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Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Root up to second on record Test list as England dominate India
Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers after hitting a sparkling 38th century as England hunted a series-clinching win against India. Ben Stokes's team, 2-1 up in the five-match series, were 544-7 at stumps on Friday on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, 186 runs ahead of the toiling tourists on first innings. Root made an imperious score of exactly 150, with only retired India great Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 Test runs) now having made more than the 34-year-old Englishman's tally of 13,409. Earlier, Ollie Pope (71) put on 144 for the third wicket with Root before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar, who also removed Harry Brook cheaply to give India renewed hope. But skipper Stokes, who ended the day 77 not out after briefly retiring hurt with cramp, ensured England regained the initiative. And it was Stokes who celebrated at the other end as Root, his predecessor as England captain, reached 13,379 runs with a single to move one ahead of Australian Ricky Ponting's figure. 'Magnificent from Root, this is a great moment in history,' former Australia captain Ponting said on Sky Sports as the Manchester crowd stood to applaud and chant the Yorkshireman's name. 'The way his career his gone, there is absolutely no reason why he will not go past Tendulkar.' Root's 38th Test century also drew him level with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place on the list of most hundreds in a Test career. 'It has been a privilege to watch him knock off those milestones,' former England skipper Michael Atherton said on Sky. 'It has also been a privilege to see his career unfold.' Root did not attend the post-play news conference as he was receiving treatment for cramp. Instead, England vice-captain Pope, asked what he admired most about his fellow top-order batsman, replied, 'Just his hunger and his drive, you look at all the batters here and everyone's picked up something from Joe.' The 27-year-old added, 'His hunger for it is awesome. He's an annoyingly good bloke, the way he is with the fans and as a role model for the next generation is awesome. 'There's a lot to learn from him.' India's attack had few answers to Root's latest century, with bowling coach Morne Morkel – the former South Africa quick – saying: 'There's not a lot of weaknesses in his game. That's why he's scored 13,000 plus runs.' England earlier resumed on 225-2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on 11. On 21, the former England skipper walked a long away across his stumps only to miss an intended glance off Mohammed Siraj. India reviewed for lbw after Ahsan Raza ruled in Root's favour but replays upheld the Pakistani umpire's decision, indicating the ball would have missed leg stump. There was another scare when Root, on 22, was nearly run out, but Ravindra Jadeja's shy at the stumps missed. Root, who started the day fifth in Test cricket's list of leading run-scorers, then leapfrogged India's Rahul Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis into third place. Spin, however, eventually paid dividends for India where pace had failed, with both Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj appearing to tire in the absence of the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy. Pope had added just one run to his lunchtime score of 70 when, beaten by the drift from off-spinner Sundar, he edged a flicked front-foot drive to KL Rahul at slip. England were soon 349-4 when Brook, on three, was stumped off Sundar by Dhruv Jurel, deputising for injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Stokes, however, prevented further collapse with his first fifty of the series, and the left-handed batsman was in fine touch until succumbing to cramp in his left leg. Root reached his century in 178 balls with a glanced four off ineffective debutant paceman Anshul Kamboj. He serenely continued to 150 before he was beaten by a turning delivery from left-arm spinner Jadeja that bounced steeply, with Jurel completing a sharp stumping. And when Chris Woakes was bowled by a Siraj ball that kept low – a worrying sign for India's batsmen – England were still well-placed at 528-7. That was the cue for all-rounder Stokes, arguably England's best bowler this series, to resume his innings, and he carried on from where he left off with a well-timed cover drive off Bumrah.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Root climbs to second on all-time Test list as England dominate India
Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers after hitting a sparkling 38th century on Friday as England hunted a series-clinching win against India. Ben Stokes' men, 2-1 up in the five-match series, were 433-4 at tea on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, 75 runs ahead of the toiling tourists. The imperious Root, who had just overtaken retired Australia great Ricky Ponting in the run-scoring charts, was 121 not out, with Stokes unbeaten on 36. Earlier, Ollie Pope (71) put on 144 for the third wicket with Root before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar, who also removed Harry Brook cheaply to give India renewed hope. But skipper Stokes ensured England regained the initiative, celebrating at the non-striker's end as Root reached 13,379 runs with a single behind point, moving one ahead of Ponting's figure. "Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent, second on the table," Ponting said on Sky Sports. England earlier resumed on 225-2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on 11. India's pacemen had too often been wayward on Thursday and Jasprit Bumrah saw his first ball Friday drift down the legside to be clipped away for four by Root in elegant fashion. Root then uppercut Mohammed Siraj over the slips for another boundary. On 21, the former England skipper walked a long away across his stumps only to miss an intended glance off Siraj. India reviewed for lbw after Ahsan Raza ruled in Root's favour but replays upheld the Pakistani umpire's decision, indicating the ball would have missed leg stump. There was another scare when Root, on 22, was nearly run out but Ravindra Jadeja's shy at the stump missed. Root then leapfrogged India's Rahul Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis into third place in Test cricket's list of run-scorers. Pope, who drove Siraj for a superb four between cover and mid-off, completed a 93-ball fifty before Root followed him to that landmark in 99 balls. Spin, however, eventually paid dividends for India where pace had failed. Pope had added just one run to his lunchtime score of 70 when, beaten by the drift from off-spinner Sundar, he edged a flicked front-foot drive to KL Rahul at slip. England were soon 349-4 when Brook, on three, was stumped by Dhruv Jurel, deputising for injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Root reached his century in 178 balls with a leg glance for four off debutant paceman Anshul Kamboj. His 38th Test century drew him level with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place on the list of most hundreds in a Test career. jdg/jw
The Independent
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
England vs India match prediction: 4th Test betting tips & cricket odds
England can secure a series win in Manchester with victory over India in the fourth Test, which gets underway on Wednesday (11am, Sky Sports Main Event). Ben Stokes' side lead the series 2-1 following wins at Headingly and most recently at Lord's in the last Test, which they won by 22 runs. England have made just one change from last time out with off-spinner Shoaib Bashir missing out after breaking a finger at Lord's. He is replaced by spinner Liam Dawson, who is playing his first Test match in eight years, while Jofra Archer keeps his place after impressing on his long-awaited return. The fast bowler took five wickets in his first red-ball game in over four years, including that of Rishabh Pant and opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal twice. Archer's inclusion could make all the difference in a series which England are now the favourites to win on betting sites against an India team with a few injury concerns. India will also make at least one change to the side that was beaten last time out after all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the rest of the series with a knee injury. Pant looks like he is fit to play after batting in the nets on Monday, overcoming the finger injury he suffered at Lord's, but fast bowlers, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, could both miss out through injury. Arshdeep hurt his bowling hand while training, while Deep has a groin problem, so that means that Jasprit Bumrah will play. He had been a doubt for the visitors with the fast bowler only due to play three of the five Test matches, and he has already played in two. He will play to give his side the best chance of keeping the series alive with one to play at the Oval. England vs India Betting Preview: Series success beckons to England England have promised another feisty affair in Manchester after the third Test was described as tetchy and tense and resulted in bowler Mohammed Siraj being fined 15% of his match fee and given one demerit point for his celebration on dismissing Ben Duckett. Harry Brook told the press that his side had been accused of being "too nice' before the last Test by head coach Brendon McCullum, and they will be going out to put the Indian side under more pressure at Old Trafford. Cricket betting sites are backing England for the win at odds of 21/20, while you can get 12/5 on an India win and 3/1 on a draw. Even before we look at history, you'd be backing England for the win after the dramatic way they took a 2-1 lead at Lord's, but the fact that England have lost just two of the 20 Test matches they have played at Old Trafford this century should stand them in good stead. Add to that the fact that India have never won in Manchester in nine attempts, and there's a lot to like about McCullum's side. Crawley to get some runs on the board The last time Zak Crawley played a Test match for England at Old Trafford he scored 189 as England racked up 592 in their first innings against Australia in July 2024. That score off just 182 balls remains his second-highest innings score after 267 against Pakistan in the first innings at Southampton in August 2020. The opening batsman has managed just 128 runs so far in this series, with his best score coming in the second innings in the first Test at Headingly when he scored 65 from 126 balls. He hasn't managed a century against India in 24 matches, but he has scored six centuries and has a top score of 79 from March 2024. He's on offer at 3/1 on betting apps to score his first century in four matches, or you can get 6/4 on him scoring more than 70. Please gamble responsibly Sports betting can be enjoyable, but it's important to stay in control and gamble responsibly. Whether you are using the best online casino, slot sites, poker sites, or online bookmakers, responsible gambling should always be a priority. All licensed gambling sites in the UK are required to provide tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion, and self-assessment questionnaires. These are designed to help you manage your activity and protect your well-being. Many operators, including online bookmakers and new casino sites, will offer free bets or a casino bonus. While these can be tempting, it is vital to read the terms and conditions of any offer before taking part. If you are concerned about your gambling behaviour, support is available from:
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Liam Dawson to make England Test return after eight years in place of injured Shoaib Bashir
Liam Dawson will make his first Test appearance in eight years in place of the injured Shoaib Bashir as England look to seal a series win over India at Emirates Old Trafford. The 35-year-old played the last of his three Tests in July 2017, but he has been a star performer on the County Championship circuit with Hampshire and amassed 49 wickets in 2023 and a further 53 in 2024. He had drifted out of contention in England's red and white-ball sides in recent years, but Bashir breaking a finger on his non-bowling hand in the 22-run win at Lord's last week opened the door for Dawson. England have now confirmed their XI, as is now customary, two days out from the fourth Test and Dawson coming in for Bashir is the only change, with Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse retained. As well as being a shrewd left-arm spinner, Dawson, who returned to England's T20 side in their win over the West Indies last month, has 18 first-class hundreds and is a renowned as a fine fielder. Harry Brook said: '(Dawson) is a wily, old fox, very experienced and a very skilful cricketer. He's played everywhere, played against everyone so hopefully he can have an amazing performance this week. 'He's willing to always fight for the team, he's very competitive and it's good to have him here.' Dawson is set to slot into the batting order at number eight ahead of Woakes, who drops a spot but keeps his place in the team despite taking seven wickets at an average of 56.4 in the series. The 36-year-old got the nod ahead of Gus Atkinson partly because of his outstanding record in Manchester, where he averages nearly 37 with the bat and 17 with the ball in seven Tests. Atkinson had a fitness test on Monday and while he was considered to be available, England have erred against risking a fast bowler who has been on the sidelines since late May with a hamstring injury. Archer stays in the team after his starring role last week at the so-called home of cricket to put England 2-1 ahead with two to play, taking five wickets and bowling with plenty of pace and hostility. It was his first Test outing in four-and-a-half years and only his second red-ball match since the summer of 2021 but after a week off, England have no concerns about his readiness to go again. Meanwhile it is understood fellow express paceman Mark Wood's hopes of being available for the fifth Test have been dashed. Initially ruled out for four months following knee surgery in March, Wood rated himself as '50/50' for a potential decider at the Kia Oval, but he will now target the white-ball matches against South Africa later this summer for his England return.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Liam Dawson to make England Test return in place of injured Shoaib Bashir
Liam Dawson will make his first Test appearance in eight years in place of the injured Shoaib Bashir as England look to seal a series win over India at Emirates Old Trafford. The 35-year-old played the last of his three Tests in July 2017, but he has been a star performer on the County Championship circuit with Hampshire and amassed 49 wickets in 2023 and a further 53 in 2024. He had drifted out of England's red and white-ball contention in recent years, but Bashir breaking a finger on his non-bowling hand in the 22-run win at Lord's last week opened the door for Dawson. England have now confirmed their XI, as is now customary, two days out from the fourth Test and Dawson coming in for Bashir is the only change, with Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse retained. As well as being a shrewd left-arm spinner, Dawson, who returned to England's T20 side in their win over the West Indies last month, has 18 first-class hundreds and is a renowned as a fine fielder. Harry Brook said: '(Dawson) is a wily, old fox, very experienced and a very skilful cricketer. He's played everywhere, played against everyone so hopefully he can have an amazing performance this week. 'He's willing to always fight for the team, he's very competitive and it's good to have him here.'
