The win was set up by centuries in the first innings by Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and Gill (129*).
West Indies were bundled out for 248 in reply but did manage to fight back and make India bat again with a better second-innings showing.
John Campbell and Shai Hope hit dogged centuries, taking the tourists to 271-3 before Hope was bowled by Mohammed Siraj and the middle order collapsed.
Six wickets fell for 40 runs, before some late hitting by number 11 Jayden Seales added enough runs to give India a chase of sorts.
However, the hosts were always going to win once Rahul and Sai Sudharsan, who added 39 to his first-innings 87, put on 79 for the second wicket.
India’s next assignment is a white-ball tour of Australia, which will be broadcast ball by ball on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, before they welcome South Africa for a two-Test series.
West Indies begin a tour of New Zealand on 5 November. They are sixth in the WTC standings, with New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa only below them because they are yet to complete a Test in this latest cycle.
Nepal beat the West Indies by 19 runs in the first of their three T20I matches in Sharjah, spurring wild celebrations.
Published On 28 Sep 202528 Sep 2025
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Cricket fans in Nepal are celebrating their team’s historic win over the West Indies in a T20 international match, the country’s first-ever triumph over a Test-playing nation.
Nepal defeated the two-time former world champions by 19 runs in the first fixture of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday.
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Nepal’s fans cheered for their team wildly in the stands at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium well after the match had ended, and the celebrations continued overnight back in the South Asian nation.
After being asked to bat first, Nepal posted a competitive total of 148-8 in their 20 overs, with contributions from captain Rohit Paudel (38) and middle-order batter Kushal Malla (30).
The Rhinos then put on a spirited bowling and fielding performance to restrict the West Indies, who won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, led by Kushal Bhurtel’s spell of 2-17 from his four overs.
🇳🇵A new chapter written in Nepal’s cricketing story! 📣
Rhinos 🇳🇵 defeats West Indies by 19 runs our first-ever triumph against a full member nation! pic.twitter.com/98cJlLMAwP
The win represents a major milestone for the rising cricketing nation.
“It is a historic win for us and helps improve our players’ standing in the cricketing world,” Chatur Bahadur Chand, president of the Cricket Association of Nepal, told the AFP news agency.
Nepali fans in replica team shirts cheered and waved the national flag as they watched the game in the stadium, TV images showed.
“It was not expected, but as the game progressed, we saw there was a chance we could win,” said Pujan Thapa, 27, who watched the game with family and friends on TV in Kathmandu.
“We were so happy, we stood up and danced.”
The win came as Nepal recovers from deadly anticorruption protests that killed at least 72 people and toppled the government.
Paudel dedicated the win to the protesters who lost their lives, saying it was for “the martyrs back home”, and that it would be great if they could give people “a little bit of happiness”.
Former chief selector Dipendra Chaudhary said the win was a result of the team’s hard work.
“It will motivate them to play well and inspire other young cricketers,” he said.
Social media platforms were also flooded with congratulatory messages for the players.
Cricket has been growing in popularity in the mountainous nation, with Nepal given one-day international status by the world governing body ICC in 2018.
Nepal made its ICC T20 World Cup debut in 2014 and returned to the tournament in 2024, when it came agonisingly close to defeating eventual finalists South Africa.
Like any Test match there were a number of factors at play.
The pitch certainly favoured the bowlers, with Australia’s first innings 225 the highest total of the match before the tourists were bowled out for just 121 in their second innings.
Then there is the quality of the opposition. Australia are the number one ranked Test team in the world while West Indies are eighth out of 12.
The tourists, who host England in the Ashes this winter, won their matches in the three-Test series by 159, 133 and 176 runs respectively.
Mitchell Starc, one of the best fast bowlers of this generation, bowled a fearsome opening spell that demolished the West Indies’ top order in Jamaica on Monday.
“Out of nowhere,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins, Starc can “tear an opposition apart and win a game for you.”
Left-armer Starc was also armed with a pink ball since the third Test was a day-night game. Starc has taken 81 wickets in day-night cricket, far ahead of the next best, his Australia team-mate Cummins who has 43.
The pink ball has similar characteristics to one-day cricket’s white ball in that some believe it swings more, certainly in the right conditions. Of bowlers to have taken more than 200 wickets in one-day internationals, only India’s Mohammed Shami (25.8) has a better strike-rate (average balls bowled per wicket) than Starc’s frankly incredible 26.6.
Australia were also helped by some pretty sloppy shots as the batting line-up disintegrated. Of those who played, opener John Campbell was the highest-ranked player in the world Test batting rankings at 78. Australia have four in the current top 20: Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Usman Khawaja.
“Assessing this series is simple: the bowlers kept us in the contest and the batting let us down time after time,” was captain Roston Chase’s frank assessment.
It is further evidence of the decline of West Indies cricket since its 1970s and 1980s heyday.
Of the 87 Test series they have played since 2000, West Indies have won just 23, with 15 of those coming against three weaker Test-playing nations in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
Three of their five lowest innings totals have occurred in the 21st Century, with another in 1999.
That said, they did claim a credible draw in a two-Test series in Australia in 2024, proving they do have the quality to compete with the best on their day. They were also without some of their more established players such as Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Gudakesh Motie.
West Indies have been battling with “systemic issues” for 25 years that have left them with players “ill-equipped” to deal with the challenges they faced against Australia, according to Trinidadian commentator Fazeer Mohammed.
“It was almost the perfect storm,” he told BBC Sport.
“You’ve got Mitchell Starc, a world class bowler, deadly in any sort of situation and even deadlier with the pink ball, coming up against players really ill-equipped to deal with those sorts of challenges.
“Everything was set up for something like this to happen. You never really factor in 27 all out but, in the general context of West Indies cricket, this was an accident waiting to happen.”
While Lara has been drafted in to help find a solution to the problems facing the current side, Mohammed believes the iconic left-hander’s heroics were part of the reason a lot of the issues were masked for so long.
“What lies behind it is the failure to address the fundamental challenges in our domestic game – in our regional game,” he added.
“We have many different challenges. Fundamental to those would be costs because we have many different territories – it’s very costly to travel around the Caribbean, to host tournaments.
“There’s an air of resignation about it. People will this morning be arguing amongst themselves and debating about how this can happen, who needs to be fired, who needs to be dropped, who needs to be got rid of.
“It’s the same sort of knee-jerk reaction and then they’ll shrug their shoulders and say ‘well this is how it is now’.”
It is almost two and a half years since West Indies last won a Test series – 1-0 in Zimbabwe – and three years since their last home series victory, 2-0 against Bangladesh.
“I don’t think all is lost by any stretch of the imagination,” Mohammed said.
“It requires at a very fundamental level at the schools, at the under-19, under-23 levels a serious financial investment in growing the quality of the game – male and female.
“But also there has to be, first and foremost, that recognition that Test cricket still means something to us in the Caribbean.”
Australia had resumed day three of the day-night pink-ball Test on 99-6 but only added 22 runs as Alzarri Joseph took 5-27 for the hosts.
The Windies reply started with left-armer Starc, 35, dismissing John Campbell with the first delivery before he trapped Kevlon Anderson leg-before and bowled Brandon King with his fifth and sixth balls respectively as all three went without scoring.
Starc took out Mikyle Louis, who had scored four, and Shai Hope (2) in his third over to leave the hosts on 7-5 after 4.3 overs.
Josh Hazlewood removed Roston Chase for a duck to reduce the West Indies to 11-6 before Boland’s hat-trick.
The right-armer dismissed Justin Greaves, who top-scored with 11 of the 27, Shamar Joseph and Jomel Warrican in the 13th over.
A misfield allowed West Indies a run with the score on 26 before Starc bowled Jayden Seales to end the hosts’ innings and give him his 402nd Test wicket, while also reaffirming his status as the best exponent of pace bowling with the pink ball in Test cricket.
“It’s been a fantastic series,” said Starc, who became the fourth Australian to pass the 400-wicket mark as he followed Nathan Lyon, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in reaching the landmark.
“We’ve seen some difficult batting conditions throughout but a fantastic series for us. It’s been a good few days, really enjoyable. I go home with a smile on my face.
“Our bowling attack has been pretty on the money throughout the series and today was another case of that.”
The teams will contest a five-match T20 series next, which begins on 21 July in Jamaica (01:00 BST).
Australia won the first Test in Barbados by 159 runs on day three, in a game where neither team passed 200 in the first three innings, and this match also looks set to be heading to an early conclusion as batters on both teams continue to struggle.
Teenage opener Konstas has now failed to make it into double figures in three of his four outings in the series, and veteran partner Khawaja hasn’t passed 20 in three innings.
Jayden Seales, who took six wickets in the first Test and one in the first innings in Grenada, blew away the two openers inside three overs as Australia failed to navigate a short spell prior to close of play.
The West Indies have a struggling opener of their own, with former captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who made four in both innings in Barbados, caught and bowled by Hazlewood in the second over of the day.
Keacy Carty was then removed for six by Cummins with the same method of dismissal, but King warded off a collapse, adding steady runs alongside Campbell, Roston Chase and Shai Hope.
Having made his maiden Test half-century in his second game in the format, he was dismissed between Chase and Justin Greaves in a flurry of wickets that left West Indies at 174-7 and at risk of a significant first innings deficit.
But the two Josephs frustrated the Australian bowlers with their stand for the eighth wicket, before Seales caused chaos in the final overs of the evening session.
Australia won the first Test by 159 runs but were bowled out for 180 on day one and the top order struggled again in the second innings. They slipped to 65-4 before Travis Head, Webster and Carey bailed them out.
In Grenada teenage opener Sam Konstas and veteran partner Usman Khawaja put on 47 before both were dismissed without another run added.
Smith top-edged a pull shot to fine leg, trying to take the attack to fast bowler Joseph, as Australia lost three wickets for three runs.
Smith, who has replaced Josh Inglis, missed the first Test after dislocating his right little finger during defeat by South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last month.
Cameron Green fell to Jayden Seales off the final ball before lunch to leave the tourists in trouble at 93-4.
Following a brief delay for rain, Head was dismissed for 29, caught behind off Shamar Joseph, with the third umpire ruling wicketkeeper Shai Hope’s take low to his left was clean.
All-rounder Webster and wicketkeeper Carey responded brilliantly to steer Australia to 209-5 at tea.
Carey was more scratchy and was dropped on 46 by Hope but also hit 10 fours and one six in his 63 off 81 balls, before he tamely picked out mid-wicket off Justin Greaves.
Webster was firm in defence in making 60 off 115 but misjudged a risky second run to deep point and was run out by Keacy Carty as Australia’s lower order subsided.
Josh Hazlewood claimed five wickets as Australia wrapped up an emphatic 159-run victory against West Indies in the first Test in Barbados.
West Indies lost all 10 of their second-innings wickets in the evening session on day three of the contest as Australia showed their ruthlessness to close out the match with two days to spare.
Set 301 for victory, the hosts’ response had started promisingly as they overcame the early loss of Kraigg Brathwaite to reach 47-1 with John Campbell and Keacy Carty at the crease.
However, Hazlewood swung the momentum Australia’s way as he ran through the West Indies top order during a characteristically controlled spell which saw four wickets fall for just nine runs.
From 56-5 it was always going to be an uphill struggle for West Indies, even though Justin Greaves (38 not out) and Shamar Joseph (44) provided some late entertainment.
Hazlewood removed Jomel Warrican to finish with 5-43 before Nathan Lyon bagged two wickets in the final over of the day, after play had been extended by 30 minutes, to seal the win.
Earlier, Australia had made a battling 310 in their second innings after Alex Carey had top scored with a punchy 65.
The tourists had resumed the day on a precarious 92-4 but Travis Head and Beau Webster made gritty scores of 61 and 63 before Carey batted smartly with the lower order.
Australia ground out an 82-run lead with six wickets remaining in their second innings after another dramatic day in the first Test against West Indies in Bridgetown.
The tourists, having posted just 180 on Wednesday, trailed by 10 runs when West Indies made 190 in their first innings.
There then looked to be trouble for Australia when they lost early wickets batting second time around and stumbled to 65-4, before the fifth-wicket pair of Travis Head and Beau Webster steered the team to stumps at the end of day two.
Head faced 37 balls for his 13 not out, while Webster scored more briskly, reaching 19 in just 24 deliveries, as they crucially stayed together for eight testing overs.
Australia will begin day three on 92-4, looking for Head and Webster to propel them towards a healthy lead.
After 14 wickets fell on day one, hosts West Indies resumed their first innings on 57-4 at the start of Thursday’s play and soon lost Brandon King, bowled by Josh Hazlewood for 26.
Wicketkeeper Shai Hope joined captain Roston Chase in the middle and the pair put on 67 before the latter was controversially given out lbw to Pat Cummins for 44 despite appearing to possibly edge the ball on to his pads.
West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out, with a late Alzarri Joseph flurry handing them a 10-run lead. Hope top-scored with 48.
Seales and Joseph take nine wickets before Australia stage mini recovery by restricting West Indies to 57-4 at stumps.
In a performance reminiscent of West Indies’ fearsome bowling attacks of old, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph tore through the Australia batting lineup, toppling them for a meagre 180 on day one of the first Test at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood saved Australia’s blushes, taking four wickets between them to send the West Indies in at stumps at 57 for four, trailing the tourists by 123 runs to leave the match delicately poised on Wednesday.
With Seales claiming a magnificent five-wicket haul and Joseph unleashing thunderbolts that left Australia’s batsmen floundering, the visitors never recovered from a catastrophic start that saw them reeling at 22 for three on a lively pitch.
“This one was pretty special for me,” Seales said.
“I have played against [Australia] once, and was injured. To play against them and get five on the first day was pretty special.
“With the new ball, the plan was to bowl fuller. We knew the batters would come hard if we gave them width, and the plan was to bowl full and as much at the stumps as possible.
“A little slower than what the Australians would have expected, and that made them play a lot more.
“Shamar was special today … He has a love for Australia. He got through the top order and made it easy for us in the middle and at the end.”
Australia, already vulnerable with Steve Smith sidelined by injury and Marnus Labuschagne axed, watched in dismay as their re-jigged top order wilted under relentless pressure from the Caribbean quicks.
Joseph got the Bridgetown carnival started in the fourth over when he trapped teenage debutant Sam Konstas leg before wicket after a review.
The 25-year-old then delivered a scorching delivery that all-rounder Cameron Green could only edge to Justin Greaves at second slip.
Seales then joined the party, coaxing a thick top edge from Josh Inglis that sent him trudging back to the pavilion for five, completing Australia’s horror start.
Veteran Usman Khawaja and Travis Head briefly stemmed the tide with an 89-run partnership, but Joseph struck again at the perfect moment, removing Khawaja for 47 – agonisingly short of his half-century – and extinguishing Australian hopes of a recovery.
The middle order offered little resistance, with Beau Webster (11) and Alex Carey (8) falling cheaply before Greaves claimed the prize scalp of Head for 59, caught behind.
Captain Pat Cummins (28) provided the only lower-order resistance before Seales returned to sweep through the tail, completing his five-wicket masterclass and leaving Australia to contemplate the wreckage of their innings.
West Indies would have fancied their chances at that point, but Starc had other plans, snapping up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in an action-packed opening spell.
Cummins then had Keacy Carty caught behind on 20 before Hazlewood bowled nightwatchman Jomel Warrican out for a duck, as the Barbadian sun set on an exhilarating day of Test cricket dominated by pace.
Australia’s Beau Webster is bowled by West Indies’ Shamar Joseph during day one of the first Test match at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados [Ricardo Mazalan/AP]
Teenage opener Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis were recalled in their place, but they scored just three and five respectably as the tourists slipped to 22-3.
Head put on 89 runs for the fourth wicket with Khawaja, who was dropped twice before he became Joseph’s third victim of the day.
Joseph, the hero for West Indies in their famous win in Brisbane 18 months ago, then produced a beauty of a delivery that clean bowled Webster as he ended with figures of 4-46.
Head’s resistance ended when he was caught behind off the bowling of Justin Greaves, before Seales wrapped up the tail to finish with 5-60.
West Indies, seeking a first home Test win over Australia for 22 years, made a poor start to their reply when Starc removed openers Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in successive overs.
Cummins then had Keacy Carty caught behind, before Hazlewood bowled nightwatchman Jomel Warrican in the space of six balls shortly before stumps.
Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for their opening Test against the West Indies with Steve Smith also missing through injury.
In their places, teenage opener Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come in for the series opener in Barbados, which starts on 25 June.
Labuschagne opened the batting for Australia in their World Test Championship final defeat by South Africa last week but finished with scores of 17 and 22 to continue his lean spell.
The 30-year-old has not made a Test hundred since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023.
“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects,” said selection chair George Bailey.
“We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”
Smith, meanwhile, dislocated his right little finger on day three of the final at Lord’s.
Though he has avoided surgery and travelled to the Caribbean, he must wear a splint for up to eight weeks but could return for the second Test in Grenada in July.
“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.
“We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers.
“In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition.”
Nicholas Pooran, one of the world’s leading T20 batters, has retired from international duty with West Indies aged 29.
The Trinidadian has played 167 times for West Indies, but the decision will allow him to concentrate on playing in lucrative franchise leagues.
He had already skipped the ongoing T20 series against England to rest following his time playing for Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He also has deals in Major League Cricket (MLC) and The Hundred this summer.
Cricket West Indies said, external: “We salute his achievements and thank him for the moments he has given fans across the region and beyond.
“We wish him all the very best in the next phase of his journey.”
While Pooran is not the first player to retire from internationals in favour of franchise leagues – South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen did so last week – his decision is one of the most significant, given his age and profile.
West Indies captain Shai Hope was asked about Pooran’s decision to skip the England series last week but said that decision would not impact his future selection.
It is understood Pooran told West Indies of his retirement on Monday.
He last played for West Indies in December 2024 in T20s against Bangladesh, but has not played an ODI since July 2023 and does not play Tests.
Pooran is the most capped West Indian in T20 internationals with 106, and the leading T20I run-scorer with 2,275.
England sealed a comprehensive one-day international series clean sweep over West Indies with a nine-wicket thrashing in a rain-affected encounter at Taunton.
Set a target of just 106 in a match reduced to 21 overs per side, England cruised to victory in 10.5 overs with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt finishing unbeaten on 57 from 33 balls.
Sophia Dunkley made 26 at the top of the order as England rejigged their batting line-up, while Alice Capsey finished unbeaten on 20 in another one-sided affair.
West Indies, who were again without star all-rounder Hayley Matthews because of a shoulder injury, had slipped to 4-3 inside the first four overs after England chose to bowl first under gloomy skies.
Stand-in captain Shemaine Campbelle and opener Qiana Joseph gradually rebuilt with a partnership of 39 before heavy rain led to a five-hour delay after 12.3 overs had been bowled.
Campbelle fell to Charlie Dean from the first ball after the resumption as the tourists slumped further to 58-6, but they smacked 31 from the last two overs to post 106-8.
Leg-spinner Sarah Glenn was the pick of England’s bowlers with 3-21, while seamer Em Arlott took 2-15.
England also won the preceding T20 series 3-0, and their summer continues with three T20s and three ODIs against India, starting at Trent Bridge on 28 June.
Dawson, meanwhile, admits he does not try to do anything “flash”.
While Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley have their high release points and Rehan Ahmed his googly, Dawson is a throwback – the old-school magician who can still deceive you with two hands and a pack of cards, without the need for saws, fire and flashing lights.
In Chester-le-Street, he outfoxed West Indies with that understated routine of tricks.
After conceding only four runs from the first over, Dawson struck in his second.
With extra loop, he dropped 10mph from his previous delivery and found the sharpest turn in the match. Johnson Charles charged towards him to be left stranded and stumped.
From there, after two opening overs that cost only seven, Dawson rested and West Indies rebuilt.
Dawson returned, the dangerous Sherfane Rutherford on strike, and the spinner delivered for Brook as the left-hander hit to long-on.
If credit for that one would be generous, Dawson’s next scalp – two balls later – came with another drop in pace and, crucially, a wider line.
From outside off stump Roston Chase gave Ben Duckett another catch in the deep to make England huge favourites once again.
As boundaries flowed at the other end – younger men Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Matthew Potts among those punished – Dawson was not hit to the rope until his fourth over.
The dangerous Rovman Powell struck him for four twice but a ball later Dawson changed again.
Quicker and flatter he went, Powell was bowled and Dawson had his best T20 international figures.
His 4-20 was also the best by a left-arm spinner for England in the format. Key could hardly have asked for more.
The backdrop to England’s win is the T20 World Cup that looms next year. They have only 12 matches in this format before travelling to India and Sri Lanka, where spin is expected to be crucial.
“That’s not even come into my thoughts,” said Dawson, when asked if he had one eye on making that World Cup squad.
“I’m just happy to be back involved in this, take one game at a time and enjoy every time I play.”
Dawson was an unused squad member when England won the 50-over World Cup in 2019.
Six years on, he may finally be the one they need.
The 3-0 ODI series win was the ideal start for Brook as white-ball captain but recovering England’s form in the T20 format – with a World Cup to come early next year – is of far greater significance.
While Brook has hinted he could re-energise the team, having Buttler at his best will be just as important as anything the Yorkshireman can do on the field.
Buttler, who has said he was drained by the end of his captaincy at the Champions Trophy, took 12 from his first 11 balls before playing an outrageous reverse scoop to Andre Russell’s seam.
In the sixth over he launched Alzarri Joseph twice over mid-wicket and flicked the West Indies quick for a six and a four to fine leg as England scored 78 in the powerplay, despite Ben Duckett being caught for one off a top edge in the second over.
Afterwards Buttler lost the strike and subsequently his rhythm.
West Indies’ spinners dragged the scoring back, with left-armer Gudakesh Motie conceding only 21 from his four overs. Smith hit to mid-wicket, Brook was bowled by off-spinner Roston Chase for six and Tom Banton pinned lbw by Russell for four.
With Jacob Bethell struggling to get going in his run-a-ball 23, Buttler was trapped in front by Joseph within a hit of his second T20 century for England in the penultimate over.
Still, having made 41 not out from just 20 balls in the third ODI on Tuesday, Buttler has hinted his post-captaincy era may be a profitable one.
He has now been granted permission to spend the week at home.
Salt has been replaced in the squad by fellow wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who impressed in his new role opening the batting during England’s 3-0 win in the one-day international series.
Smith is unlikely to play in the first of three T20s at Chester-le-Street on Friday, leaving Somerset’s Tom Banton or Surrey’s Will Jacks as the most likely partner for Ben Duckett at the top of the order.
All-rounder Jacob Bethell is also in the squad and opened for RCB in the IPL.
Friday’s series opener is followed by matches in Bristol and Southampton on Sunday and Tuesday respectively.
Tammy Beaumont hits a century for the second consecutive match to set England up in a commanding position of 257-1 in the second One Day International against West Indies in Leicester.
He has a technically solid defence and drives through the covers with ease. But he can also pick the ball off a length and deposit it over mid-wicket as he did on Tuesday.
“He’s not a slogger, is he? He’s playing proper shots,” was how Brook put it succinctly.
England also know the importance of an opening partnership if their rebirth after the troubles of Jos Buttler’s final 18 months as captain is to be successful.
Eoin Morgan’s World Cup-winning team had Buttler’s fireworks, a match-winner in Ben Stokes and Joe Root’s calmness but none of that would have been possible without Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow setting platforms that would have been too big for the 1970s.
In Tests, England’s best performances under McCullum’s leadership – in Rawalpindi, at The Oval, or at Edgbaston – have all been built on significant opening partnerships.
Like Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley against the red ball, Duckett and Smith attack the white like they are playing different sports.
To get technical, Duckett’s average interception point against seamers is around 1.77m, 33cm behind Smith’s.
While right-hander Smith targets boundaries in front of him, left-hander Duckett has scored only 18% his career runs against pacers in the ‘V’.
And in McCullum, Smith has a coach who opened 107 times in ODIs and did so in a New Zealand side that reached a World Cup final – an ideal sounding board should one be needed.
As one may expect with England’s relaxed approach, however, Smith has largely been left to create his own plans during his first week in the job.
“He knows how to bat,” Brook said.
“Like I said so many times, he’s done it in Test cricket for periods.
“He’s gonna have a good go at it at the top in one-day cricket and I think everybody’s excited to see how he goes.”
Brook knows there will be bumps to come but Smith will be given every chance to lead England on their ride.
