NatWest Series
Encyclopedia
The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England
since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank
.
in London
. The ten matches would be played at the seven international grounds (Lord's, Edgbaston
, Headingley
, Old Trafford
, The Oval
, Trent Bridge
and the Riverside Ground
), a well as other county cricket grounds such as the St Lawrence Ground
(Canterbury), Sophia Gardens (Cardiff), the Rose Bowl
(Southampton) and at Bristol
.
The first NatWest Series was held in 2000 a year after England hosted the World Cup
. The West Indies and Zimbabwe were the two visiting teams, with England and Zimbabwe contesting the first final. England won by 6 wickets, with Darren Gough
taking 3-20 and Alec Stewart
scoring 97.
It used to be a common occurrence at the end of cricket Test matches for the crowd to invade the pitch to watch the presentation from the pavilion balcony. In the UK this tradition ended in 2001 Natwest Series after a steward was injured in a pitch invasion at a one-day match between England and Pakistan . Invading the pitch can now warrant a £1,000 fine, and post-match presentations are held on the field. During the presentation ceremony at the 2001 NatWest Series final on the balcony at Lord's, Michael Bevan
was hit in the face with a beer can thrown from the crowd.
Other notable matches in the series included the 2002 final, where England faced India: England posted a total of 325-5 with Nasser Hussain
scoring 115, his only one day century, and Marcus Trescothick
also scoring 109, but were beaten by India who made 326-8 thanks to Mohammad Kaif scoring 87 and Yuvraj Singh
69.
In 2005, Bangladesh secured an unexpected victory over Australia in Cardiff, with Mohammad Ashraful
scoring a century. Also, that year's final between Australia and England was a tie, with both sides scoring 196 and sharing the trophy.
By the time of the last triangular tournament in 2005, every test-playing nation had participated in at least one NatWest Series.
In 2003, Pakistan came to England for the three match series. In 2004, India played the NatWest Challenge as a prelude to the ICC Champions Trophy
held in England that year. The following year, Australia played these matches between the NatWest Series and The Ashes
. The ICC
began their trial of the "Supersub", 12th man who could bat or bowl and "Powerplay", flexible fielding restrictions in the 2005 matches. The Supersub idea was jettisoned after a year whilst the Powerplay experiment was retained.
from 1984 until 1998), but the name NatWest Series was retained. This was attributed to the poor crowds at matches not involving the home team. The NatWest Series includes one or two matches in the Twenty20
cricket format against the touring team. The home team now plays 10 One Day Internationals a season.
In 2006, England played five matches against each of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, losing 5-0 to Sri Lanka and drawing 2-2 with Pakistan.
In 2007, the visiting teams were the West Indies and India: England lost the three-match series against the West Indies 2-1, and defeated India 4-3 in the seven-match series.
was controversially ran out after a mid-pitch collision with Ryan Sidebottom
.
In August/September 2008, England beat South Africa 4-0 in the five match series with the final match rained off. Led by new captain Kevin Pietersen
, a revitalised England beat an "end of tour" South Africa. In match 2 in Nottingham, SA were bowled out for 83 and England won the day/night match before the floodlights were required.
In the Twenty20
matches, England beat New Zealand in the only match in Manchester in June however the match against South Africa at Chester-le-Street was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
beat the West Indies 2-0 with one match rained off. England won both matches, by 58 runs at Birmingham
and by 6 wickets, Bristol
, respectively. There were no Twenty20 internationals scheduled due to the ICC World Twenty20
event in June.
In August/September England were scheduled to play two Twenty20 matches at Manchester versus Australia. The first match was abandoned during the England innings and the second match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
A seven match series was contested in September 2009 versus Australia after the home team's Ashes
series win. The Australians won the first six, at The Oval, two at Lords, Southampton
and two at Nottingham, and England won the final match at the Chester-le-Street
. The top run scorer in the series was Andrew Strauss, 267 runs for England, who also scored most in the Ashes Test match series. Top wicket taker was Brett Lee
, 12 wickets for Australia, who did not appear in the summer's Test series.
scoring the most runs, 238 runs and Stuart Broad
taking 12 wickets on either side.
In July, England beat Bangladesh 2-1 in a three match series. The series was notable as Bangladesh beat England for the very first time in one-day cricket.
In September, England played Pakistan in two Twenty20 matches (not part of the NatWest Series] and a five match one-day match series. This series was played with the backdrop of spot fixing allegations made against Pakistani players during the Test match series against England. England won the two Twenty20 matches at Cardiff.
England then went on to win the one-day series 3-2. England lost the 3rd match at The Oval
by 23 runs. The ICC
launched an investigation into the match after receiving information that there were scoring irregularities during the England innings. Ijaz Butt
the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman suggested that as "a conspiracy" to defraud Pakistan cricket. Butt went on to accuse England players of bad practice, allegations he later withdrew.. Andrew Strauss
scored the most runs, 317 runs and Umar Gul
took most wickets, 12, during the series.
'* One match no result
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank Plc, commonly known as NatWest, is the largest retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom and has been part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc since 2000. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is ranked as the second largest bank in the world by assets...
.
2000 to 2005: triangular series
The original format of the NatWest Series was a three-team triangular tournament, involving England and two visiting international sides. Each of the three teams would play the other two three times each, after which the two top teams would face each other in a final at Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The ten matches would be played at the seven international grounds (Lord's, Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, Old Trafford
Old Trafford (cricket)
Old Trafford is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. It has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1864, having been the ground of Manchester Cricket Club from 1857...
, The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
and the Riverside Ground
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
), a well as other county cricket grounds such as the St Lawrence Ground
St Lawrence Ground
The St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent and is the home of Kent County Cricket Club. It is one of the oldest grounds on which first-class cricket is played, having been in use since 1847...
(Canterbury), Sophia Gardens (Cardiff), the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Hampshire
The Rose Bowl is an English cricket ground used for county, One Day International and Test Matches. It is situated at West End, Hampshire, near Southampton, and is home to Hampshire Cricket. The design of the venue is set into an amphitheatre creating a bowl, hence the name...
(Southampton) and at Bristol
County Cricket Ground, Bristol
The County Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club....
.
The first NatWest Series was held in 2000 a year after England hosted the World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
. The West Indies and Zimbabwe were the two visiting teams, with England and Zimbabwe contesting the first final. England won by 6 wickets, with Darren Gough
Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him...
taking 3-20 and Alec Stewart
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart OBE is a retired English cricketer, a right-handed batsman-wicketkeeper and former captain of the England cricket team...
scoring 97.
It used to be a common occurrence at the end of cricket Test matches for the crowd to invade the pitch to watch the presentation from the pavilion balcony. In the UK this tradition ended in 2001 Natwest Series after a steward was injured in a pitch invasion at a one-day match between England and Pakistan . Invading the pitch can now warrant a £1,000 fine, and post-match presentations are held on the field. During the presentation ceremony at the 2001 NatWest Series final on the balcony at Lord's, Michael Bevan
Michael Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan is a former Australian left-handed cricket batsman and a slow left arm chinaman bowler. He played 232 ODI matches for Australia, and was a part of the 1999 and 2003 teams that won the World Cup...
was hit in the face with a beer can thrown from the crowd.
Other notable matches in the series included the 2002 final, where England faced India: England posted a total of 325-5 with Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain OBE is a former Essex and England cricketer.Beginning his career in a strong Essex side in the late 1980s, he was an outstanding fielder and a stylish but inconsistent batsman. In first-class cricket from 1987 to 2004 Hussain scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06,...
scoring 115, his only one day century, and Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick MBE is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. A left-handed opening batsman, he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 1993 and quickly established...
also scoring 109, but were beaten by India who made 326-8 thanks to Mohammad Kaif scoring 87 and Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh Bhandal is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008...
69.
In 2005, Bangladesh secured an unexpected victory over Australia in Cardiff, with Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful is a Bangladeshi international cricket player and has represented the Bangladesh national cricket team. A top-order batsman with a penchant for flashy strokeplay, he has also been selected to represent ACC Asia XI ODI side...
scoring a century. Also, that year's final between Australia and England was a tie, with both sides scoring 196 and sharing the trophy.
By the time of the last triangular tournament in 2005, every test-playing nation had participated in at least one NatWest Series.
Tournaments by year
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | England | Zimbabwe | West Indies |
| 2001 | Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
Pakistan | England |
| 2002 | India | England | Sri Lanka Sri Lankan cricket team The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation... |
| 2003 | England | South Africa South African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
Zimbabwe |
| 2004 | New Zealand New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... |
West Indies | England |
| 2005 | Aus and Eng shared | Bangladesh | |
NatWest Challenge
For three seasons, from 2003 to 2005, three extra One Day Internationals were arranged for the England team in addition to the NatWest Series.In 2003, Pakistan came to England for the three match series. In 2004, India played the NatWest Challenge as a prelude to the ICC Champions Trophy
2004 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2004 ICC Champions Trophy was held in England in September 2004. Twelve teams, including the Test nations, together with Kenya, and – making their One Day International debut – the USA, competed in fifteen matches spread over sixteen days at three venues Edgbaston, The Rose Bowl and The...
held in England that year. The following year, Australia played these matches between the NatWest Series and The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. The ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
began their trial of the "Supersub", 12th man who could bat or bowl and "Powerplay", flexible fielding restrictions in the 2005 matches. The Supersub idea was jettisoned after a year whilst the Powerplay experiment was retained.
NatWest Challenge results
| Season | Matches | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2003 | 3 | England | Pakistan | 2-1 |
| Sept. 2004 | 3 | England | India | 2-1 |
| July 2005 | 3 | Australia | England | 2-1 |
2006 to date
The triangular format was abandoned in 2006, when England reverted to playing separate series against each visiting team (as they had in the Texaco TrophyTexaco Trophy
The Texaco Trophy was the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England from 1984 until 1998.The series were sponsored by American oil company Texaco replacing the previous sponsorship by Prudential...
from 1984 until 1998), but the name NatWest Series was retained. This was attributed to the poor crowds at matches not involving the home team. The NatWest Series includes one or two matches in the Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket format against the touring team. The home team now plays 10 One Day Internationals a season.
In 2006, England played five matches against each of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, losing 5-0 to Sri Lanka and drawing 2-2 with Pakistan.
In 2007, the visiting teams were the West Indies and India: England lost the three-match series against the West Indies 2-1, and defeated India 4-3 in the seven-match series.
2008 Series
In June 2008, England lost the five-match series against New Zealand 3-1 with one match rained off. During a close match 4 at The Oval that NZ won, Grant ElliottGrant Elliott
Grant David Elliott is a New Zealand cricketer. He is an all-rounder. He also plays for the Wellington Firebirds....
was controversially ran out after a mid-pitch collision with Ryan Sidebottom
Ryan Sidebottom
Ryan Jay Sidebottom is an English cricketer who plays domestic cricket for Yorkshire. He is a primarily a left-arm fast-medium bowler. Sidebottom played his first Test match in 2001 against Pakistan, but failed to take a wicket and was dropped for six years...
.
In August/September 2008, England beat South Africa 4-0 in the five match series with the final match rained off. Led by new captain Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
, a revitalised England beat an "end of tour" South Africa. In match 2 in Nottingham, SA were bowled out for 83 and England won the day/night match before the floodlights were required.
In the Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
matches, England beat New Zealand in the only match in Manchester in June however the match against South Africa at Chester-le-Street was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
2009 Series
In May 2009, England led by Andrew StraussAndrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
beat the West Indies 2-0 with one match rained off. England won both matches, by 58 runs at Birmingham
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
and by 6 wickets, Bristol
County Cricket Ground, Bristol
The County Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club....
, respectively. There were no Twenty20 internationals scheduled due to the ICC World Twenty20
ICC World Twenty20
The ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
event in June.
In August/September England were scheduled to play two Twenty20 matches at Manchester versus Australia. The first match was abandoned during the England innings and the second match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
A seven match series was contested in September 2009 versus Australia after the home team's Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series win. The Australians won the first six, at The Oval, two at Lords, Southampton
Rose Bowl, Hampshire
The Rose Bowl is an English cricket ground used for county, One Day International and Test Matches. It is situated at West End, Hampshire, near Southampton, and is home to Hampshire Cricket. The design of the venue is set into an amphitheatre creating a bowl, hence the name...
and two at Nottingham, and England won the final match at the Chester-le-Street
Riverside Ground
The Riverside Ground, officially called the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is home to Durham County Cricket Club....
. The top run scorer in the series was Andrew Strauss, 267 runs for England, who also scored most in the Ashes Test match series. Top wicket taker was Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
, 12 wickets for Australia, who did not appear in the summer's Test series.
2010 Series
During the 2010 summer there were three NatWest Series. In June 2010, England played a five match tour series versus Australia, who were in the country to play a Test series Pakistan. England beat the Australians 3-2 winning the first three matches with Eoin MorganEoin Morgan
Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan is an Irish cricketer who plays for the England national cricket team. A left-handed batsman, he plays county cricket for Middlesex and has been selected for England's Test, ODI and Twenty20 squads. He originally represented his native Ireland at international level...
scoring the most runs, 238 runs and Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad
Stuart Christopher John Broad is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for England and is currently the captain of their Twenty20 team...
taking 12 wickets on either side.
In July, England beat Bangladesh 2-1 in a three match series. The series was notable as Bangladesh beat England for the very first time in one-day cricket.
In September, England played Pakistan in two Twenty20 matches (not part of the NatWest Series] and a five match one-day match series. This series was played with the backdrop of spot fixing allegations made against Pakistani players during the Test match series against England. England won the two Twenty20 matches at Cardiff.
England then went on to win the one-day series 3-2. England lost the 3rd match at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
by 23 runs. The ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
launched an investigation into the match after receiving information that there were scoring irregularities during the England innings. Ijaz Butt
Ijaz Butt
Mohammed Ijaz Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in eight Tests from 1959 to 1962...
the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman suggested that as "a conspiracy" to defraud Pakistan cricket. Butt went on to accuse England players of bad practice, allegations he later withdrew.. Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
scored the most runs, 317 runs and Umar Gul
Umar Gul
Umar Gul is a Pakistani right arm fast medium bowler in cricket who has played Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani cricket team...
took most wickets, 12, during the series.
NatWest Series results since 2006
| Season | Matches | Winner | Runner-up | Result | Twenty20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 | Sri Lanka | England | 5-0 | SL bt Eng |
| 2006 | 5 | Eng and Pak | 2-2* | PAK bt Eng | |
| 2007 | 3 | West Indies | England | 2-1 | Eng 1 WI 1 (2 matches) |
| 2007 | 7 | England | India | 4-3 | no T20 match |
| 2008 | 5 | New Zealand | England | 3-1* | ENG bt NZ |
| 2008 | 5 | England | South Africa | 4-0* | Match abandoned |
| 2009 | 3 | England | West Indies | 2-0* | No series |
| 2009 | 7 | Australia | England | 6-1 | 2 Matches abandoned |
| 2010 | 5 | England | Australia | 3-2* | No series |
| 2010 | 3 | England | Bangladesh | 2-1 | No series |
| 2010 | 5 | England | Pakistan | 3-2 | ENG bt PAK 2-0 (not NatWest Series) |
'* One match no result
External links
- NatWest Series Cricket - the official website of the NatWest Series
- ECB NatWest Series