To begin with, if you are a fan and follower of cricket you have definitely heard of the England Cricket Team. Furthermore, they are one of the most fierce competitors in International Cricket. They also are currently ranked at number 1 in the ICC ODI rankings. Despite, being one of the topmost teams in the world they have had a couple of stains to their name in attempts to try and get the better of their opponents. In, this article we shall look at the England Cricket Team in detail and also look at the players, match records, cricket board, and achievements. We will also take a look at their team colors and jersey sponsors and not to forget the controversies that have gone down in the history of the England Cricket team to date and more.
History Behind The England Cricket Team
The very first mention of a team claiming to represent England was during the year 1739. This was when an “All England” team consisting of players scattered around England took on the County of Kent and lost by a minimal margin. Then in 1846, an All-England Eleven was formed by William Clarke which consisted of first-class cricketers. Furthermore, the AEE eventually landed up playing matches against a breakaway team called the UEE (Unite All-England Eleven) which consisted of players that left Clarke’s Team. Both the teams played against each other manually between the years 1847 and 1856. Furthermore, these matches put on a real showcase of extremely talented English cricketers.
Additionally, click here to read more about the All-England Eleven.
All this finally led to the first tour that the England team took in 1859, of North America. Furthermore, this England team included 6 players each from the two rival sides, the AEE and the UEE. Moreover, this was the first trace of England playing on foreign soil and the rest is history.
The England Cricket Board
English Cricket, as well as the England Cricket Team, are governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Furthermore, this board has been in power since January 1997. Not only does the ECB represent England on the International Cricket Council but also is responsible for generating revenue from ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and sponsorship. Before the ECB came into existence, the Test and County Cricket Board was in charge of The England Cricket Team and its players.
Team Colors
The sports brand New Balance has been manufacturing the England Cricket Team Kit since 2017. During England’s Test matches, the team wears the traditional whites. Furthermore, the 3 lions logo sits on the left side of the shirt. Additionally, the name and logo of the sponsor sit on the right side of the shirt. Moreover, the fielders wear a navy blue or white sun hat that sports the ECB logo in the center. The helmets are also navy blue in color.
Furthermore, in limited-overs cricket, England cricket players wear a blue shirt and trousers for ODIs and a flame-red shirt and navy trousers for T20 fixtures. They include the New Balance logo on the right side and the 3 lions on the left as well as the NatWest logo across the center.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 till 1996 | – | Tetley Bitter |
| 1996 till 1998 1998 till 2000 | Asics Asics | Tetley Bitter Vodafone |
| 2000 till 2008 | Admiral | Vodafone |
| 2008 till 2010 2010 till 2014 2014 till 2017 | Adidas | Vodafone Brit Insurance Waitrose |
| 2017 till date | New Balance | NatWest |
Tetley Bitter were the shirt sponsors from 1994 till 1996. They continued being the sponsors till the year 1998 and Asics became the kit manufacturer. Vodafone took over sponsorship in 1998, and Asics continued being the kit manufacturer till the year 2000. From 2000 till the year 2008 Admiral became the manufacturer and Vodafone continued being the sponsor till 2010. In the year 2008 Adidas took over the manufacturing duties and was the kit manufacturer till 2017, while the shirt sponsors shifted from Vodafone to Brit Insurance and then to Waitrose. Lastly, New Balance has been the kit manufacturer since 2017 and the sponsor has been NatWest.
International Venues
Following are the venues used by the England Team for Test, T20, and ODI matches.
Test Venues Till Date
- The Oval also known as Kia Oval located in London has been used by the England Team since 1880 and has a capacity of 26,000.
- Then we have the famous Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester with a capacity of 26,000 which has been in use since 1884
- Lord’s Stadium in London has a capacity of 28,000 and also has been used by the team since 1884.
- Then comes the Trent Bridge and Headingley Stadiums, located in Nottingham and Leeds respectively, that have capacities of 17,500 each. Moreover, both the stadiums have been in play since 1899.
- Lastly, we have the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham that has a 25,000 capacity and has been used since 1902.
T20 & ODI Venues Till Date
- First comes the Riverside Ground with a capacity of 19,000 and has been in play since 1999.
- Then we have the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff also being used since 1999 and has a capacity of 15,500.
- After that is the Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton, which started in 2003 and has a capacity of 25,000.
- Lastly, we have the Bristol County Ground and the Taunton County Ground that have capacities of 17,500 and 12,500 respectively, and have been used since 1983.
England National Cricket Team Players
| Name | Batting style | Bowling style |
|---|---|---|
| Following are the Batsmen | ||
| Tom Banton | Right-handed | – |
| Rory Burns | Left-handed | – |
| Zak Crawley | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
| Joe Denly | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Liam Livingstone | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin/off break |
| Dawid Malan | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Eoin Morgan | Left-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Ollie Pope | Right-handed | – |
| Joe Root | Right-handed | Right-arm spin |
| Jason Roy | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Dominic Sibley | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
| James Vince | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
| Following are the Wicket-keepers | ||
| Jonny Bairstow | Right-handed | – |
| Sam Billings | Right-handed | – |
| Jos Buttler | Right-handed | – |
| Following are the All-rounders | ||
| Moeen Ali | Left-handed | Right-arm off break |
| Sam Curran | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast |
| Lewis Gregory | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Ben Stokes | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| David Willey | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium |
| Chris Woakes | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Following are the Pace bowlers | ||
| James Anderson | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Jofra Archer | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Stuart Broad | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Pat Brown | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Tom Curran | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Chris Jordan | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Saqib Mahmood | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Craig Overton | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Ollie Robinson | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast |
| Olly Stone | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Reece Topley | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium |
| Mark Wood | Right-handed | Right-arm fast |
| Following are the Spin bowlers | ||
| Dom Bess | Right-handed | Right-arm off break |
| Jack Leach | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Matt Parkinson | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
| Adil Rashid | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin |
Controversy Involving The England Cricket Team Till Date
One of the biggest controversies not only in English Cricket history but in the entire cricket history would be England’s use of the Bodyline tactic against Australia in the 1932 Ashes. The then captain, Douglas Jardine resorted to this extreme measure in an attempt to recover from the humiliation the English side faced in the 1930 Ashes. The Bodyline tactic involved bowling fast-paced balls straight at the body of the batsman consequently making him use the bat to defend himself. Furthermore, the England side crowded the leg side of the batsman in anticipation of a catch due to the Bodyline tactic.
Another notable controversy in English Cricket history was when the captain Michael Atherton was caught for having used dirt previously placed in his pocket to keep the ball dry. This incident occurred during the Test against South Africa in 1994. This itself was pretty embarrassing for the nation but to add to that after being caught the captain lied to the referee in an attempt to defend himself. In conclusion, these incidents were perhaps the most brutal and shameful tactics implemented by the England Team in cricket history.
Additionally, click here to read about more controversial happenings regarding the England Cricket Team.
England Match Records & Achievements Till Date
To begin with, England has made it to the World Cup finals on four occasions. Furthermore, they have won the title once to date in 2019. Additionally, they have been runners-up in 2016 and winners of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010. The England side also became runners-up on two occasions in 2004 and 2013 in the ICC Champions Trophy. Furthermore, England is ranked number 1 in ODIs, 2nd in T20, and 4th in Test cricket according to the ICC rankings. Additionally, they have won 48 of the 83 World cup matches they have played to date. Then, in the Test format, they have won 374 games out of the 1028 matches played. Furthermore, the England team has won 378 matches out of 752 in the ODI format. Lastly, in the T20 format, the England team has won 15 matches out of 32.
Additionally, click here to read more about the ICC World Cup.
FAQ Regarding England Cricket Team
England’s record ODI score till date is 481-6 against Australia in the third ODI played at Trent Bridge.
Mike Brearley is regarded as the best captain to have been in charge of the England side till date. Furthermore, he has led his team to victory on 18 occasions and also has written a book named ‘The Art of Captaincy’ which adds to why he is regarded as the best captain yet.
England played their first-ever ODI during the year 1971. Furthermore, they played that match in January of that year against the Invincibles, Australia.
India and England played their first-ever ODI against each other in the year 1974. Moreover, that game saw the ODI debut of Indian Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar.
Editor’s Note | England Cricket Team
To begin with, the global pandemic has hit all sports around the world causing them to come to a standstill. Furthermore, major sports leagues all over the globe have been left halfway or resumed following safety guidelines. However, all of the matches played in these testing times have been behind closed doors. Furthermore, the ECB (England And Wales Cricket Board) decided to let go of 20 percent of their workforce to deal with the financial losses they are currently facing due to the pandemic.
Additionally, the ECB has already claimed that they have suffered a loss of an enormous 100 million pounds due to the coronavirus. Moreover, they fear that if the situation worsens and lockdowns extend until 2021, then their loss could rise to 200 million.
