Latest news with #EnglandVsIndia
The Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Brook defends England's fiery approach before fourth India Test
England batsman Harry Brook has warned India that his team 'don't always have to be nice' as they prepare to resume hostilities at Old Trafford on Wednesday. After England battled to a fiery 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord's, the teams will lock horns again with the series on the line in Manchester. England on Monday named just one change to that side with Hampshire's left-arm spinner Liam Dawson making his first Test appearance in eight years at the expense of the injured Shoaib Bashir, while Jofra Archer remains in an unchanged pace attack. An England win would put them 3-1 up with one game to play, while India must take the last two matches to secure their first Test series triumph on English soil since 2007. It promises to be another fiercely-fought encounter after India's fielders clashed with England batsmen Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in a time-wasting row at Lord's. Brydon Carse of England and Ravindra Jadeja of India exchange words after colliding during day five at Lord's. Picture:That lit a fire under England when it was their turn to field, with Archer giving a pumped-up send-off to India's Rishabh Pant. As the tension mounted in England's 22-run win, Brydon Carse and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were involved in a mid-pitch collision. But Brook is adamant Ben Stokes' side did not go too far with their spiky approach in pursuit of victory. 'I've had a lot of compliments. Everybody said it was awesome to watch. It was good fun, I have to admit. It was tiring but it made fielding a lot more enjoyable,' he said on Monday. 'I think it put them under a little bit more pressure. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did. We just thought 'we're not standing for that'. 'We had a conversation and said 'it's time to not be those nice guys that we have been before'. You don't always have to be nice. Who knows, that might have played into our favour. It was good fun. Shoaib Bashir celebrates dismissing Mohammed Siraj of India to win the third Test. Picture:'We were doing it within the spirit of the game. We weren't going out there effing and jeffing at them and being nasty people. We were just going about it in the right manner.' India pace bowler Mohammed Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for his angry send-off of Duckett during England's second innings, which ended with the pair brushing shoulders. Brook revealed it was at his urging after some choice words from head coach Brendon McCullum that they decided to fight back. Asked whether that aggressive approach will continue as England look to win the series, Brook said: 'God knows. We'll see whether it happens again and whether it works. 'I brought it up the night before the last day: 'Baz said the other day we're too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them'.' Bashir took the final wicket at Lord's but the Somerset spinner's broken finger has opened the way for Dawson's Test recall. Harry Brook of England is bowled by Akash Deep in the third Test. Picture:The 35-year-old, who has starred in county action for Hampshire leapfrogging the centrally-contracted Jack Leach as the replacement for Bashir, played the last of his three Tests in 2017. He was a member of England's ODI World Cup winning squad in 2019 and was recalled to the T20 side against the West Indies in June. Apart from his bowling Dawson is a more than handy lower order batter with 18 first-class hundreds and an average of just over 35. 'He is a wily, old fox, very experienced and a very skilful cricketer,' Brook said. 'He's willing to always fight for the team, he's very competitive and it's good to have him here.' Archer, who took five wickets in his comeback Test at Lord's while bowling at high pace, retains his place in the bowling attack alongside Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes who were preferred to the fit-again Gus Atkinson.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Kevin Pietersen leaps to Ben Stokes' defence following fourth Test criticism
Kevin Pietersen has leapt to Ben Stokes' defence after the England captain was criticised for his reaction to India refusing an early finish towards the end of the fourth Test. India left Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday with a draw to keep the Rothesay series alive – England lead 2-1 – after the tourists batted out five sessions as Stokes' side took just four wickets in 143 overs. England's toil might have ended earlier as Stokes offered to shake hands with 15 overs left but he was rebuffed by Ravindra Jadeja as he and fellow spinner Washington Sundar were approaching their hundreds. The hosts were visibly irritated by the decision and a few offered some choice words, while Stokes withdrew his frontline bowlers and turned to Harry Brook's loopy mid-30mph off-spin to hasten a finish. Only when both Jadeja and Washington brought up three figures did the penultimate Test of the series conclude, but Stokes was labelled a 'spoilt kid' by former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar on streaming service JioHotstar in India. Pietersen, a former England team-mate of Stokes, views things differently, though, as he said on X: 'Two days fielding and no result on the cards – you WANT to get off the field! 'You cannot have a pop at Ben Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him when you're sitting in your lounge watching. You're NOT in the battle. Leave the men in the ring to be emotional.' With a blockbuster Ashes series looming on the horizon, many Australian media outlets have seized upon the contentious day five incident in Manchester, with a Sydney Morning Herald opinion piece titled: 'Spare us the whinging, England. The only thing embarrassing about Old Trafford was your tantrum.' Stokes, whose side will look to seal a series win at the Kia Oval this week, insisted he would not have had more satisfaction from getting a hundred than an 80 or 90 not out to help his side avoid defeat. But former Australia opening batter and head coach Justin Langer told Australian daily digital newspaper The Nightly: 'It's great to see that Test cricket still has that hard edge. 'If the roles were reversed, I imagine if it were Ben Stokes whose young team-mates had the chance to score a Test 100, he would have done the exact same thing (as Jadeja and Sundar).' Tensions between England and India had died down in Manchester after the rancour at Lord's earlier this month although this latest flashpoint adds another layer of drama to this week's fifth and final Test. Pietersen added: 'The Stokes issue should NOT distract from the batters who batted to save the Test Match! Outstanding effort and one which makes The Oval a v v important Test. 'Every BIG series I played in had needle and some sort of controversy at some stage. Enjoy this controversy leading into the 5th Test. It's what makes a series memorable!'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Show of Mancunian grit could be making of India captain Gill
India's cricketers began last week at Manchester United's training Devils manager Ruben Amorim could have done without a grilling from spinner Kuldeep Yadav about his continued use of he will be wishing his squad could show the same grit and determination India did during their trip to the north west, as their epic rearguard action in the fourth Test prevented England taking a decisive 3-1 lead in the series. They are proud of their entertainers on the red side of Holy Trinity. Sir Alex's flying wingers. The one they still call King Eric. India's performance was a tribute to one of this area's other favourite sons, Lord Atherton of Stoic Defiance. This Test came four years after India's previous visit to Old that occasion India pulled out of the fifth Test after a positive Covid-19 result and flew home with the series there to be won, given their 2-1 Gill was playing in his first Test against England in England when the hosts swept to victory in the rearranged match in Birmingham the following captain, Gill ensured that if England are to get the result they want from this summer's contest they will have sacrificed an inch from their height in doing Gill's 103 runs scored across 24 hours, England's bowlers would have celebrated victory on Saturday afternoon and spent Sunday on the golf out at 0-2 after only five deliveries, following a draining 157.1 overs as leader in the field, his head must surely have been spinning. In the first innings he was out for 12 shouldering arms, seemingly having played all of his shots in the pre-match news conference a day earlier by suggesting England had broken the spirit of Friday there murmurings of discontent in the India camp - questions of whether it was Gill or coach Gautam Gambhir calling the night bowling coach Morne Morkel took blow after blow in a news conference. 'Why was player A picked? Why did player B not bowl?' an unrelenting press contingent only made the resistance of Gill across the weekend, a 25-year-old a month into a gruelling first tour as captain, even more has spoken a lot this summer about wanting to wear his 'batter cap' when doing the day job. He has wanted to leave his metaphorical captaincy equivalent in his kitbag until he comes to field. In this knock he had to wear both to show the dressing room - one without the experience of three legends in Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, who all retired within the space of six months over the winter - the way forward was to fight. Gill now has 722 runs in this series with four Graeme and Steve Smith, of South Africa and Australia, have scored more than 700 runs in a series against England in the UK this Smith was another young captain when he dominated the summer of 2003. His run-haul set him on the way to being one of the great leaders of the modern era, but he already looked a grizzled leader when taking the reins at 22. Gill, in contrast, is softly his first captain Kohli held court with an aura the size of his social media following, Gill answers questions with a disarming when India needed their captain to front up this week - with the bat and when Ben Stokes offered his hand for the draw with 15 overs to go - Gill did so, just as Kohli would have would have been easy for Gill to accept Stokes' offer when England's captain looked to the dressing room. Worse would have been to shrug and put the pressure on to inexperienced team-mate Washington Sundar, who stood 20 runs short of a maiden Test held firm - a stern look before his smile returned soon after. This was typical Gill and those in the ranks remember when their leaders front the is not to say Gill has been perfect in his first four matches in bowling Sundar until the 69th over of England's first innings was a clear tactical mistake. There have been strange selections a country of 1.4bn, medium pacer Anshul Kamboj cannot be the best option to take the new ball in England, while the series finale begins on Thursday with Kuldeep, the best spinner on either side, yet to make an is where he needs Gambhir's former India opener is Gill's antithesis. Combative and scowling, a news conference after a semi-final win in the Champions Trophy in March became a 20-minute argument. Another after the first Test at Headingley was similar. Gambhir could be The Spiky and coach do not have to come from the same pod, a la Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott failed at the head of England's white-ball team because they were both playing the good if Gambhir is willing and able to plug the gaps, Gill has shown he has both the personality and batting prowess to take this side aggressive approach gave this generation an edge and athleticism that remains long after he has gone. With his softer nature, and the ability to light a fire when needed, Gill can be the ideal captain for this latest words United's iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson once (almost) said half a mile up Sir Matt Busby Way now apply to India."Your job is to stand by your new captain."This week in Manchester could be the making of India's new skipper.
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
England add all-rounder Jamie Overton to squad for fifth Test against India
London: England added all-rounder Jamie Overton to the squad for their fifth and final Test against India starting from Thursday at The Oval. The England and Wales Cricket Board, in an official statement, said, "The England Men's selection panel has added Surrey all-rounder Jamie Overton to the squad for the Rothesay Fifth Test match against India at Kia Oval, starting on Thursday 31 July." The addition comes after Indian batters grinded it out with three magnificent tons from skipper Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, turning a 311-run deficit to a 114-run lead and securing a draw to keep the chances of a series draw alive going into The Oval. India's effort of batting 143 overs was tiring and took a mental and physical toll on the English pacers, and their frustration was evident in their remarks aimed at Sundar and Jadeja towards the match, during which they urged them to complete their centuries quickly and shake hands for a draw. England's squad for the fifth Test: Ben Stokes (Durham) - Captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire) Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey) Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire). Coming to the match, England opted to field first. Half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six), Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) took India to 358 runs, with Stokes (5/72) troubling the visitors with timely wickets and not letting a massive partnership happen. Jofra Archer also took 3/73. In the second innings, Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) produced a 166-run stand for the opening wicket, sending India on leather hunt. The presence of Joe Root (150 in 248 balls, with 14 fours) and Stokes (141 in 198 balls, with 12 fours and a six) aggravated Indian bowlers, who saw these two produce milestone after milestone on their way to a 311-run lead. England was skittled out for 669 runs, with Ravindra Jadeja (4/143) being the pick of the bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah (2/112) had an off day at work. After Chris Woakes reduced India to 0/2, KL Rahul (90 in 230 balls, with eight fours) and skipper Shubman Gill (103 in 238 balls, with 12 fours) caused England's faces to tense, batting three sessions for an 188-run stand. After these two were done, the spin all-rounder duo of Jadeja (107* in 185 balls, with 13 fours and a six) and Washington Sundar (101* in 206 balls, with nine fours and a six) rattled and frustrated England with their resolve and wall-like presence, taking India to a 114-run lead, ending at 425/4 in a draw. The series is still alive at 1-2, with the final match at The Oval to start from July 31.
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.
