Articles by Simon Burnton's Profile | The Guardian Journalist

Nicholls' experienced knock shows the way after callow England swatted aside

Jun 21, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

In December 2020 Henry Nicholls was a fixture in the New Zealand team, batting at No 5, but he was under pressure. In nine Tests since the end of their series against Bangladesh in early 2019 he averaged only 20.33. But they stuck with him and in his next game, against West Indies in Wellington, he scored 174 and was named player of the match. “In another time he may not have been offered that opportunity,” said one of the commentators covering the match on domestic television.

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‘Yeah, we've missed him': England hurt by loss of Ben Stokes, admits Josh Tongue

Jun 20, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

Josh Tongue admitted England have missed the influence of Ben Stokes after a day in which they crumbled to the brink of defeat in the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval. While they were doing so the team's full-time captain, forced out of international duty for disciplinary reasons, was 275 miles north at Chester-le-Street, scoring a swashbuckling 95 for Durham in the County Championship.

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England ‘haven’t got key moments right’ against New Zealand, admits Fisher

Jun 19, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

After being left with a run mountain to climb if they are to take anything from the second Test, England have conceded that they once again stumbled in the game's key moments – as they did throughout the winter – to allow their opponents to take control. The upshot is that New Zealand go into day four with a lead of 352 and seven second-innings wickets remaining.

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‘It wasn't what we wanted to happen': Emilio Gay on England's bad morning

Jun 18, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

Emilio Gay put England's travails on the second morning at the Oval down to bad luck rather than poor planning or execution, after Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamieson and some unexceptional and often short-pitched bowling helped New Zealand add precisely 100 to their overnight total in 99 free-scoring minutes at the start of the day, taking control of the second Test in the process.

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More fun but a different kind of burden in leadership reboot

Jun 17, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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Captain Root 2.0: more fun but a different kind of burden in leadership reboot

Jun 17, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

There was a moment, late on the first day at Lord's, of the sort that makes captaincy instantly worthwhile: Ben Stokes chose to bring Emilio Gay in at short leg, Kane Williamson immediately edged the ball into his pad and then into the air, and without even looking to see what happened next Ollie Robinson sprinted into his captain's embrace. It is a high‑pressure role, perhaps at times unbearably so, but it is not without its rewards.

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All change for the Oval as England hope for normality after extraordinary week

Jun 16, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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All change for the Oval as England hope for normality after extraordinary week

Jun 16, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

These past 10 days must have been curious for New Zealand's cricketers, as their restful mid-series downtime was occasionally interrupted by news of England's latest convulsions. “I guess it probably wasn't necessarily what we were expecting,” deadpanned their captain, Tom Latham. At least most of his own side got a chance to relax.

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Stand-in captain Joe Root admits England have let themselves down with behaviour

Jun 16, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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Stand-in captain Joe Root admits England have let themselves down with behaviour

Jun 16, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

Joe Root has acknowledged England have “let ourselves down” with some “disappointing” behaviour in recent months. These culminated in the episode in a Chelsea nightclub last week that has forced Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson out of the second Test against New Zealand and prompted Root to resume the captaincy on what he described as a “game-by-game basis”.

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Brendon McCullum concerned for Ben Stokes after England captain dropped

Jun 16, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

Brendon McCullum has spoken of his concern for Ben Stokes's wellbeing as the England captain sits out the second Test against New Zealand this week as a result of his breaking the team curfew after the first match in the series at Lord's. The fallout from Stokes and his teammate Gus Atkinson deciding to spend the early hours of Monday morning last week at a Chelsea nightclub rather than at the team hotel has dominated the period between the two matches.

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England hand debuts to Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox in second New Zealand Test

Jun 15, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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England hand debuts to Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox in second New Zealand Test

Jun 15, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN UK

England will give debuts to Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker as they reshuffle their side for the second Test against New Zealand, which starts at the Oval on Wednesday, while Matthew Fisher is to make a second appearance, more than four years after his first. Jofra Archer also returns to the side after missing the first match of the series while he took a break after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League.

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England hand debuts to Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox in second New Zealand Test

Jun 15, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

England will give debuts to Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker as they reshuffle their side for the second Test against New Zealand, which starts at the Oval on Wednesday, while Matthew Fisher is to make a second appearance, more than four years after his first. Jofra Archer also returns to the side after missing the first match of the series while he took a break after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League.

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Brendon McCullum concerned for Ben Stokes after England captain dropped

Jun 15, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Brendon McCullum has spoken of his concern for Ben Stokes's wellbeing as the England captain sits out the second Test against New Zealand this week as a result of his breaking the team curfew after the first match in the series at Lord's. The fallout from Stokes and his teammate Gus Atkinson deciding to spend the early hours of Monday morning last week at a Chelsea nightclub rather than at the team hotel has dominated the period between the two matches.

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England’s cricketers could face alcohol ban with Stokes captaincy still in doubt

Jun 11, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

The England and Wales Cricket Board is considering imposing a complete ban on alcohol while players are on international duty as they ponder the best response to the incident at a Chelsea nightclub that led to Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being dropped for next week’s second Test against New Zealand, and to the stream of embarrassing stories over the past eight months.

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Stokes left out of England’s second Test against New Zealand after nightclub incident

Jun 10, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Wed, 10 June 2026 at 2:11 pm UTC Ben Stokes has been left out of England's squad to face New Zealand in the second Test.Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Reuters Joe Root will captain England in next week's second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.

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Ben Stokes set to be left out of England squad for second New Zealand Test

Jun 09, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Ben Stokes is highly unlikely to be included in England's squad for the second Test against New Zealand after the 35-year-old asked for space and time to consider his long-term future amid the fallout from a nightclub incident in the early hours of Monday morning.

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Ben Stokes’ future as Test captain in doubt after nightclub incident

Jun 08, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Ben Stokes' future as the England Test captain has been thrown into doubt after the England and Wales Cricket Board launched an investigation into "a breach of team protocol" related to an incident involving Stokes and Gus Atkinson that took place in a London nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning.

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McCullum hails England for leaving Ashes baggage behind

Jun 08, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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‘Brave when we needed to be’: McCullum hails England for leaving Ashes baggage behind

Jun 08, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Brendon McCullum has praised his players' refusal to be haunted by their nightmare winter after England won their first Test since the Ashes, against New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday. The head coach admitted that "the temperature has been a bit hot" around his side since their failure in Australia, but he hailed their bravery and refusal to "carry any baggage".

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MCC apologises for Lord’s Test pitch after Stokes criticises ‘extreme conditions’

Jun 07, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Inkl

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell is another to fall lbw on what was a difficult pitch for both sides in the first Test at Lord’s. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The MCC has apologised for the quality of the Lord’s pitch prepared for the opening game of the series against New Zealand, after the venue’s showpiece 150th Test became its first since 1888 to feature fewer than 1,000 legal deliveries. England wrapped up victory over the tourists by 115 runs shortly before lunch on the fourth day.

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MCC apologises for Lord’s Test pitch after Stokes criticises ‘extreme conditions’

Jun 07, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell is another to fall lbw on what was a difficult pitch for both sides in the first Test at Lord’s. New Zealand’s Tom Blundell is another to fall lbw on what was a difficult pitch for both sides in the first Test at Lord’s.

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MCC apologises for Lord’s Test pitch after Stokes criticises ‘extreme conditions’

Jun 07, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sport UK

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell is another to fall lbw on what was a difficult pitch for both sides in the first Test at Lord’s.Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The MCC has apologised for the quality of the Lord’s pitch prepared for the opening game of the series against New Zealand, after the venue’s showpiece 150th Test became its first since 1888 to feature fewer than 1,000 legal deliveries. England wrapped up victory over the tourists by 115 runs shortly before lunch on the fourth day.

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MCC apologises for Lord’s Test pitch after Stokes criticises ‘extreme conditions’

Jun 07, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

The MCC has apologised for the quality of the Lord's pitch prepared for the opening game of the series against New Zealand, after the venue's showpiece 150th Test became its first since 1888 to feature fewer than 1,000 legal deliveries. England wrapped up victory over the tourists by 115 runs shortly before lunch on the fourth day. But for the frequent and lengthy interruptions for rain it would have ended on the second.

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England end New Zealand’s brief resistance to seal victory in first Test

Jun 07, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

It may have been the pitch rather than any of the players that dominated this match, but for all that they repeatedly cursed its capriciousness England will have forgiven it all the moment they won the first Test of the summer by bowling New Zealand out before lunch on the fourth day to win by 115 runs. As Ben Stokes said, given all that his team has endured over the past six months, this week was all about the win.

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Robinson strikes twice but rain halts England’s charge against New Zealand

Jun 06, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sport UK

Ollie Robinson traps Daryl Mitchell lbw to take his match tally to seven wickets.Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Just 58 legal deliveries – plus one no ball – were bowled as rain dominated the third day here. It was an unsatisfyingly brief glimpse of action that nevertheless allowed England to upgrade their chances of victory in the first Test after their post-Ashes reset from probable to overwhelmingly likely.

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Robinson strikes twice but rain halts England’s charge against New Zealand

Jun 06, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Inkl

Ollie Robinson traps Daryl Mitchell lbw to take his match tally to seven wickets. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Just 58 legal deliveries – plus one no ball – were bowled as rain dominated the third day here. It was an unsatisfyingly brief glimpse of action that nevertheless allowed England to upgrade their chances of victory in the first Test after their post-Ashes reset from probable to overwhelmingly likely.

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Robinson strikes twice but rain halts England’s charge against New Zealand

Jun 06, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| AOL UK

Just 58 legal deliveries – plus one no ball – were bowled as rain dominated the third day here. It was an unsatisfyingly brief glimpse of action that nevertheless allowed England to upgrade their chances of victory in the first Test after their post-Ashes reset from probable to overwhelmingly likely. New Zealand scored 19 runs and lost two wickets, leaving them on 55 for five and still 199 from victory.

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Emilio Gay describes Test debut half-century as like a dream after putting England on top

Jun 05, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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Emilio Gay describes Test debut half-century as ‘like a dream’ after putting England in charge

Jun 05, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

Emilio Gay described his Test debut as “a bit of a whirlwind” and “like a dream” after his half-century on the second day against New Zealand at Lord’s made him the game’s top scorer and helped to put England in the driving seat. By stumps the tourists were 36 for three, still 218 runs from victory. “It was a surreal day yesterday and then today was a bit of a whirlwind,” the Durham opener said.

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England grab initiative with late wickets after Gay half-century proves pivotal

Jun 05, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

Sixteen wickets on the first day were followed by 17 more on the second, though like the bounce on this mischievous wicket nothing about it felt at all predictable. The day ended in glorious evening sunshine, shadows stretching as England’s lead was slowly, awkwardly reduced. But still the wickets fell, even if in a trickle rather than the torrent that started New Zealand’s first innings, and at 36 for three their target of 254 still feels very distant.

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Ollie Robinson feared he ‘was never playing for England again’ before stunning comeback

Jun 04, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

Ollie Robinson admitted that just a few months ago he “thought I was never playing for England again” after he produced an extraordinary comeback performance on the first day of the Test summer, a return that started with a three-wicket maiden and saw him finish with figures of four wickets for 10 runs in six overs.

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Stokes defends Archer’s Test absence and warns strictness risks England exit

Jun 04, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Inkl

Ben Stokes has defended England’s decision to excuse Jofra Archer from the start of the Test summer. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images Ben Stokes has defended England’s decision to excuse Jofra Archer from the start of the Test summer so he could compete in the Indian Premier League, saying a more militant approach risks a situation where “players like him might not play for England again”.

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Stokes defends Archer’s Test absence and warns strictness risks England exit

Jun 03, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sport UK

Ben Stokes has defended England’s decision to excuse Jofra Archer from the start of the Test summer. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images Ben Stokes has defended England’s decision to excuse Jofra Archer from the start of the Test summer so he could compete in the Indian Premier League, saying a more militant approach risks a situation where “players like him might not play for England again”.

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Bazball comes full circle with a promise to ‘evolve slightly’ as New Zealand roll into town

Jun 02, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| MSN New Zealand

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Bazball comes full circle with a promise to ‘evolve slightly’ as New Zealand roll into town

Jun 02, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

Four years to the day after England’s first Test under Brendon McCullum began against New Zealand at Lord’s, the start of a summer when players reached new heights and observers reached for new words to describe them, the latest incarnations of the two teams gathered in St John’s Wood as preparations ramped up for the rematch. Once again the series will begin amid talk of England adopting a fresh approach.

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England weigh up Test debut for Sonny Baker with one eye on the weather

Jun 02, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Yahoo Sports Canada

England have announced a slimmed-down squad of 12 for Thursday’s first match of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s, postponing until the last minute a decision over whether to reward the “full noise” approach of Hampshire’s Sonny Baker with a Test debut. The approach mirrors that at the first Ashes Test last November, when England announced a 12-man squad that featured both Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir before opting in the end for Wood’s extra pace.

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England in-tray: McCullum says he knows what went wrong in the Ashes – but can he fix it?

May 29, 2026 |

By Simon Burnton

| Inkl

Brendon McCullum admitted England had stumbled at key moments during the Ashes. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty Images 1. Finding a new way to deal with pressure For all that the series was obviously a failure, England were competitive for periods of most of the Ashes Tests. But McCullum has repeatedly conceded that in the key moments when matches tend to be decided his side have a habit of stumbling.

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