The futures of two former England captains’ sons are up within the air heading into the ultimate third of the 2025 season.
Josh de Caires – whose father Michael Atherton doesn’t are inclined to get entangled in his cricket affairs – has two enticing affords to rival Middlesex’s bid to maintain him.
In the meantime, it’s not nailed on that Rocky Flintoff – whose profession strikes have been managed by his dad, and now coach, Andrew – will proceed at Lancashire in the long run.
Flintoff, 17, is but to make a first-team look for Lancashire this season, and though it has partly been all the way down to England Below 19s commitments, being neglected in choice at Outdated Trafford has prompted irritation.
It means that even at this tender age, transferring away from household roots within the north west – as his elder brother Corey did by becoming a member of Kent earlier this 12 months – isn’t out of the query. His mum Rachael doubles as his agent, however father Freddie has been most instrumental in his speedy rise, utilizing his positions as head coach by selecting him for each the England Lions and Northern Superchargers.
The latter ‘wildcard’ choice, earlier than he has even performed a Twenty20 match, has arguably backfired as he was by no means going to make the Superchargers’ first-choice XI and it has disadvantaged {the teenager} of that includes in Lancashire’s One-Day Cup fixtures.
Andrew Flintoff and son Rocky (proper) have linked up as head coach and pupil at England Lions and Northern Superchargers
Flintoff has struggled to get sport time in current weeks
Michael Atherton’s son Josh de Caires has affords from three counties, together with his present employers Middlesex, for subsequent season
The inactivity for an rising younger participant replicates that of Jacob Bethell with England this summer season. Regardless of averaging in extra of 60 in limited-overs internationals at its begin, sticking across the Take a look at setting arguably contributed to Bethell dropping batting rhythm, and his highest rating in 9 innings since is 20.
Derbyshire have led the pursuit of De Caires in current weeks, coinciding with Middlesex utilizing him in his extra pure function as a gap batsman. The 23-year-old was neglected through the first half of this summer season’s County Championship, having completed 2024 at No 7, complementing his batting with efficient off-spin bowling.
Nonetheless, since June 1, the date from which cricketers within the closing 12 months of their contracts can speak to different golf equipment, he has returned to the highest of the order with aplomb, scoring half-centuries in every of his final three Division Two innings in addition to hitting two huge lots of within the Second XI Championship.
Historically, Derbyshire has been seen as a last-resort vacation spot for county cricketers, however in Mickey Arthur, the South African with expertise of teaching 4 completely different Take a look at groups, they’ve somebody absolutely dedicated to altering the narrative for a county that has only one Championship title to its title, 89 years in the past.
An indication of their ambition was that additionally they lately moved for Somerset’s specialist white-ball hitter Sean Dickson.
Promotion stays a risk and with three rounds of matches remaining, they sit third within the desk, three factors forward of Middlesex, including some intrigue to De Caires’ deliberations.
Eskinazi joins the silver Foxes
Middlesex are already dropping one top-order participant from their squad for 2026, as Each day Mail Sport understands that Stevie Eskinazi has negotiated an early launch from his contract to hitch Leicestershire.
Impressively, Eskinazi, 31, has been Middlesex’s main run scorer in 5 of the final six Twenty20 campaigns, however was axed – averaging 37.71 – after 4 rounds of Championship motion this summer season, and has not appeared in four-day cricket underneath new captain Leus du Plooy.
It’s thought the prospect of being thought-about an all-format participant as soon as extra by a Leicestershire staff on the verge of promotion excited Eskinazi.
It additionally will increase the posse of sensible heads destined for the Midlands membership: as reported beforehand on this column, ex-Yorkshire captain Jonny Tattersall and Somerset duo Ben Inexperienced and Josh Davey have already dedicated for 2026.
Stevie Eskinazi is off to hitch the posse of sensible heads at Leicestershire for subsequent season
Barker again to the Bears?
One other skilled performer in Keith Barker may look to play on regardless of turning 39 in October and serving a 12-month medicine ban.
Barker, technically obtainable after his ban – which was put all the way down to an administrative error by his membership Hampshire – however now battling a calf niggle, will hope to steer his present employers or doubtlessly former ones Warwickshire he’s good for one more 12 months.
Warwickshire have already got one of many county’s most prolific trendy bowlers in Chris Rushworth within the closing eight weeks of his deal, and though they’re intent on lowering the typical age of their squad, Barker’s left-arm angle and longstanding health file make him a viable recruit.
Keith Barker spent 9 seasons with Warwickshire, profitable the County Championship in 2012, earlier than becoming a member of Hampshire in 2018
Double blow for Durham
Durham have misplaced Mitchell Killeen to Essex, after securing his fellow 20-year-old seamer Archie Bailey.
Additionally they seem like in peril of pushing England Lions opener Ben McKinney into the ultimate 12 months of his present deal questioning his future prospects.
The 20-year-old started 2025 as an Ashes squad hopeful, however was dropped from each Durham’s first-class and Twenty20 sides in midsummer following a slight dip in type, earlier than displaying his elegant ball-striking skill with 29 off only a dozen deliveries within the Hundred on Monday night.
Gloucestershire exodus continues
In the meantime, Gloucestershire are set to lose a seventh bowler on the finish of this season with Marchant de Lange being pursued by Glamorgan, sizzling on the heels of 1 membership man Chris Dent saying his retirement with rapid impact.
Marchant de Lange (proper) is the most recent Gloucestershire bowler to fly the nest
Why county sport has not launched subs but
Darren Lehmann’s name for replacements on compassionate grounds, following the latest spherical of County Championship fixtures, reopened debate on using substitutes in cricket.
On the identical night that Chris Woakes dislocated his shoulder whereas fielding in England’s six-run defeat to India on the Oval, Zak Chappell requested to be excused from the rest of Derbyshire’s match with Lehmann’s Northamptonshire.
‘He’s obtained a couple of private points to take care of, so we would have liked him to complete his sport this night, irrespective of which manner that was going to be, and clearly getting him to open the batting was a technique to do this,’ defined Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen, on the finish of the third day’s play.
Having contributed 22 to the guests’ second innings complete of 52 for 4, the 28-year-old headed to Spain the place his father Adrian was poorly.
‘We might have liked to permit a alternative,’ Lehmann mentioned. ‘Ought to be capable to change a participant in occasions of want.’
Chris Woakes was compelled to bat one-handed and in agony after injuring his shoulder for England in opposition to India
Fortunately, along with his dad believed to be on the mend, Chappell was again in motion on August 10, crashing a 26-ball 47 and following up with three wickets in a one-day win over native rivals Nottinghamshire.
The upper-profile case of Woakes polarised opinion on whether or not harm subs have been now crucial in top-level cricket.
England captain Ben Stokes mentioned it was ‘powerful s***’ and that groups ought to take care of such adversarial circumstances as they do different exterior challenges, regardless of his predecessor Michael Vaughan insisting cricket was a ‘dinosaur sport’ for not transferring with the occasions.
Internationally, substitutions are anticipated to be adopted from 2026, following current noises from inside the ICC, however domestically it’s cost-prohibitive.
The ECB have been first given the inexperienced mild to make use of subs for any causes they noticed match by the worldwide governing physique in 2022, however have continued to carry off on these for accidents, believing it might require impartial medical doctors employed on day charges to adjudicate on the seriousness of impairment and keep away from rules being exploited.
Presently, the enjoying circumstances of county competitions permits for substitutions to be made in instances of concussion, and for gamers to be both taken out of or parachuted into four-day matches when being referred to as as much as or launched from England squads.
Gamers additionally have a tendency to tug out of video games in weeks when pregnant companions are because of give beginning and a few leeway right here would minimise sport time missed.
T20 Blast revamp imminent
Gloucestershire raise final 12 months’s T20 Blast
Preliminary alterations to subsequent 12 months’s home construction will probably be revealed later this week when the ECB verify that the group stage of the Vitality Blast will probably be diminished to 12 matches from its present degree of 14.
Reverting to 3 areas, away from the present north-south divide, will see groups play one another dwelling and away along with one fixture apiece in opposition to opponents from the opposite two teams.
Various opponents within the group stage yearly has attraction in county boardrooms, the place there’s a perception that members can get tired of seeing the identical match-ups season after season.
As soon as the rescheduling is confirmed, home bosses will talk about a multi-million pound funding designed to reinvigorate the county sport’s Twenty20 competitors, doubtlessly utilizing a number of the £500million shared with the golf equipment from the nice Hundred sell-off.
