KOLKATA: England coach Brendon McCullum said Monday he hopes his side emerge from a host of limited overs matches against India in “good shape” for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The tourists, led by Jos Buttler, will face India in the first of five T20 internationals at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
The India series marks England’s first limited-overs tour under McCullum, previously in charge only of the Test side.
“I’m desperate for us to play a really watchable brand of cricket,” McCullum told reporters. “With the talent we have, there’s no reason we can’t.”
The teams will play three one-day matches, before they move into the eight-team ODI Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
“We’ll use the next few weeks to try and hit the ground running, I’m sure there will be some times where we don’t quite get it right,” he added.
“But, hopefully, we will chisel away at that over the next few weeks, and we’ll be in good shape come that Champions Trophy.”
The 43-year-old McCullum said Buttler, who will only play as a batsman and not keep wicket on the tour, will leave a lasting legacy as England’s white-ball leader.
“He’s in a really good space, he’s excited about the team we’ve got, and excited about the opportunity that sits in front of us,” the former New Zealand skipper said.
“I’m sure we’ll see Jos over the next couple of years really enjoy himself, and hopefully finish with a real strong enjoyment for the game at the back end of his career.”
But India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, remain the favorites on home turf — and have been boosted by the return of fast bowler Mohammed Shami after he recovered from a foot injury.
Shami, 34, last played for India in the ODI World Cup final in November 2023 and recently participated in a few domestic matches to mark his return to competitive cricket.
“It’s a really good sign for us,” India’s T20 vice-captain Axar Patel said. “We hope he continues what he did in the World Cup.”
McCullum sees India series as ideal prep for Champions Trophy in Pakistan
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McCullum sees India series as ideal prep for Champions Trophy in Pakistan
- The tourists, led by Jos Buttler, will face India in the first of five T20 internationals in Kolkata on Wednesday
- India series marks England’s first limited-overs tour under coach McCullum, previously in charge only of Test side
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
