EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY JAMES SHARPE: Chris Woakes, the county pro. Even for the man himself, it's a title he's still getting used to.

David Payne was an anomaly during a doom-laden Ashes winter: an England seamer departing Australia with his reputation enhanced.

A cricket fan was dramatically turned away from the Sheffield Shield final after officials ruled his clothing crossed the line into political territory

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Both and Zak Crawley face pressure for their places after disappointing tours of Australia in which they averaged 20 and 27 respectively in a 4-1 defeat.

For a moment, the startled look on Darren Lehmann's face suggests he has just spotted an England selector lurking in the shadows at Wantage Road.

Steve Harmison, the pace ace who once coached his home town Ashington in the lower tiers of English football, reaches for a familiar frame of reference as he discusses Brendon McCullum.

Lloyd and Paul Allott, both ex-England stars who played for Lancashire and held coaching positions, say they have been seeking discussions on the direction in which their club is heading.

RICHARD GIBSON: Bairstow, 36, was the godfather of Bazball with his swashbuckling batting performances in 2022, scoring four hundreds and averaging in excess of 75.

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.

LAWRENCE BOOTH: Those in search of an emblem of England's Ashes reached a grim consensus: the dismissal of Jamie Smith by Marnus Labuschagne at Sydney.

'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!'