England to host Ireland in three-match ODI series in 2026
"It is good to be able to announce these International Women's Championship ODI fixture dates so early as it helps the team plan the rest of their summer in 2026," Ireland director of cricket Richard Holdsworth said.
"These are significantly important matches as they are part of the 2029 ODI World Cup qualification structure. We are also pleased to be based in the Midlands and happy that all venues are so close to each other."
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Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
How England-India Test series became an all-time classic
England v India 2025 will go down as one of cricket's greatest Test series of all time, five matches crammed into seven weeks of unrelenting, see-saw drama ending in a 2-2 draw after India's extraordinary six-run win in the final game on Monday. Over 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries, the sun shone most of the time and every match went into the fifth day. The stadiums were packed and although tensions flared at times on the pitch - perhaps inevitable given the immense pressure - it was a series that featured all the best things that make Test cricket such compulsive viewing. With more and more one-day cricket around the world, it was a timely boost for the longest format of the sport which many people believe is fighting for its existence. "It's been an incredible series, all five games going down to day five, so much has been put into this series from both teams," England captain Ben Stokes said. "The commitment and energy has been outstanding. Stood here now, we're bitterly disappointed we couldn't get the series win but, being a massive advocate of the game of Test cricket, this series has been an unbelievable advert for it across the world." It all started at Headingley where three India batsmen made centuries, before a collapse that was to become a feature of the series, as they posted 471 and England replied with 465. Rishabh Pant's second hundred of the game led India to 364 before Ben Duckett's stroke-laden 149 inspired England's textbook chase of a huge target of 371 to complete a five-wicket win. ONE-SIDED TEST The second Test at Edgbaston was by far the most one-sided. India captain Shubman Gill made a brilliant 269 in his side's first-innings 587. Harry Brook's 158 was the foundation of England's 407 in reply, but Gill made 161 to take his match tally to 430 runs and the hosts could muster only 271 as India levelled the series with a crushing 336-run triumph. On to Lord's and as if to prove how well matched the teams were, they posted identical first-innings totals of 387, only the ninth time in Test history that has happened. Joe Root's 104 and KL Rahul's 100 were the major contributions on a tricky wicket devoid of pace. England could manage only 192 second time around but, as happened so often, the pendulum swung when they then reduced the touring side to 58-4 at the close on day four. At lunch on the final day, India were teetering on 112-8 but Ravindra Jadeja batted for well over three hours, and it was deep into the last session when spinner Shoaib Bashir bowled Mohammed Siraj to complete a 22-run England win. BAT DOMINATED At Old Trafford, the bat dominated once more. India made a respectable 358 before England racked up a massive 669, highlighted by Root's 150 and 141 from Stokes. Chris Woakes then took two wickets in the first over to reduce India to 0-2 before Rahul and Gill led a brilliant recovery. Gill made another hundred but when they both fell on the final morning England had plenty of time to take the six remaining wickets with India facing a seemingly impossible run chase. Jadeja and Washington Sundar had other ideas, however, and doggedly resisted, both reaching three figures after England effectively gave up and were reduced to bowling part-timer Harry Brook to allow the batsmen to get to their milestones quicker. The draw left England 2-1 up going into the final game at The Oval with the exertions of the series taking a heavy toll on both teams. England were missing all-rounder Stokes and fast bowler Jofra Archer while India were forced to leave out Pant and the world's top-ranked bowler in Jasprit Bumrah. England skittled India for 224 before eking out a narrow first-innings lead of 23. Yashasvi Jaiswal's second century of the series lifted the touring side to 396 and left England needing 374 for victory with two days remaining. TWIN CENTURIONS The hosts stumbled to 106-3 before twin centurions Root and Brook shared a superb fourth-wicket partnership of 195 to put England firmly in the driving seat with only 66 runs required. Brook's reckless dismissal, however, gave India hope and, led by the tireless Siraj, they picked up two more wickets before bad weather forced an early close to leave England needing 35 runs on the final day. The Oval was packed for an incredible one-hour cameo that encapsulated the entire series as England began the day with a more than 80% chance of victory, according to the Winviz predictor. But Siraj was inspired again and with England's batsmen losing their heads and their wickets, Woakes arrived at the crease wearing a sling to protect his dislocated shoulder. Even then, England edged towards their target as Gus Atkinson farmed the strike and hit Siraj for six, only for the abrasive fast bowler to end proceedings with a brilliant yorker. It was just reward for India, who lost the toss in all five matches, as they claimed their narrowest-ever test win. "All the doubters saying Test cricket is dying a death, this series has said the opposite," Stokes added.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Florian Wirtz insists £100m price tag 'doesn't matter' as Liverpool ponder next Alexander Isak move
Liverpool's £100 million summer signing Florian Wirtz insists he pays no attention to his mammoth price tag as he looks to help the Premier League champions defend their crown this season. The German attacking midfielder moved to Merseyside from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could rise to a British transfer record-breaking £116m with add-ons. Wirtz scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists for Leverkusen last season having played a key role in the German's club's double winning campaign the campaign before. The 22-year-old is already Liverpool's most expensive signing eclipsing the previous best of £75m set by current club captain Virgil van Dijk when he joined from Southampton in January 2018. But even if he also ends up breaking English record, Wirtz is adamant that he will not be fazed by such pressures. "I don't think about it," he said I just want to play football and how much money the clubs pay between each other, it doesn't matter," he said after Liverpool's 3-2 friendly win over Athletic Bilbao on Monday which saw Coady Gakpo score two and Mohamed Salah the other. "Of course the big challenge is to win the title again and it is the most difficult thing so [I will] try and just create chances and also work against the ball. "I can also run a lot so [I will] bring this to the team and then with the ball I can make the team better and bring my team-mates into better situations. "I came because I thought I could fit in this team and I am enjoying to play with these players and getting every time a little bit better so I am happy with how it is going." Wirtz will be playing outside the Bundesliga for the first time having risen through the youth system at Leverkusen where he would end up making 197 appearances, scoring 57 and assisting a further 65. He scored his first goal in Liverpool colours in their friendly win over Yokohama F. Marinos last week and hit the bar with a header in Monday's win over Bilbao. And Wirtz is now looking to forward to the challenge of adapting to rigours of Premier League football. "I am a player who needs freedom on the pitch and the manager gives it to me because I have to respect the position and the players around me," he added. "I will try to find the right places to be and the right spaces to get the ball and to be dangerous and create chances - I have not played a match in the Premier League but I am looking forward and that is why I came. "There are some differences to Germany but I think there is also something I can learn and make me better so I am really looking forward to it. "It's more intense and more physical, every player is really strong, really fast. That is what everybody is telling me." Manager Arne Slot guided Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title last season and has been busy in the transfer market in a summer overshadowed by the death of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota in a car accident. Apart from Wirtz, the Dutchman has also brought in the likes of left-back Milos Kerkez (£40m from Bournemouth), right-back Jeremie Frimpong (£40m from Leverkusen) and striker Hugo Ekitike (£79m from Eintracht Frankfurt). While Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all headed for the Anfield exit recouping around £115m. Uruguayan attacker Darwin Nunez has also been linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. But the Merseysiders could make their biggest swoop yet if they continue their pursuit of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, after having a bid of £110m turned down by the Magpies on Friday, who value the Sweden international at £150m. Isak missed Newcastle's pre-season tour of Asia with the club citing a thigh injury until it eventually emerged that the 25-year-old was considering a move away from Tyneside. After training in Spain with former club Real Sociedad, Isak headed back to Tyneside on Monday morning for talks with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe as the rest of the squad returned from their pre-season trip to Singapore and South Korea. "He's like any other player, we would expect him to come in and train as normal," said Howe before flying back to the UK. "You have to earn the right to train with us. We are Newcastle United. "The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad - you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here. "We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal."
The National
7 hours ago
- The National
Walking wounded - Chris Woakes, Malcolm Marshall and others who became heroes after batting despite injuries
The image of Chris Woakes, the one-armed man who battled through the agony of a dislocated shoulder to try to win a game for England, was a compelling one. As he stepped out of the dressing to a roar of admiration at The Oval on Monday morning, with his left arm in a sling and stuffed under his sleeveless England jumper, it is possible he was making his last act as a Test cricketer. It is debatable whether his brand of swing and seam - so well suited to UK conditions, but less so abroad - would have been fancied for this winter's Ashes tour to Australia anyway. That was before all the recuperation he will now be bound for between now and the series starting. Woakes will turn 37 in March. By then, he might find England's Bazballers have moved on without him. If it was the last time he is to be spotted in whites by the broader cricket public, then he has definitely signed off as a hero. Such acts of heroism tend to live long in the memories of cricket fans. Here are some of the most unforgettable acts of players defying pain from the sport's past. Colin Cowdrey (England v West Indies, 1963) Like Woakes, the England captain came out to bat in the dying moments of a Test against one of the most feared bowling attacks in the sport of the time – and did not face a ball. England needed six to win with three balls left of a thrilling Lord's Test against West Indies, when a run out brought their captain back out to the wicket. He had had his left arm broken earlier in the innings. He smiled as he emerged from the pavilion, his left arm in plaster, and watched from the non-striker's end as David Allen blocked the final two deliveries from Wes Hall to bring about a draw. Rick McCosker (Australia v England, 1977) At the Centenary Test in Melbourne, Rick McCosker had his face smashed by a bouncer on the first morning. He spent a day and a half in hospital, having his jaw rewired. Then, with his helmetless face wrapped in bandages, he came out to bat in Australia's second innings and shared in a 50-partnership with Rod Marsh. Australia eventually won the game by 45 runs, and McCosker later reflected that he was just doing his job. Although his bandaged face did send his two young kids running away scared of him. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies v England, 1984) Fielding in the gulley in a Test at Headingley, fast bowler Malcolm Marshall sustained a double fracture to his left thumb. Not even that could stop him – and his irresistible West Indies side – from continuing to steamroller England. With his left wrist in plaster, he came out to bat with a smile on his face. He hit a one-handed four, and also took seven wickets. Salim Malik (Pakistan v West Indies, 1986) This is a paradox: Salim Malik is known to most as a player who was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing. And yet he was once selfless enough to go out to bat one handed, against the fastest attack in the world (one of which, coincidentally, was Marshall), with a broken arm, in order to help a young teammate to a milestone. He did so in the Faisalabad Test of 1986 for Pakistan against the West Indies, batting left-handed for long enough to see Wasim Akram make his maiden Test half-century. Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, 2018) The Dubai International Stadium might only be a little over 16 years old, but it has already built up a hefty body of work. There have been a few acts of heroism already in that time, but none more memorable than Tamim Iqbal at the 2018 Asia Cup. Opening the batting for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, he was struck a brutal blow on the hand. He was rushed to hospital in Dubai where the break to his left index finger was confirmed, and he was ruled out of the tournament. Except he returned two hours later to help his side eke out a few extra runs at the end of their innings, wearing a quickly modified glove with all four fingers – barring the thumb – popping out of the padding. Rishabh Pant (India v England, 2025) Fans do not have to consult the history books to recall another vivid act of heroism. This has been a summer chock-full of them. Rishabh Pant started it, when he hobbled out to bat at Old Trafford despite having broken his foot earlier in the innings, and made a half century. To be fair, a broken foot is a minor ailment for someone who has battled back from nearly losing their life in a car crash to return to the top of cricket. Where he led, Ben Stokes followed, first retiring hurt only to return in the same innings and make a hundred at Old Trafford, before Woakes applied the coup de grace on Monday.
