India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
England stayed calm under intense pressure to beat India by 22 runs on a final day of simmering tension and drama in the third Test at Lord's on Monday and move 2-1 up in the series.
Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 85 to guide Australia to 339/5 as England wasted favourable bowling conditions on the first day of the second Ashes Test.
Australian batters have been focussed on tackling the spin threat
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Friday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was "disappointed" on missing a century by a whisker, but amazed by Test captain Shubman Gill's "incredible" effort that powered India to a comfortable position at the end of the opening day of the second Test against England, at Edgbaston, on Wednesday.
Cole Palmer scored twice as the Chelsea proved too good for the Parisians, fresh off their maiden Champions League triumph last month.
Shubman Gill fell to a bizarre dismissal to a loose shot off the final ball of the morning session.
Atherton reckons that in his three years at the helm, the series against India is Stokes' sternest test of leadership qualities.
Sam Konstas has vowed to take a more conventional approach than in his early Test appearances for Australia
Australian captain Steve Smith said the pitch for the fourth and final Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium potentially looks to be the 'flattest day one track' of the series.
Lord's has a tradition of rewarding those who give their best, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Australia had an intense three-hour practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai, focusing on their play against spin.
Australian pacer Peter Siddle reminisced about his famous partnership with Steve Smith in 2019 at Edgbaston against England in the Ashes series ahead of Smith's 100th Test appearance.
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
West Indies' fearsome bowling attacks of old, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph tore through Australia on Wednesday
Diogo Jota, a Liverpool forward, and his younger brother Andre Silva were killed in a car accident in northwestern Spain on Thursday morning.
Australia batsman Steve Smith scored a half-century before pacer Mitchell Starc bagged a hat-trick to rip through the Netherlands top order in a rain-affected warm-up game in Thiruvananthapuram
Four days before the opening Test, Leeds chief curator Richard Robinson and his crew were seen working on the lush green strip of Headingley, which held moisture, to offer a good battle between the bat and ball.
Stokes, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 scalps, will be a mere spectator at The Oval, robbing the series finale of his charismatic on-field presence.
Shubman Gill has not just scored a double hundred; he's rewritten the record books.
India women will be keen to internalise the conditions and character of venues in England ahead of next year's World Cup during the five-match T20I series against the hosts, beginning with the opening game on Saturday.
Images from the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia on Saturday.
'We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances,' the Academy stated.
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
Stokes praises incredibly skillful Akash Deep, says task was to bat out 80 overs
Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu starred in a dominant performance by India Masters, securing a six-wicket victory over West Indies Masters in the inaugural International Masters League.
As India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-1 win, Rohit Sharma and Australia skipper Steve Smith agreed the outcome of the Delhi Test sealed the fate of the series.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
The depleted Aussies will look at Travis Head and captain Smith for inspiration as they chase the title that they last won in 2009.
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
An injury-plagued India could be forced to depart from their preferred template when they takes on a reinvigorated England in the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli top-scored with a fluent 84 as India overpowered Australia by five wickets to storm into the ICC Champions Trophy final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Olivia Gadecki and John Peers battled back from a set down to defeat compatriots Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith
Travis Head impressed in Australia's 2023 tour of India showing his proficiency against spin
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
Australia's Usman Khawaja struck a maiden double hundred and Josh Inglis got a century on his Test debut against Sri Lanka to power the tourists to a mammoth 654/6.
With over 500 runs, six crucial catches, the most by an Indian on the tour, Rahul led by example and lived up to his wiseman tag.
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted at a rejig in the top order after misfiring in the World Test Championship final defence against South Africa at Lord's.
