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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
TEST MATCH BREAKFAST: The Ashes legend in the Sky Sports commentary booth and why one of England's squad is back playing for his county this week
Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket during England's huge fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. Ahead of day two of the crunch fourth game of the five-match series, RICHARD GIBSON discusses who Lancashire blamed for the early empty seats, the Australia legend in the commentary box and the series star who is back playing for his county. Pointing the finger Lancashire blamed fans for turning up late after thousands were left queuing as play got under way on the first morning. Lines of people were snaking down Brian Statham Way and onto Talbot Road when play began at 11am, with ticket holders taking to social media to vent their frustration. 'If you're wondering why there's gaps in the stands at Emirates Old Trafford,' the Barmy Army posted on X, attaching a photograph of the throng in the streets. Lancashire responded with a statement, saying: 'We are aware that some supporters experienced queues getting into Emirates Old Trafford this morning, which we apologise for. 'We saw nearly 9,000 supporters arrive at the ground very late despite encouraging early arrival, with all bags subject to searches on entry. 'The club will be looking at increasing the number of gates for the rest of the Test match. 'We strongly encourage ticket buyers to only bring bags if required, and if doing so to arrive as early as possible. Gates will be open at 9am for the rest of the game.' The first four days of the penultimate game of the Rothesay Series are 21,500 sell-outs, but huge expanses of empty seats remained in the temporary stand into the afternoon session. One supporter blasted the 'shameful scenes,' comparing it to the two minutes it took him to get into Lord's last week. Social media user PitchedOutsideLeg added: 'Arrived Old Trafford 09:45. Still way back in huge queue moving slower than a snail's pace. Have paid over £100 for ticket. Several breweries in and around Stretford and Salford nearby. Hopefully whoever has orchestrated this hasn't also organised drinks there later.' The Australian at Old Trafford Ricky Ponting has joined the Sky Sports commentary team for this match, returning to the scene of one of his finest Test innings in the process. Ponting's rearguard, fourth-innings hundred in Manchester staved off defeat in the third match of the iconic 2005 Ashes. Although Australia 's captain was dismissed during a tense finale, last-wicket pair Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee negotiated the final 17 minutes, sparking unprecedented celebrations on the balcony of the away dressing room. The draw sent England and Australia to Trent Bridge with the series deadlocked at 1-1. Reliving 2005 The 20th anniversary of England's historic victory over Ponting's Australians has been commemorated with a special radio production by the BBC. A collaboration between the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Test Match Special is available to download from BBC Sounds and will be broadcast in full on Radio 5 Live at 8pm on Thursday night. The 2005 Ashes: Settling the Score combines archive commentary, storytelling and classical music to soundtrack cricket's most famous summer this century. Producer Tim Peach said the hour-long programme - narrated by actor Charles Dance, and including works by Prokofiev, Bizet and Mendelssohn - presented a challenge. 'How do you tell a story that is so well known to our audience in a different way?' Back to the day job Josh Tongue was dispatched to play for County Championship title challengers Nottinghamshire against Hampshire at Southampton just before the start. Tongue, 27, featured in the first two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar series, but has been surplus to requirements both at Lord's and here, and will be subbed into the Division One encounter at the start of the third day. Linking up with his county colleagues required a four-hour drive for the fast bowler. Not as arduous a journey as faced by Yorkshire's Will Luxton earlier this week. Sent to play for a county select XI after being omitted from Yorkshire's plans to face Surrey, Luxton was then summoned from Beckenham to Scarborough at 7pm the night before the game because of a delay to Pakistan international Imam-ul-Haq's visa. The former England Under-19 batsman did not arrive on the east coast until the early hours, but made light of any fatigue by hitting a season's best 71 off champions Surrey that afternoon after Imam was denied a debut due to a lack of a paperwork. The giant party stand Old Trafford's party stand is big enough to house Test cricketers of all nations and both sexes twice over. For the record, the 71-row temporary structure can seat around 8,000 people while the combined men and women's Test player totals is yet to hit the 4,000 mark. Ringing the bell Neil Fairbrother manages the affairs of a number of England cricketers including captain Ben Stokes and the world's No 1 batsman Joe Root. However, it is for his feats as one of Lancashire's best ever players - no one has appeared for the club in more Lord's finals - that Fairbrother has been asked to ring the five-minute bell on the second morning.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Lancashire blame fans for turning up late with thousands left queuing outside Old Trafford as England and India began the fourth Test
Lancashire have blamed fans for turning up late after thousands were left queuing as the fourth Test got under way in Manchester. Lines of people were snaking down Talbot Road and Brian Statham Way when play between England and India began at 11am, with ticket holders taking to social media to vent their frustration. 'If you're wondering why there's gaps in the stands at Emirates Old Trafford,' the Barmy Army posted on X, attaching a photograph of the well-populated streets. Lancashire responded with a statement, saying: 'We are aware that some supporters experienced queues getting into Emirates Old Trafford this morning, which we apologise for. 'We saw nearly 9,000 supporters arrive at the ground very late despite encouraging early arrival, with all bags subject to searches on entry. 'The club will be looking at increasing the number of gates for the rest of the Test match. 'We strongly encourage ticket buyers to only bring bags if required, and if doing so to arrive as early as possible. Gates will be open at 9am for the rest of the game.' The first four days of the penultimate game of the Rothesay Series are 21,500 sell-outs, but huge expanses of empty seats remained in the temporary stand into the afternoon session. 'It shouldn't be necessary to rock up three hours before the start of play. Absolutely shameful scenes at Old Trafford,' one supporter blasted. 'I turned up at Lord's around 10.30am on day one and was inside the ground literally within two minutes.' A social media user named PitchedOutsideLeg added: 'Arrived Old Trafford 09:45. Still way back in huge queue moving slower than a snail's pace. Have paid over £100 for ticket. Several breweries in and around Stretford and Salford nearby. Hopefully whoever has orchestrated this hasn't also organised drinks there later.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Liam Dawson ends long wait for Test wicket as England make inroads after lunch
Liam Dawson bagged a first Test wicket in nearly 3,000 days before England captain Ben Stokes dismissed India counterpart Shubman Gill at Emirates Old Trafford. Handed a fourth Test cap eight years after his third because of an injury to fellow spinner Shoaib Bashir, slow left-armer Dawson drew the edge of Yashasvi Jaiswal on the opening day of the fourth Test. India went to tea on 149 for three after Stokes got a leg-before verdict over Gill, whose arrival at the crease drew jeers from the crowd, seemingly becoming public enemy number one having accused England of acting against the 'spirit' of the game last time out at Lord's. After the antagonism between the teams at the home of cricket, where England moved 2-1 ahead in the five-match Rothesay series, tensions were cooler on Wednesday, where Gill called incorrectly as India lost their 14th toss in a row – a statistical improbability rated at 16,384 to one. India's openers had better fortune when play got under way, with Jaiswal twice edging Chris Woakes' first over but, to the bowler's chagrin, both dropped short of the slip cordon. Woakes in particular gave Jaiswal a thorough working-over and, while the young left-hander was judicious outside his off-stump, there were multiple occasions where the ball whistled past his outside edge. Rahul was unruffled, moving past 400 runs in the series and 1,000 in England, while the only breakthrough the hosts managed in a wicketless first session was Woakes breaking Jaiswal's bat handle. Jaiswal showed largely excellent restraint but did flash at the wayward Brydon Carse, agonisingly wide of third slip, before later carving Stokes away for six in the penultimate over before lunch. Woakes got some overdue reward 20 minutes after the resumption when Rahul fenced off the back foot but succeeded only in edging to Zak Crawley at third slip, leaving the opener to trudge off for 46. Jaiswal did go to a battling fifty but, on 58, he pushed hard to Dawson's seventh ball of his comeback, undone by a hint of drift and a lack of spin as an edge was gobbled up by lone slip Harry Brook. Dawson dashed off in a frenzied celebration after claiming his first Test wicket since dismissing former South Africa batter Hashim Amla 2,929 days ago at Trent Bridge. Gill's arrival led to a smattering of boos but he blocked out the noise and showed more intent against Dawson, advancing and thumping him for four, albeit just over the head of a leaping Stokes at mid-on. The recalled Sai Sudharsan, one of three changes to India's line-up from Lord's, was put down on 20 by Jamie Smith, who was hit on the chest after Stokes had got a leg-side strangle. Stokes had more luck in his next over after brushing the front pad of Gill, who paid the price for shouldering arms to a trademark inswinger as he departed for 12 to give England a third wicket of the session.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
King & Cross lead Lancs to crucial win over Essex
Women's Vitality T20 Blast, Emirates Old TraffordLancashire Thunder 55-2 (6 overs): Lamb 21, Jones 17Essex Eagles 47-7 (8 overs): Winfield-Hill 13; Cross 2-9, King 2-17Lancashire (5 pts) beat Essex (0 pts) by eight wicketsMatch scorecard Ashes rivals Kate Cross and Alana King shared four wickets to set Lancashire Thunder up for a convincing rain-affected T20 Blast win over Essex Eagles at Emirates Old Trafford that kept the hosts' Finals Day hopes seamer Cross and Australia leg-spinner King struck twice apiece in the space of 10 legitimate balls in the sixth and seventh overs of what turned out to be an eight-over Essex innings as they slipped to 38-6 and later totalled 47-7.A two-hour rain delay ravaged a fixture which both sides realistically needed to win to maintain hopes of a top-three finish, and it was Thunder who claimed the crucial five points as they reeled in a revised target of 52 in six overs thanks largely to opener Emma Lamb's 21 off 17 fourth win in nine games - this by eight wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method - means they leapfrog Essex into fifth place but are still 11 points behind third-placed Bears, whom they host on Sunday (13:00 BST), with five games meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in nine games and have a mountain to climb, beginning with Sunday's trip to league leaders Surrey at The Kia Oval (12:00). Thunder, who importantly won the toss and elected to bowl first, made a fast start with the ball either side of the two-hour they reduced Essex to 24-2 after five overs. Seamer Phoebe Graham, making her first competitive appearance of the summer for Thunder, struck in the fourth over when she uprooted the leg-stump of Lissy swing bowler Tara Norris then had the other Essex opener Lauren Winfield-Hill well caught low down at cover by Ailsa Lister. Only four more balls were bowled before play was upon the resumption, with an eight-overs per side game now in motion, Thunder struck four times in the first 10 legitimate balls back to all but end any realistic chance Essex had of had compatriot Maddie Penna well taken low down at square-leg by Lister off a full toss before getting Cordelia Griffith caught behind cutting later in the sixth the seventh, Cross uprooted Jo Gardner's off-stump and had an attacking Eva Gray caught behind. Amara Carr was then run out off the final ball of the innings. Opener Winfield-Hill was the only Essex batter to reach double figures with Jones (17) set Thunder on their way in the chase with an eye-catching straight driven boundary off Esmae MacGregor's seam before dragging Gray to midwicket as Thunder slipped to 29-1 in the Lamb hit three leg-side boundaries before being run out with only four runs required, with King (1no) and Lister (4no) completing the formalities with two overs to supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fast bowler Stanley extends Lancashire stay
Lancashire Lightning fast bowler Mitchell Stanley has signed a new deal keeping him at the club until the end of the 2026 24-year-old moved to Emirates Old Trafford from Worcestershire in 2023 and has made seven appearances for the Red Rose across both forms of white-ball has spent time with England Lions, playing two red-ball matches in South Africa and Australia respectively."We have been really pleased by his commitment to training and physical development throughout his time with us so far – and this contract extension reflects that progression," Lancashire's director of cricket Mark Chilton told the club website., external
