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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A fascinating story about how Hampshire used a lawsuit against the ECB, and the implied threat of publicly attacking their biases, to get a £1m cash payment and a guaranteed men's Ashes test. Something for the other seventeen counties to think about...

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Keeping Rob Key makes sense if England expect to hire a new Test coach before the Pakistan series. If not, they have the time to hire a new DOC and then for that director to hire a new coach.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Sophie Ecclestone has scored more runs in the second innings than all of England's top three in both innings combined.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The changes in England's ICC men's team rankings from the day Rob Key was hired as Director Of Cricket to today: Tests: 5th ▶️ 5th ODI: 2nd ▶️ 8th T20: 2nd ▶️ 2nd Either not improving or getting worse in every format. Luckily for him, things are going well off the field...

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The funniest outcome would be if Stokes appealed this because, on the face of it, it looks like the ECB have gone "Well we actually can't prove you did anything wrong, but we have to punish you for something or we look ridiculous." And he probably has really good lawyers.

Stokes and Atkinson were found to have breached specific contractual obligations that require England players to at all times maintain the highest standards of conduct and act in the best interests of England cricket.

In addition to not being considered for selection for the second Rothesay Test, they have both been given a written warning as to their conduct.

It was also concluded that no blame should be attached to the players for violent conduct at the nightclub.

Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness either incident.

The evidence the ECB has seen demonstrates that Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks and did not retaliate on either occasion.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Across the four World Test Championships so far, England have been docked 48 points due to slow over rates. The other eight teams combined have been penalised 59 points, Pakistan having the most at 21.

England have been fined 50 per cent of their match fee and penalised 12 ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

If it turns out that there wasn't actually a curfew in place on the night according to the policy actually given to the players, or it was ambiguous, then Rob Key should be fired. He made a big play of trying to stamp his authority on the team, and it's backfired spectacularly.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

It's a good thing that Rob Key has repeatedly rejected the notion that the men's England team has a drinking problem, otherwise this might be seen as some kind of pattern...

ECB Statement: Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson

The ECB is investigating a breach of team protocols following first Men’s Test against New Zealand
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The ECB is currently investigating a breach of team protocols following the conclusion of the first Men’s Test against New Zealand.

Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning when an incident took place.

We are currently seeking further information, and an announcement regarding the squad for the second Test will be made in due course.

The Cricket Regulator has been informed and we will provide a further update when possible.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

England's 10th wicket stand was their second-highest partnership in the innings, and number 11 Shoaib Bashir was the third-highest individual scorer. Embarassing.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

It's quite generous to suggest that Middlesex are not already irrelevant, but it's not clear whether the revolting former players are presenting any answers to Middlesex's issues.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Luke Wright resigned as England men's selector in January, and no replacement is likely until May. Brendon McCullum is having a three month vacation in New Zealand. Who is going to be watching the County Championship to decide who will replace the underperforming Test players?

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

The story of Bazball is, as is appropriate, consistently doubling down. First Rob Key added an extra two years to McCullum's contract, and now Richard Gould personally backing both McCullum and Key to turn things around. It's a risky gamble. If it fails, all three have to go.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

If English cricket only has half the number of Dukes balls needed for the cricket season, there are two clear solutions: 1) Seven rounds of the Championship with the Kookaburra red ball. 2) Division 2 plays with the Kookaburra all season.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Instead of seeing interviews with hard-hitting questions like "Are you looking forward to playing for Kent?" or "Are you disappointed about this winter?", lots of people are now seriously asking if they're covering up something major. The ECB *stinks* at public relations inews.co.uk/sport/cricke...

inews.co.uk

England ban players from talking about Ashes disaster

Efforts to 'control the message' by the ECB have included banning the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Harry Brook from their county media days

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

If McCullum keeps his job now, then that is locked in until late 2027. There's no other convenient times in the schedule to make a change. If the England team falters, it should be Rob Key who gets the sack. This would give his successor time to try and 'fix' McCullum.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Remember when The Hundred was specifically designed to attract cricket fans from the British Pakistani community because it would shake off the "pale, stale and male" image of county cricket and the England team?

An edited screenshot from Father Ted of a man behind a stone wall saying "I hear you're a racist now, The Hundred".

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

People opposing Strauss' possible return to the ECB are suggesting Atherton, Hussain or even Vaughan as alternatives. This misses the point. Commentators main skill is to talk plausibly about cricket. When hired in more hands-on roles, in all sports, they almost always fail.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

At the halfway point of the Men's T20 World Cup group stages, neither England nor Australia are in the top two spots needed to make the next round. If both don't qualify, expect the next World Cup to be restructured to ensure the Big Three are guaranteed more matches.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

With that short innings from captain Harry Brook, he probably has time for a quick pint before he has to face the media. Not that he has a problem, obviously...

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

The thing to remember about the ECB putting Sussex into special measures due to its long term financial mismanagement is that the ECB hired the then-CEO of Sussex CCC as its Managing Director Of The Professional Game just two year ago. You've got to laugh... www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

theguardian.com

Sussex CCC placed in special measures over alleged financial mismanagement

Sussex have been placed in special measures by the England and Wales Cricket Board due to alleged financial mismanagement

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Rob Key apparently gave Harry Brook a "final warning" three months ago regarding his drunken behaviour. What followed showed Key's complete lack of authority or respect from the players. They clearly see him more as a golf partner than a boss. He has to go. www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2026...

telegraph.co.uk

England’s booze-fuelled Ashes left Stokes and McCullum divided

Telegraph Sport details England’s wretched time Down Under that was marred by controversies off the pitch and woeful performances on it

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

We would like to apologise to the ECB, specifically Brendon McCullum and Rob Key. We have long said that the ECB couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, but this team has demonstrated that they can organise one anywhere. This is progress. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...

bbc.co.uk

Ashes 2025-26: Harry Brook apologises after altercation in New Zealand nightclub

England's Harry Brook apologises after being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before an ODI on the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

The tough pill for England and their fans to swallow is that this was a genuine opportunity to win an overseas Ashes. Australia had a relatively weak batting lineup, and only one of their first choice bowlers through most of this series, but still dominated England.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

McCullum and Stokes can think themselves lucky that they are not in football, because a performance like last night would be framed as them having "lost the dressing room" and they would be hounded until they were sacked.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Under Brendon McCullum, England's Test team haven't won a series against India or Australia (in four attempts), and finished fifth out of nine teams in the 2023-25 World Test Championship. There's clearly room for improvement here.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

While Sir Andrew Strauss uses England's failures to tout his 2022 High Performance Review, he doesn't say that Rob Key was a co-author of that review. Key has also implemented parts of that review, which we did a point-by-point critique of at the time: beingoutsidecricket.com/2022/11/02/t...

A list of the ECB's High Performance Review authors, including Rob Key.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Famously, Olympic athletes prepare for the biggest sporting event of their lives by going on a week-long bender a few days beforehand. It really puts them in the physical and mental state required to reach the very pinnacle of their abilities.

England said their four nights in the beach resort of Noosa had been scheduled for more than a year, which possibly leaves it as one of the best-planned parts of the tour.

Some used it in the spirit it was intended. Root, for example, had accommodation with his family away from the main drag and was never spotted near a bar. It was curious that more family members were not present for what was billed as a break from the Ashes.

For others, it was a glorified stag do. Some members of the team followed two days of drinking in Brisbane with four more in Noosa – six in total, as many days as there had been of Test cricket at this point in the tour.

The England party was hardly inconspicuous, drinking by the side of the road, with plenty wearing traditional Akubra hats that became the uniform of the holiday.

There was a three-line whip issued to attend a kick-about on the beach, where England were sledged by local radio DJs and mingled with other holidaymakers.

Stokes was seen out running, while on another occasion strength and conditioning coach Pete Sim invited the entire group for a run along the coast at 07:45am. Smith, Bashir and Tongue were the only players to turn out.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

McCullum was right. If anything, England overprepared for this series. After all, they could have lost 3-0 without practicing at all...

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Balls taken to lose an Ashes series in Australia: 2010/11: 10,010* 2006/07: 7,022 2017/18: 6,623 2013/14: 6,443 2001/02: 5,380 2021/22: 5,115 This series is now at 4,480, which is 105.5 overs less. The only way this isn't the quickest loss this century is if England win or draw.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Ben Stokes didn't bowl at all today, which is especially worrying considering that he has England's best bowling average in this series and the must-win nature of the match. Whatever the issue, it must be serious.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

As it stands overnight, while he is not out, Jofra Archer has the second-highest batting average for England in this Ashes. Even if he was dismissed without scoring another run, he would still be ahead of Crawley, Jacks, Pope, Duckett and Smith, halfway through the series.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Matthew Fisher has taken two wickets for 259 runs in four innings during the Lions tour of Australia, which is an average of 129.50. By comparison, Nathan Gilchrist has taken nine wickets at an average of 32.56 for the Lions.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Jofra Archer: Has a higher batting average than Stokes, Duckett and Smith so far in this series. Would have a much better bowling average if England could catch. Has bowled more overs for England in this series than everyone bar Atkinson. Gets clicks when he's in the headline.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

The men's England cricket team is good at winning some things. They have won the toss in their last seven Tests. In those matches, their record is won 2, lost 4, drew 1.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

England survive a whole session without losing a wicket, but because they only scored at 2.46 runs per over it doesn't count and is in fact a moral victory for Australia.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Everything for England to play for tomorrow. Will they lose by an innings, or lose by a mere ten wickets? Wake up at 4am to find out!

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

'Only' 12 overs short today, a huge improvement on the 16 lost yesterday. England will probably get hit with a points penalty in the World Test Championship though because, unlike Australia, they didn't take their chances in the field.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

England have skipped directly to Step 4 in the cycle, renewing the contracts of everyone bar Kate Cross from the squad who lost the Ashes 16-0 and then limped out of the following ODI World Cup. It doesn't look like anyone new will be in the T20 World Cup team next year.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

More trouble at Middlesex. Some questions members might want to ask at Tuesday's public meeting: 1) How much has Middlesex spent on legal fees and crisis management consultants during Cornish's tenure so far? 2) Will the club be funding Cornish's legal defense?

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

England have announced that they will be sending just three players from the senior squad to the pink ball warmup game this week: Bethell, Potts and Tongue. The reaction if they lose the next Test could get extremely ugly. www.ecb.co.uk/news/4408007

ecb.co.uk

Three Ashes squad players to join Lions for Prime Minister’s XI fixture

The day/night match will be played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Positives for England to take out of this Test: The bowlers won't be tired. Every time they get dismissed playing an attacking shot in this series they can say they were trying to emulate Travis Head. The Lake Karrinyup golf course is open on Sundays.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Obviously it's not going to be a major topic of conversation, but the two teams were 16 overs short of the allotted overs today. That's the equivalent of more than a full hours' play.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Joe Root out now as well, just 100 short of his first century in Australia...

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

It's nice of Steve Smith to keep bowling Scott Boland at the other end to Starc, or this would seem a real horror show for England.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

If you can tell what's happening in an Ashes from the first ball, then Zak Crawley is going to play like Dom Sibley crossed with Sir Alastair Cook.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

A bold move from the ECB, which increases the average pay gap between the men's and women's Hundred from roughly £50k per player to £70k per player. www.thehundred.com/news/4393081

thehundred.com

The Hundred to move to an auction and increase salaries

The Hundred will hold the first auction in major UK sport.

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Being Outside Cricket @outsidecricket.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

Tammy Beaumont - 34 Amy Jones - 32 Heather Knight - 34 Nat Sciver-Brunt - 32 Linsey Smith - 30 Danni Wyatt-Hodge - 34 Two years until the next Ashes series. Four years until the next women's ODI World Cup. How many of these cricketers have played their last ODI for England?

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