13 great cricket stories since England last had solid openers
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England's top order has been a shambles since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012. Here are 13 incredible things that have happened in the ensuing seven years.
James Anderson has taken over half his Test wickets
Anderson was already 30 years old when Strauss retired, approaching an age when most fast bowlers would start to wind down.
Instead, he has gone on to claim another 299 wickets – more than half his Test haul – to become the greatest fast bowler in the history of the sport.
Stuart Broad has been busy
Anderson’s opening bowling partner has also found a way to fill the time.
Broad saved a man from committing suicide in 2014, topped FPL fantasy charts for a week in 2017 and has twice dated The Saturdays star Mollie King, not to mention adding another 272 Test wickets to his tally.
England’s ODI team go full circle
Three years after Strauss’ retirement came England’s lowest ebb – a World Cup group-stage exit at the hands of Bangladesh.
Four years later and England are world champions for the first time, yet still no closer to solving their Test opener quandary.
Ben Stokes’ redemption
Stokes has been involved in a brawl outside a nightclub, charged with affray, banned for eight games, acquitted by a jury, returned to the international fold and become a national hero in about a quarter of the time since England last had a solid opening partnership.
Just let that sink in.
Ball-tampering scandal
Australia have also seen players recover from rock bottom after the ball-tampering trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, banned for up to a year, stripped of their leadership positions and responsible for a review into team culture.
Annoyingly, all have now returned to sure up the Aussies’ top order just in time for the Ashes.
The rise of Joe Root
Root had not even made his international debut when Strauss retired, but is now in charge of picking up the pieces as England Test captain.
His journey from baby-faced novice to the country's best batsman has been tough at times, but Root has still managed to find time for a side hustle in mattress sales.
Just received my new #Mline mattress. So important for recovery and rest before and after big games. #💤 pic.twitter.com/SsBTriVufc
— Joe Root (@root66) August 31, 2016
The Hundred
Who knows, maybe cricket as we know it will have disappeared by the time England find another solid opening pair?
After the meltdown that has followed the ECB’s announcement of the new hundred-ball format, don’t rule it out.
T20 has continued to thrive
The biggest criticism of The Hundred is that it is innovation for innovation’s sake, with T20 cricket still thriving around the world.
The establishment of eight major international T20 tournaments since 2012 proves that people haven’t tired of the product yet.
Ireland and Afghanistan handed Test status
Such limited-over dominance means Test cricket is on the wane, though the longest format still remains the pinnacle for many.
Just ask Ireland and Afghanistan, who, in 2018, became the first countries to be handed full Test status in 18 years.
Boyd Rankin’s England adventure
In the same month that Strauss retired, Ireland international Rankin announced his intention to switch allegiances to England.
He made his debut 10 months later, playing seven ODIs, two T20Is and a solitary Ashes Test before returning to play for the country of his birth in 2015.
Jofra Archer goes from Windies outcast to England hero
It's been some journey for @JofraArcher. Three years ago he made his debut for us. Today he is set to play in the #CWC19 final.
— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) July 14, 2019
Everyone at Sussex is right behind you, Jof. Bring it home! #WeAreEngland pic.twitter.com/O8vzwRTveZ
Similarly, in 2014, a young Barbadian had just set his sights on the England team after being left out of the West Indies squad for the U19 Cricket World Cup.
Five years and one super over later, Archer is set to play in his first Ashes series as an English cricketing icon.
Mark Butcher has released two albums
“Get in, hit it hard, get out.” That’s how former England batsman Mark Butcher approached his second studio album ‘Now Playing’, released in July 2019.
Unfortunately, England’s string of replacements for Strauss and Cook have only fully embraced the last part of that approach.
Shane Warne’s new head of hair
The rebirth of Warne’s hair has been a sight to behold over the years, made all the more enjoyable by a couple of toe-curling adverts.
Here’s hoping he hasn’t lost those luscious locks all over again by the time England settle on a new opening pair.
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