Michael Vaughan stepped down as England captain on Sunday with the timing that finally deserted him on the field but with his reputation intact.
A trio of former England captains has spoken out after the country’s 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of SA in the second Test.
England captain Michael Vaughan admitted there was room for improvement from his side ahead of the ”ultimate test” against South Africa despite a decisive win over New Zealand on Sunday.
Andrew Strauss struck his 12th Test century on Monday to help England complete a remarkable six-wicket victory over New Zealand on the fourth day of the second Test at Old Trafford. England, who trailed New Zealand by 179 runs on the first innings, reached their victory target of 294 in the final over before tea with four wickets to spare.
Brendon McCullum led a New Zealand fightback against England with a run-a-ball 97 to help his side to 208-6 when bad light ended the first day’s play of the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. But three runs short of what would have been the wicket-keeper’s third Test hundred, McCullum was bowled by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.
Monty Panesar returned Test-best figures of six for 126 as England beat New Zealand by 121 runs in the third cricket Test on Wednesday and clinched the three-match series 2-1. Off-spinner Panesar completed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests, claiming three of the five wickets to fall on the final day, hastening New Zealand’s dismissal for 431 as it chased 553 for victory.
Somerset batsman Marcus Trescothick on Saturday announced his retirement from international cricket with England due to health problems. Trescothick has long suffered from a stress-related illness and pulled out of England’s 2006 tours to India and Australia, where the tourists were thrashed in the Ashes series.
New Zealand’s momentum, picked up from a convincing one-day series victory and first Test win in Hamilton, came to a screeching halt on Monday with a crushing 126-run defeat to England in the second Test. Chasing 438 to win the match, New Zealand flirted with pulling off the impossible when they reached 242 for five late on the fourth day.
Tim Ambrose and Paul Collingwood rescued England’s innings after New Zealand’s Jacob Oram had inspired a top-order collapse to ensure the second Test was evenly poised at the end of the first day’s play on Thursday. Ambrose and Collingwood came together with their side teetering at 136 for five during the middle session to combine for an unbeaten 155-run sixth wicket partnership.
New Zealand thrashed England by 189 runs in the first cricket Test on Sunday when England’s second innings disintegrated after Kyle Mills ripped through the top order. Set a tempting target of 300 to win in 81 overs, England were all out for 110 with 26 overs and a full session of play remaining.
England slipped to 87-2 in reply to New Zealand’s 470 all out at the close of play on the second day of the first Test on Thursday. Michael Vaughan was 44 not out with Andrew Strauss on one after Chris Martin took two late wickets. England were 383 runs behind on the first innings.
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/ 22 December 2007
Opener Alastair Cook hit a defiant century before rain washed out the last session to help England draw the final cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday. Left-handed Cook made 118 as England groped to 251-6 in their second innings when a heavy downpour ruined Sri Lanka’s hopes of victory.
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/ 20 December 2007
Alastair Cook scored an unbeaten fifty to help England reach 102 for one before heavy rain washed out the final two sessions on the fourth day of the third Test against Sri Lanka on Friday. Battling to avoid a second loss of the series, England resumed on 2-0, having been asked to follow-on the previous evening.
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/ 5 December 2007
Muttiah Muralitharan bowled two magical deliveries when it mattered most to hand Sri Lanka an 88-run win over a fighting England in the first Test on Wednesday. The off-spinner, who became Test cricket’s most successful bowler in the first innings, got out Matt Prior and Ian Bell in the space of three deliveries with the second new ball to end England’s spirited challenge.
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/ 2 December 2007
Muttiah Muralitharan equalled Shane Warne’s world-record tally of 708 wickets as Sri Lanka sent England crashing in the first cricket Test on Sunday. The off-spinner grabbed 4-30 in 23 overs as England, replying to Sri Lanka’s modest 188, slumped to 186-6 by tea before heavy rain washed out the rest of the day’s play.
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/ 1 December 2007
England’s pace-spin duo of Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar combined to destroy Sri Lanka for 188 on the opening day of the first cricket Test on Saturday. England replied with 49-1 by stumps after losing opener Alastair Cook to the third ball of the innings when he was trapped leg-before by 100-Test veteran Chaminda Vaas.
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/ 18 September 2007
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England captain Paul Collingwood apologised on Tuesday for visiting a lap-dancing club one day before playing South Africa in Twenty20 World Championship. ”It’s obviously unacceptable and I’ll have to learn from that,” Collingwood said. ”I made a mistake.” Collingwood visited the club in Cape Town after England had lost to Australia on Friday by eight wickets.