For the England Squad, the T20 series in South Africa has been a success. It was also the location where David Malan debuted his talents and helped England to claim a win the T20 series over the South African squad.

The win meant that England sealed its victory with only a single match left to play. It also saw David Malan value on the squad taking a lead forward. Malan began his professional cricket career playing for Boland as a left hander before returning to London for a gap year. That led for Malan picking up a contract with Middlesex and taking him down a professional career that saw him jump to No. 1 in the T20 ranks for

Malan scored an impressive run

During the game, Malan had a homecoming that saw him having an impressive run that helped the team to chase a goal of 147 after his 50 score over 18 outings.  While Reeza Hendricks, a South African cricketer who plays for the Highveld Lions, eventually fell Malan on the rope while chasing a second six. Hendricks managed to grind out 29 of 31 balls while dealing with England’s power-hitters before battering 26 from his next nine.

While it was clear that England has regrets at being unable to complete the chase, Eoin Morgan, who was instrumental in helping England score the victory was still on the pitch at the end. Morgan was helped by Chris Jordan scored the winning runs leaving a ball to spare.

After the match, Malan commented, when asked whether his local knowledge was helpful stated: “Absolutely zero. That wicket played so different to what I’m used to here. It was slow and really difficult to time the ball. It was nice to be back but it would have been fantastic to have a crowd in and my parents here, although my high-school coach was one of the guys throwing the ball back when it went over the boundary for six.”

Beyond the courage displayed against England, it is evident that the skills needed for next year when the T20 arrives in India will be critical for participating squads success. Next years Cup, which is being sponsored by MPL Sports, will include squads from around the world including England, New Zealand and Australia.

Fixtures for the 2021 England Cricket Campaign have been revealed by the ICC. Influential matches include Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka arriving to Great Britain’s borders for tours sustaining several days. Fixtures also notified supporters that South Africa & New Zealand will compete in England for an ODI/T20I Series event. These announcements are notable because a full season is being announced, ensuring that ICCs World Test Championship finale will advance onwards by June 2021. Championship settings won’t begin until the Sri Lanka tour series is completed in July. Detailed scheduling was provided for India’s, Pakistan’s, and Sri Lanka’s respective tours.

Sri Lanka will begin their contention against England’s National Cricket Team on June 29th, 2021. It will sustain three matches, with the most prominent being held at England’s Durham. There’ll also be games held at the Oval & the Bristol. It’ll be days after competing against Sri Lanka that England moves towards their tour with Pakistan, which will comprise of three matches in the ODI format. An additional three games will follow in the T20I format with Pakistan for England immediately afterwards.

August 2021 will see the five test matches with India begin. Four of five games are being sustained at Trent Bridge, with the final match being held at the Old Trafford. India’s competition with England will finalize on September 10th, meaning that the series will sustain longer than one month, with the competition beginning on August 4th.

Pakistan, the Rivals.

The National England Cricket Team have plenty to prove with these matches. Pakistan have dominated against the British powerhouse previously, with prior series ever draws for losses for England. That won’t be repeated against in their home nation. However, Pakistan is international crickets most prominent team & will likely display the same formidable skills that acquired them victory at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. England will have to implement new strategies to guarantee the slightest opportunity of contention against Pakistan.

Cricketers from the England National Team travelled from Manchester to South Africa, expecting to compete against the South Africans & dominate over another nation for victory in 2020. Rumours began circulating amongst respective institutions like the BBC & SkySports that the Test Series could be cancelled. November 16th saw these cricketers receive reassurances that matches will continue as scheduled. Team management themselves informed cricketers that an immediate return home wouldn’t be required. The government also confirmed that speculation on tense relations between the ECB & CSA was being held.

Heated discussions were held between leaders of South Africa’s Cricket Association, with the England & Wales Cricket Board refusing to accept the requests of CSA leadership. It was one month prior that leaders in CSA were found guilty of misconduct & mismanagement, prompting the resignation of numerous members, including CSAs Chief Executive Officer. Government federations have investigated CSA leaders ever since the October 2020 scandal. Investigative methods used by the government agency are said to have factored into the heated arguments.

Follow the Rules

The Minister of Sports & Olympics for South Africa proposed an interim meeting to resolve these issues. Board members with the CSA refused this meeting, prompting more significant tensions & the involvement of the ICC. International Cricket Council Advisors forced the two governing bodies to engage in discussions, refusing to intervene on internal negotiations to split earned profits. The International Cricket Council informed they’d ban Cricket South Africa from competing in global competitions if a refusal is given.

The International Cricket Council has grown tired of CSA tactics, which often include abusing regulations & avoiding punishments. ICC Advisors are looking to change that moving forward. It should be clarified that South Africa hasn’t competed since March 7th because of the Covid-19 pandemic & scandal from October 2020. Not being permitted to compete against England would be devastating for South African crickets.

The England & Wales Cricket Board made a surprising announcement regarding one of their lifelong employed personal. Phil Neale, the “England Men’s Cricket Operations Manager”, has confirmed his retirement. October 31^st saw the long-time manager confirm that starting on November 1^st he’d be leaving his duties. His decision to retire ends twenty-one years of service for the ECB & England Men’s Cricket Team.

Phil Neale received employment from the England & Wales Cricket Board in 1999. His time spent with the organization saw multiple changes in leadership, with Neale providing reliable & consistent services which maintained his employment through shifts of management. Six head coaches came & went while Phil Neale maintained operations for the ECB. He’ll remember influential moments in England Cricket history, with roughly 890+ matches occurring throughout his twenty-one years of service.

The Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket releasing a statement regarding Neale’s retirement. Ashley Giles thanked Phil Neale for his lifelong contribution to England Cricket & for displaying loyal service to his nation when being offered employment by other teams. It should be noted that during Neale’s career, he’d never show disloyalty to England. This applied even when competing in professional cricket during the late 90s. Phil Neale would spend the majority of his career at Worcestershire Club, acquiring the 1988 & 89 Championships. His legendary status as cricket grew during the Sunday League in 1987 & 1988, where Phil Neale acquired two back-to-back crowns.

Ready for Retirement

When questioned on why he’s leaving the England & Wales Cricket Board, Phil Neale noted that he wouldn’t have ever known the right time to retire. That throughout the pandemic family-time has become more important & prompted a change of mindset. He knew that retiring before returning to the pitch for England’s next test series in South Africa was required, or the time for retirement could’ve come considerably later.

Phil Neale retires from the England & Wales Cricket Board after sustaining a role as player to corporate leader. His career sustained forty-five years, which included ten seasons with the Worcestershire Club. It should be mentioned that before competing in professional cricket, Phil Neale played in the EFL with Lincoln City for 369 official matches.