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France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Jamie Overton added to England squad for fifth Test against India
The return of the Surrey paceman is the only change to the group from Old Trafford, where India on Sunday escaped with a draw after batting for five sessions and 143 overs. Ben Stokes' men had been in pole position to move into an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series after taking a first-innings lead of 311. But they were only able to take four wickets in India's second innings, even though Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over. Stokes hinted "fresh legs" might be needed among the bowlers for the fifth Test, which starts on Thursday. Woakes and Brydon Carse have both played all four matches so far while Jofra Archer has featured in back-to-back Tests following a four-year absence. Stokes considers himself "very unlikely" to miss out despite struggling with various injuries at Old Trafford but the tight turnaround means changes seem likely. Overton, who won his only Test cap in 2022, joins fellow seamers Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue in a 15-man squad pushing for a spot in the starting eleven. Tongue featured in the first two Tests of the series and took 11 wickets but was expensive, while Atkinson has not played a first-class match since England's win against Zimbabwe in May. Liam Dawson looks set to be retained as England's frontline spinner despite taking just one wicket in Manchester across two innings.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How Ben Stokes should prepare for the Oval Test and my pick from each team in a dream XI: BUMBLE AT THE TEST
England found it hard-going on the final day of the fourth Test against India, toiling away but failing to find the wickets needed to win the game. They had been in a dominant position after restricting their visitors to 0/2 in the first over of the final innings, but some stern resistance ensured India go into the final Test with the hope of saving the series. There were still plenty of talking points from the final day, however. One was Ben Stokes battling through with the ball, having made a century and then carrying out long bowling spells despite potential injury issues. Then there was a discussion of the two attacks, with both teams starting to tire with one game still to go. So, for the final time this week, our man David Lloyd was at Old Trafford to dissect all the big talking points, from Stokes' fitness, to India's star, and a throwback to an action of an India great. Mail Sport presents the latest edition of BUMBLE ON THE TEST. Ben battling through Watching Ben Stokes bowl in the morning session was painful. If he were a racehorse, he'd have been sent to the knacker's yard because it looked like he was falling to bits, holding his shoulder and grimacing with every delivery. Somehow, though, he just kept going and got the wicket of KL Rahul. He really is a remarkable cricketer and England will now need to patch him up for the Oval. Shubman the superstar Shubman Gill confirmed he is going to be an absolute superstar and a new hero for India at No 4, following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Like all the greats, he seems to have so much time. My only worry for him is whether the captaincy will eventually weigh him down. There is no sign of that in this series, but if you've got a player as good as that, why not just let him bat? I'll stick with Jadeja I got asked in the pub the other day: who would you choose if you could have only one player from each team? Gill, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah are all candidates for India, but I am having Ravindra Jadeja. He is in the game all the time and an absolute sticker with the bat, as he showed against yesterday. For England, I am going for Stokes over Joe Root. Sachin's masterclass India's resolute batting on Sunday made me think of watching them practise years ago at Old Trafford. Tendulkar stayed behind in the nets with a coach and played purely defensive shots. His little game was to try and drop the ball dead without it hitting the side of the net, something you can only do with soft hands. It is a real skill and India are masters of it. Give bowlers a break Bowlers of both teams have flogged themselves to a standstill on a pitch that has been an absolute back breaker. When Bumrah, the best bowler in the world, can't get a jot out of it, you know it's a grueller. Talk is that the Oval will have more grass on it and the bowlers are going to need it. Both teams will also have to change their attacks because they look absolutely knackered. The kids were all right Walking round the ground, I noticed many young children playing impromptu games of cricket. It was marvellous how they just organised themselves. But it did make me think how grounds should set aside a designated area for children to go and play, with community coaches looking after it. A day at a Test is a long time for kids to sit through, so give them a space to have a bat and a bowl. Old (lady) Trafford! I have thoroughly enjoyed hosting my Bumble's Legends Lounge at Old Trafford. There were no casualties, but there was one misdemeanour when a patron flatly refused to move out of a seat which was designated to someone else. Some colourful language ensued, but we dealt with it in a very diplomatic manner as the culprit was well into her 80s. We delicately defused the situation by offering her another stiff gin and tonic.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Very unlikely' I won't play series decider
England captain Ben Stokes says it is "very unlikely" he will miss the decisive final Test against India at The Stokes struggled across the final three days of the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, repeatedly feeling for the top of his legs and right 34-year-old has a chequered injury history and has had surgeries on his left knee and hamstring in the past two is also in superb form. He took 5-72 with the ball in India's first innings in Manchester, then followed up with 141 with the bat, becoming only the fourth England man to take a five-wicket haul and score a century in the same is a short turnaround to the fifth Test, which begins on Thursday."I don't want to eat my words, but the likelihood I won't play is very unlikely," said Stokes. "Mentally, I'm decent. Physically, I've been better."While Stokes has historically struggled with injuries to his left leg, he said the problem with his right bicep has been "stirring away" for some time."It's been a pretty big workload so far in this series," said the Durham man. "It was another big week in the third Test at Lord's, the same again this week. Pain is just an emotion, so it's just one of those things."It's my bicep tendon. It's had a lot of workload through it. It's a lot of time in the middle doing my job. It didn't get any worse. Hopefully it settles down and will be as good as gold for the last game." Stokes' importance to the England team as a player and leader is paramount. He has been in particularly fine form with the ball this summer, regularly England's best bowler, while his century at Old Trafford was his first in a Test for more than two is the leading wicket-taker on either side in the England-India series with 17, which is also his most successful with the ball across a 12-year Test career. The 140 overs Stokes has bowled in the series is also the most of his about his fitness were raised at Old Trafford when he did not bowl any of England's 63 overs on the fourth day. He did bowl at the beginning of the fifth day, ultimately sending down 11 overs as India batted throughout Sunday to claim an unlikely began their second innings 311 behind and were reduced to 0-2 before lunch on Saturday. Centuries from captain Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar took the took the tourists to safety on 425-4 when a draw was were in the field for 143 overs across Saturday and Sunday, a huge amount given the short time between Tests. Across the series, England have fielded for 222 overs more than Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have played all four Tests for England, while Jofra Archer has played the last two after more than four years out with three would be candidates to be rotated at The Oval. Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson were in the England squad for the fourth Test and Jamie Overton could be added as cover."You look at how long we have been out in the field and the overs we have bowled, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired," said Stokes. "There will be an assessment of everyone and hopefully we can use these next days of rest wisely."We might have make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in, but that won't be decided until we get closer to the last game."England had the better of much of the fourth Test, but ultimately fell short of winning the series with a match to spare. England have not beaten India or won a five-Test series against anyone since the home side must avoid defeat at The Oval in order to seal what they hope will be the first part of a successful year, with the Ashes to follow in Australia this winter."Yes, we're 2-1 up, but we want to go out and put that last big performance in. We know there's a lot of hard work to go into the end of the series," said Stokes."We set this game up really well. We played the game in the way we wanted to. I give a lot of credit to the way India were able to play the way they did. It just wasn't meant to be this week."India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant suffered a broken foot during the fourth Test, with head coach Gautam Gambhir saying he was "all for" the introduction of injury replacements in Test cricket. Replacements are currently only allowed for Stokes said the suggestion is "absolutely ridiculous", because such a move would create "too many loopholes"."You pick your XI for a game and injuries are part of the game," said Stokes. "I completely understand the concussion replacement, because that is player welfare and safety."I honestly think the conversation should stop around injury replacements. If you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get another player in straight away."
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
England, India and a compelling Test series that is proving impossible to predict
It did not seem possible for India to pull off one of the greatest of all escapes and draw the fourth Test. Not after losing two wickets in the first over of their second innings when faced with a deficit of 311 once England had made 669. And not when KL Rahul and Shubman Gill had been dismissed on the last morning after putting on a defiant 188. Advertisement Nothing seemed more certain than an England win to clinch the series with one to play after they had scored more than 600 for only the second time in a home Test in 20 years. But a tremendous display of resilience, determination and character from Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja gave India a defiant draw that keeps the series alive, with England 2-1 ahead going into the final Test at the Oval on Thursday. This will feel like a victory to India. They came so close to winning the third Test at Lord's in another five-day epic, but then seemed to create problems for themselves with their team. The decision to fast-track seam bowler Anshul Kamboj into the side for his Test debut once they had been beset by injuries to original squad members Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy was bizarre. Under-pressure coach Gautam Gambhir could have turned to a seam bowler who had played in this series, in Prasidh Krishna, and another awaiting his chance in Harshit Rana. Instead, India not only threw Kamboj straight into the side but gave him the new ball ahead of Mohammed Siraj and then saw him struggle to reach 80 miles per hour. Kamboj may have impressed for India A against England Lions this season, when he took five wickets in two matches, but he had returned to India after those games and there seemed no compelling reason why he should be brought back. Then there was the decision of Gill to hold back off-spinner Washington, who had taken four wickets for just 20 at Lord's, until the 69th over of an England reply to their 358, which eventually saw them run up that huge first innings total. But the biggest of all questions that faced India was their reluctance to play the forgotten man of their tour party, in unorthodox left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav. England have a traditional weakness against wrist-spin — and left-arm wrist spin is the rarest type of bowling — and have struggled against Kuldeep in the past. He lengthens their tail, but he would surely have posed a bigger threat to Kamboj and the underused Shardul Thakur. Now, in a series of twists and turns, it is India who will head to London with a spring in their tired step and England facing questions about an attack out on their feet after four long Tests and with captain Ben Stokes facing another injury worry. No one did more to pull off one of the most unlikely draws in Indian cricket history than novice captain Gill. He arrived at the crease just before lunch on the fourth day with Chris Woakes on a hat-trick after dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan, the second wicket having fallen when Gill was in the washroom. He could have been excused for imploding and giving up on the series. Not a bit of it. Advertisement Gill was close to falling lbw to Jofra Archer without scoring when TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena decided there was insufficient evidence to overturn Ahsan Raza's not out decision when it was unclear whether the ball had hit his bat or toes first. Then he could have been dismissed on 46 when Liam Dawson dropped a catch diving in the gully that he really should have taken off Brydon Carse. Gill was reprieved on the last morning on 81 when Stokes, bowling despite suffering from a shoulder injury suffered in the warm-up, saw him drive uppishly towards cover, where Ollie Pope could not hold on above his head. That should not take anything away from an India captain who went on to his fourth century of this series before eventually falling to Archer with his tally at a remarkable 722 in four matches. He is 252 behind Sir Don Bradman's record of 974 runs in a series against England in 1934, with one Test remaining. When Gill and the equally solid Rahul — who has made 602 runs in this series — went, India sent in the man who could have missed out had Kuldeep been selected, their second spinner Washington ahead of the injured Rishabh Pant and Jadeja. Washington had been on the receiving end of an English verbal attack at Lord's when he suggested on the fourth evening India would 'definitely win' the third Test. 'Jofra's coming on in a minute, Washy,' shouted Harry Brook after Gill had shielded the left-armer from facing Dawson. But Washington showed character in making his maiden Test century and adding 203 with Jadeja, who was, perhaps decisively, dropped when Joe Root juggled a slip catch off the first ball the left-hander faced from Archer. Only when there were a few of the angry words that featured at Lord's was the partnership disrupted, Stokes trying to shake hands and call it a day with 15 overs remaining, only for Jadeja and Washington to insist on batting on in search of their centuries. Advertisement It led to a farcical end when Jadeja moved to his hundred with a six off the part-time bowling of Brook, but the hard work had been done and it was understandable significant personal milestones were wanted. Even when Brook said 'f*****g hell Washy, get on with it' and then 'this century is really going to mean something' from Ben Duckett, the India batters were not deterred. Washington's hundred was a landmark in itself, as it was the 11th by an India batter in this series, the most by any visiting side in England. 'Both batted brilliantly and with both being in the 90s, we wanted to carry on,' said Gill. 'A Test hundred is a Test hundred and we felt it was worth carrying on for another three or four overs.' Stokes added: 'The hard work had been done by India. Both those batters played incredibly well and we got to the point where only one result was possible. There was no chance I was going to risk any of my fast bowlers by bowling them again and Dawson was cramping up. That's why Brook bowled.' Four tough matches on mainly slow pitches more suited to the sub-continent have left both sides exhausted and injury hit, and the relentless schedule will continue in south London. Woakes and Carse have played in all four games for England and will surely need replacing at the Oval, as will Archer, who has now played two demanding Tests in succession, having not played any cricket lasting more than 50 overs a side in more than four years. Then there is Stokes, who has been a colossus in this match but could not bowl on the fourth day and was clearly in pain with his shoulder when he forced his way through another 11 overs on Sunday. England must think long and hard before they risk their captain because his ability to play an all-round role with bat and ball remains integral to their chances of causing an upset in Australia this winter. Advertisement 'It was a workload thing,' said Stokes in playing down any injury concerns. 'I ask players to run through a brick wall, so I will always try to do the same.' Stokes will be disappointed that his spinner, in Dawson, playing his first Test in eight years, went wicketless on a last-day pitch and the captain was seen at tea telling the experienced slow bowler that he should be bowling a different line into the rough. India also have issues. They cannot pick Kamboj again, while Thakur has largely been a passenger and Siraj is another to have played in all four games. Then there is Bumrah. India have been adamant that the best bowler in the world would only play three Tests in this series to protect his troublesome back, and he twisted his ankle walking down the dressing room stairs here. Bumrah has played in three Tests now — he missed the only game India have won — but surely Gill will want him to play with the series on the line? Deep is also expected to be fit. This was only the second draw in the 40-Test reign of Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, the first here at Old Trafford when two days of rain stopped England beating Australia two years ago. The famously inclement Manchester weather had nothing to do with this one. This was down to five sessions and 11 hours of Indian defiance, patience, determination and technical excellence. And that should be celebrated as much as any individual milestone and any cricketing pyrotechnics. Click here to read more cricket stories on The Athletic, and follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
'No less than a win for us': Gill hails India's batting heroics in 4th Test
India, led by captain Shubman Gill, batted with great character to secure a hard-fought draw in the fourth Test against England on Sunday and keep the series alive going into the final game. After losing two wickets before they had scored a run in their second innings, India batted for over five sessions for the loss of two more wickets to end the final day on 425-4 at Old Trafford. A courageous hundred from Gill -- his fourth of the series -- and dogged unbeaten centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar gave the home crowd little to cheer on a tough day for England. A closely-fought series remains at 2-1 to England and the hosts must avoid defeat in the final Test at the Oval in London, starting on Thursday, to win it. "This is no less than a win for us, given we were around 300 runs off the lead. Our batsman put on a great display," Gill told the BBC. "As soon as England got the new ball, it was doing a little bit but our batters did really well and it was tremendous, with a little bit of luck going our way as some balls can get dragged on, brilliant batting and brave batting." England captain Ben Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings but was not fit to bowl much on Saturday, brought himself into the attack on Sunday morning with India resuming on 174-2. The hosts were firm favourites to seal victory at this point, even more so when Stokes' reintroduction paid dividends. The 34-year-old trapped KL Rahul lbw for 90, ending his excellent third-wicket partnership with Gill at 188. Gill remained undeterred, however, even after getting a nasty blow on the hand. In his first series as captain, the 25-year-old became only the third skipper to score four hundreds in a single Test series. After almost seven hours at the crease, a tired-looking Gill wafted at a Jofra Archer delivery to fall just before lunch for 103. Jadeja was dropped the next ball by Joe Root, a tough chance at first slip. England still had plenty of time to secure victory, but the home side barely created any chances, with India seeing out the draw in relative comfort. Washington moved along conservatively after lunch, but hit successive boundaries, one a huge six, to move to his fifth Test half century. Jadeja reached his fifty and passed 1,000 test runs against England -- the third Indian to do so this series. After tea, with their chance of victory gone, England offered India the chance to call a halt to proceedings early, but Gill kept his team out there. With England rotating their bowlers, Jadeja swept to his fifth Test ton under no pressure, before Washington quickly completed his maiden Test hundred. India did then agree to a draw – the first non-rain affected draw for England since coach Brendan McCullum and Stokes came together in 2022. "Another hard-fought test," Stokes told reporters. "Another five-dayer. We set the game up really well, the way we put the Indian bowlers under pressure, focusing on batting once. "We gave ourselves a great chance of bowling them out. We played the game how we wanted to, it didn't just pan out the way we wanted," Stokes added. "Mentally I feel fine, physically I've been better. It has been a pretty big workload this series."
