surprisingly unasked: how might they have fared on Australia's spicy pitches had Ollie Robinson not been persona non grata?

English cricket's decision to stick with the status quo in the wake of the Ashes debacle had been long expected - but it is more of a gamble than the ECB hierarchy seem to think.

'If only I'd known this was going to happen, I'd have had a word with Donald Trump,' says the owner of the company that makes Dukes balls. 'Please don't attack anybody before the cricket season starts...

The anger of the jilted sportsman is a tale as old as the English batting collapse. And as Liam Livingstone's latest outburst confirms, anger isn't always accompanied by clarity.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: McCullum confirmed his desire to keep his job after England's T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by India in Mumbai on Thursday, and he will be given that chance.

England were eliminated from the T20 World Cup after falling just seven runs short in their spirited chase of 254 against India. LAWRENCE BOOTH has rated each player's T20 World Cup campaign.

Drizzly Hove in February does not immediately feel like ground zero for one of English cricket's most vexed debates. But the financial misadventures of Sussex have dictated otherwise.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN SYDNEY: This was not England's worst Ashes tour among their many failures in Australia down the years. But it was arguably their most disappointing.

It pains Matt Prior to say it, but say it he does. England's former wicketkeeper is ticking about the performance that left Ben Stokes's side two down in the Ashes with three to play.

When Chris Broad suggests it will be 'tricky at the Gabba, because all eyes are going to be on him', it hardly needs explaining that he's talking about England's troubled opener Zak Crawley.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY LAWRENCE BOOTH: Robin Smith has had plenty to be grateful for, and much to test him. By his own admission, he is lucky still to be here.

New Zealand toured India in 2024/25 for three Test matches and lost the series 3-0. R Kaushik’s tour report as well as all three match reports appeared in the 2025 edition of Wisden Cricketer’s Almana...

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Never mind the fact that Australia has not been kind to Joe Root. He simply can't wait for the Ashes and thinks this will be England's best chance Down Under in years.

INSIDE CRICKET: Cricket loves its laws and law 5.3.2. seems as certain as the sun rising in the east: 'The blade shall consist solely of wood.' But for how much longer?

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Dickie Bird, who has died at the age of 92, broke the old rule that a sporting official should never be noticed.