Stokes defies injury but England are thwarted by India
A troublesome left leg and a fresh problem in his right shoulder failed to deter Stokes, who snared KL Rahul for 90 on the last morning of the fourth Test to give England hope of moving into an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
Jofra Archer then dismissed Shubman Gill for 103 on the stroke of lunch but Joe Root dropping Ravindra Jadeja from the next ball proved crucial as he and Washington Sundar batted out the rest of the day.
However, there were farcical scenes at the finish on Sunday when it became clear there would be no winner as India's batters elected against shaking hands with 15 overs left - the earliest opportunity a draw could be agreed - so both could get their hundreds.
Root and Harry Brook provided buffet bowling to speed things along, with Jadeja getting to his ton first and and Sundar followed to signal the end of proceedings, with India on 4-424 and a lead of 113.
It was unnecessary distraction to what had been a brilliant India rearguard, with England barely acknowledging either century, as the tourists head to the Kia Oval still only trailing 2-1.
With the fifth Test getting under way on Thursday, much of the focus will likely centre on Stokes' availability after he was left weary and wounded in Manchester.
He battled cramp in his left leg when batting on Friday and reported general soreness on Saturday, which meant he did not bowl as Rahul and Gill took India from 2-0 to 2-174 overnight.
Despite being in visible discomfort, straightening his arm after every delivery in an eight-over spell, Stokes caused problems, with Gill's drive on 81 bursting through a leaping Ollie Pope's hands close in.
Stokes made the breakthrough with his 20th delivery. With variable bounce in play at Stokes' end, Rahul was beaten by a nip-backer that thudded into his knee roll in front of middle stump, with the England captain immediately celebrating.
Having moved on to a titanic 700 runs for the series, Gill brought up a fourth three-figure score of the trip off 228 balls with a push into the offside for a single.
By then, England had the second new ball, taken 40 minutes before lunch, and Archer claimed the prize wicket of Gill.
England should have ended the session with a spring in their step but Root parried then dropped the rebound at head height after Jadeja flirted at a rising delivery from Archer first up.
Against an old ball and with the pitch flattening out, Sundar and Jadeja grew increasingly confident through the afternoon.
Both teams must agree on the draw and England were clearly unhappy at Jadeja and Sundar continuing, with Brook eventually called upon to send down some floaty off-spin while Root was kept on.
Jadeja got to his hundred in a blizzard of boundaries, eventually finishing on 107 not out, before Washington brought up his first Test century in Brook's next over before hands were shaken five overs after England had first offered them.
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ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
England drops six catches as Yashasvi Jaiswal scores a ton for India on day three of the fifth Test
Yashasvi Jaiswal loves playing against England's cricketers. India's 23-year-old opening batter struck his fourth Test century against England, and his sixth overall, to put the visitors firmly in control on day three of the fifth and final test at The Oval overnight. Jaiswal had his fair share of luck, though, as he gave his side an excellent chance of tying the series 2-2. He was dropped three times on his way to 118, his second hundred of the series, as he helped India pile up 396 in its second innings to set England a daunting victory target of 374. England, which has developed a knack for chasing down sizeable fourth-innings totals since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach in 2022 to launch the so-called 'Bazball' era, reached stumps on 1-50. Mohammed Siraj clean bowled Zak Crawley for 14 with a searing yorker from the last ball of the day, leaving Ben Duckett on 34 not out at the other end. Earlier, the left-handed Jaiswal turned his 127th ball of the innings to point and was celebrating his hundred before he ran the single he needed; leaping, running and shaping his fingers into a heart. "I had to work really hard in my practice session," Jaiswal said. "I was thinking, 'one last push.' I think overall, wherever you play, it is difficult in England. It is not easy on this wicket. We are really confident. We will try our best and see what happens." There were also important contributions for India from Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Nightwatchman Deep cut loose for a career-best 66 in a 107-run stand with Jaiswal for the third wicket. Jadeja continued his excellent batting form in the series with 53 and Sundar delivered a swashbuckling 53 off 46 balls at the end of the innings that included four sixes. India captain Shubman Gill only made 11 but he finished with a tally of 754 runs for the series, passing Graham Gooch's 752 in 1990 for the most by any batter in an India-England series. England did its best to help out India in the field, dropping six catches in all, the team's most in a home test since 2006 when it spilled six against Pakistan, also at The Oval. The home side's depleted pace attack toiled hard all day in the absence of the experienced Chris Woakes, who sustained a bad shoulder injury on day one. Josh Tongue was the pick of the England attack with 5-125, while fellow fast bowler Gus Atkinson took 3-127 to follow up his five-wicket haul from the first innings. "It will be a great day of cricket tomorrow, and a great day for us if we get the runs." Tongue said. "The batting line-up we have is unbelievable. If we can build partnerships, who knows where we might be? Fingers crossed I am not required, but if it comes down to me at the end I will give it a good crack." England, which leads the series 2-1, chased down 371 to beat India in the first test at Leeds. AP
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Indian bowler Akash Deep lights Test fuse after putting arm around England's Ben Duckett
India roared back into contention on an exhilarating second day of the final Test as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead after the hosts had threatened to run away with the match, and the series. After mopping up India's brittle tail in less than 30 minutes at the Oval on Friday morning, openers Zac Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to 0-92 in 12 overs in a blistering return of Bazball tactics . However, continuing the back and forth theme of the entire series, India responded as their bowlers ran in relentlessly to peg England back to 247. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal then scored quickly in a potentially awkward last 90 minutes, ending unbeaten on 51 with India closing on 2-75, 52 runs ahead. Another fabulously undulating day began with India resuming at 6-204 but soon skittled for 224 as pace bowler Gus Atkinson took five wickets in his first Test since May. It was an all-too-familiar collapse by the tourists this summer as Karun Nair fell lbw for 57 and Washington Sundar was caught for 26. Atkinson then bowled Mohammed Siraj and had Prasidh Krishna caught behind, both for ducks, to finish with 5-33. England, 2-1 up in the five-Test series, set about their reply in swashbuckling fashion, exemplified by Duckett's extraordinary reverse hook for six off Akash Deep. They reached 50 in seven overs - the fastest 50 opening partnership for England in a Test - but fell just short of the 100 as Duckett was caught behind reversing for 43. What followed next was a moment of high drama. Duckett had earlier told Deep that you 'you can't get me out' so Deep obviously responded when he did exactly that. He put his arm round Duckett and had some words, before KL Rahul stepped in and dragged Deep away. 'I'm not so sure the bowler should be putting his arm around the bowler having got him out, regardless of whether that is in good spirits or not,' said former England captain Michael Atherton on Sky Sports. 'He was rightly dragged away.' England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Deep was lucky things didn't get physical. 'I was just saying many in my time, a lot of players would have just dropped the elbow on him. I don't think I've ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out,' Trescothick, who also played for England, said. 'You see bowlers have many words like we've seen a bit in this series on both sides. But it was just different, wasn't it? I was just laughing and joking about it. 'Ben doesn't really do a great deal. Put your head down and walk off, your job is done at that point. There is no need to walk him off in that fashion.' Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting also blasted the incident. In fact, Ponting said he would have given the bowler a right hook if he had been in a similar situation during his playing days. 'I love the way Ben Duckett plays his cricket, I think I like him even more now,' Ponting said. It is possible Deep could be sanctioned for breaching the International Cricket Council guidelines on 'inappropriate physical contact', and fans were fuming on social media. 'That behaviour from Akash Deep is appalling. Got a wicket, take it and show some respect,' one fan raged. 'For all their moaning about spirit of cricket the last couple of weeks, India are far and away the worst at it. 'England have done some bad things this series but that was worse.' Another said: 'Akash Deep had no business putting an arm around him. Physical touch in moments like these can escalate very easily.' And another: 'Akash Deep there perfectly summing up an Indian side who have zero class and are lead by two petulant children in Gambhir & Gill.' Naturally, there was some support for Deep. 'Nothing wrong with that send-off. That's just healthy teasing and it's not provocative. What's the fuss all about?' one fan asked. But the majority seemed to think Deep crossed the line and would be fined. 'I'm Indian but that was disrespectful and definitely didn't seem friendly,' a fan said. And another added: 'When you have batted for 43 runs in a Test match, you are perfectly entitled to expect to walk off without being touched by the bowler. I hope young Akash Deep, when he has a quiet moment to himself, will be a bit disappointed with what he did.' England were 1-109 at lunch and looked poised to take command but India, as they have all summer, refused to buckle as Crawley (64) and Ollie Pope (22) quickly departed. Joe Root brought calm to proceedings until Siraj nipped one back at him for an lbw on 29, with Jacob Bethell going the same way soon after. Krishna finished off the session by having Jamie Smith brilliantly caught in the slips for eight by KL Rahul then getting Jamie Overton lbw for nought and followed up with the wicket of Atkinson to finish with 4-62. Harry Brook had a late flurry either side of a rain delay before becoming Siraj's fourth victim when bowled for 53. England, with injured Chris Woakes absent, were all out for 247. India's openers quickly erased that lead, with Jaiswal looking particularly enterprising en route to a quickfire 51 - though he was badly dropped in the deep on 40. Rahul departed tamely for seven off Josh Tongue, and Sai Sudharsan followed, lbw to Atkinson for 11, leaving Deep not out four. With good weather forecast for Saturday, another Oval full house will turn up in expectation of more fireworks in what has been one of the most entertaining series for years. England's batting coach Marcus Trescothick said the match was finely balanced. 'There was lots of positive cricket. We put them under pressure but they fought back pretty well and it sets it up nicely for tomorrow,' he said. Of England's scintillating opening stand, he added: 'When pitches are like this, we want to put pressure back on the bowlers, using your feet, not playing conventional cricket. Success comes from being inventive, brave. It worked well but then we lost a couple of wickets.' Trescothick said that the rare sight of Root appearing to lose his cool was the response to a comment seemingly made by Krishna. 'India tried a different approach,' he said. 'They've seen him play so well in this series they've tried to get after him and spark him up,' he said. 'Normally he's the sort of guy who laughs and giggles but today he chose a different route.'
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Cricket world loses its mind over ‘disrespectful' act
India roared back into contention on an exhilarating second day of the final Test as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead after the hosts had threatened to run away with the match, and the series. After mopping up India's brittle tail in less than 30 minutes at the Oval on Friday morning, openers Zac Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to 0-92 in 12 overs in a blistering return of Bazball tactics. However, continuing the back and forth theme of the entire series, India responded as their bowlers ran in relentlessly to peg England back to 247. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal then scored quickly in a potentially awkward last 90 minutes, ending unbeaten on 51 with India closing on 2-75, 52 runs ahead. Another fabulously undulating day began with India resuming at 6-204 but soon skittled for 224 as pace bowler Gus Atkinson took five wickets in his first Test since May. It was an all-too-familiar collapse by the tourists this summer as Karun Nair fell lbw for 57 and Washington Sundar was caught for 26. Atkinson then bowled Mohammed Siraj and had Prasidh Krishna caught behind, both for ducks, to finish with 5-33. England, 2-1 up in the five-Test series, set about their reply in swashbuckling fashion, exemplified by Duckett's extraordinary reverse hook for six off Akash Deep. They reached 50 in seven overs - the fastest 50 opening partnership for England in a Test - but fell just short of the 100 as Duckett was caught behind reversing for 43. What followed next was a moment of high drama. Duckett had earlier told Deep that you 'you can't get me out' so Deep obviously responded when he did exactly that. He put his arm round Duckett and had some words, before KL Rahul stepped in and dragged Deep away. 'I'm not so sure the bowler should be putting his arm around the bowler having got him out, regardless of whether that is in good spirits or not,' said former England captain Michael Atherton on Sky Sports. 'He was rightly dragged away.' England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Deep was lucky things didn't get physical. 'I was just saying many in my time, a lot of players would have just dropped the elbow on him. I don't think I've ever seen a bowler do that after getting someone out,' Trescothick, who also played for England, said. 'You see bowlers have many words like we've seen a bit in this series on both sides. But it was just different, wasn't it? I was just laughing and joking about it. 'Ben doesn't really do a great deal. Put your head down and walk off, your job is done at that point. There is no need to walk him off in that fashion.' Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting also blasted the incident. In fact, Ponting said he would have given the bowler a right hook if he had been in a similar situation during his playing days. 'I love the way Ben Duckett plays his cricket, I think I like him even more now,' Ponting said. It is possible Deep could be sanctioned for breaching the International Cricket Council guidelines on 'inappropriate physical contact', and fans were fuming on social media. 'That behaviour from Akash Deep is appalling. Got a wicket, take it and show some respect,' one fan raged. 'For all their moaning about spirit of cricket the last couple of weeks, India are far and away the worst at it. 'England have done some bad things this series but that was worse.' Another said: 'Akash Deep had no business putting an arm around him. Physical touch in moments like these can escalate very easily.' And another: 'Akash Deep there perfectly summing up an Indian side who have zero class and are lead by two petulant children in Gambhir & Gill.' Naturally, there was some support for Deep. 'Nothing wrong with that send-off. That's just healthy teasing and it's not provocative. What's the fuss all about?' one fan asked. But the majority seemed to think Deep crossed the line and would be fined. 'I'm Indian but that was disrespectful and definitely didn't seem friendly,' a fan said. And another added: 'When you have batted for 43 runs in a Test match, you are perfectly entitled to expect to walk off without being touched by the bowler. I hope young Akash Deep, when he has a quiet moment to himself, will be a bit disappointed with what he did.' England were 1-109 at lunch and looked poised to take command but India, as they have all summer, refused to buckle as Crawley (64) and Ollie Pope (22) quickly departed. Joe Root brought calm to proceedings until Siraj nipped one back at him for an lbw on 29, with Jacob Bethell going the same way soon after. Krishna finished off the session by having Jamie Smith brilliantly caught in the slips for eight by KL Rahul then getting Jamie Overton lbw for nought and followed up with the wicket of Atkinson to finish with 4-62. Harry Brook had a late flurry either side of a rain delay before becoming Siraj's fourth victim when bowled for 53. England, with injured Chris Woakes absent, were all out for 247. India's openers quickly erased that lead, with Jaiswal looking particularly enterprising en route to a quickfire 51 - though he was badly dropped in the deep on 40. Rahul departed tamely for seven off Josh Tongue, and Sai Sudharsan followed, lbw to Atkinson for 11, leaving Deep not out four. With good weather forecast for Saturday, another Oval full house will turn up in expectation of more fireworks in what has been one of the most entertaining series for years. England's batting coach Marcus Trescothick said the match was finely balanced. 'There was lots of positive cricket. We put them under pressure but they fought back pretty well and it sets it up nicely for tomorrow,' he said. Of England's scintillating opening stand, he added: 'When pitches are like this, we want to put pressure back on the bowlers, using your feet, not playing conventional cricket. Success comes from being inventive, brave. It worked well but then we lost a couple of wickets.' Trescothick said that the rare sight of Root appearing to lose his cool was the response to a comment seemingly made by Krishna. 'India tried a different approach,' he said. 'They've seen him play so well in this series they've tried to get after him and spark him up,' he said. 'Normally he's the sort of guy who laughs and giggles but today he chose a different route.'
