Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.
England's Ashes hopes rest largely on the all-round performance of talismanic captain Ben Stokes, who took 17 wickets against India in the recent home series.
Only Don Bradman (8) has had more 150-plus scores before turning 23.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
After a cautious start, Crawley and Duckett punished the straying Indian bowlers with an array of crisp boundaries. The pair blunted the new ball and raced to 77 without loss at tea.
Daryl Mitchell's runs had steered the hosts to their victories in Tauranga and Hamilton and when he departed for 44 to leave his team still 27 runs from their target on 196-8, the English scented an unlikely victory.
England were comfortably placed at 225 for two at stumps after bowling out India for 358 on the second day of the fourth Test in Manchester on Thursday.
Jacob Bethell has represented England in 29 matches across all formats and will lead the team in the absence of the regular Test players.
'I'm worried. We're going to wander in and have a little game with the 'A' team. (It will be) 'Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya' and we're going to go and perform?'
Since going missing from red-ball action in 2021, the 30-year-old endured a period during which injuries constantly plagued him, especially a recurring stress fracture in his right elbow.
Reddy, brought into the attack just after the first hour of play in the 14th over, struck twice in his very first over by removing both England openers.
All-rounder Jamie Overton, who played the only Test match of his career back in 2022, has been recalled to the 15-member England squad
India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
England on Wednesday announced their playing XI for the opening Test of the five-match series against India, which will kickstart at Headingley on Friday.
'There's probably no need to sort of walk him off in that fashion'
Mohammed Siraj was penalised 15 per cent of his match fee and docked one demerit point following an aggressive reaction to the wicket of England opener Ben Duckett.
The T20I series against South Africa will be played from 10-14 September, following the ongoing ODI series where the Proteas hold an unassailable 2-0 lead heading into the final match on Sunday.
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
India roared back into contention on an exhilarating day two of the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Friday as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead.
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope scored centuries to take England to a massive 498/3 at the close on the first day of their one-off Test against Zimbabwe.
A superb unbeaten century from Ollie Pope helped drag England back into the first Test against India at Headingley on Saturday, with the home side closing Day 2 on 209/3.
A superb century from Ben Duckett helped steer England to a sensational five-wicket win in the first Test against India after a thrilling day five on Tuesday.
Joe Root was at the center of an unexpected on-field spat with India's Prasidh Krishna, as tempers flared during a high-stakes second day at The Oval.
Keshav Maharaj took 4/22 as South Africa thrashed a woeful England side by seven wickets after dismissing the hosts for just 131 runs in the first One-Day International.
Prasidh Krishna opened up about the bond shared within India's pace unit
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Friday.
Spin great Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy's showing with the ball on Day 1 of the Lord's Test on Thursday.
England go unchanged at Edgbaston
Gill said staying calm under pressure would be crucial going forward in the five-match series.
Manjrekar pulled no punches, singling out Ravindra Jadeja for failing to exploit the Day 5.
As Indian bowlers' desperate search for a breakthrough continued on Day 5 of the first Test against England in Leeds, poor show by fielders added to their woes.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made a promise to himself post the Australia tour that he would improve his bowling.
Reddy took Thakur's place in Birmingham after the first Test
Opener Ben Duckett hit the most defining century of his career, exposing an out-of-depth Indian attack as England comfortably chased down a tricky target of 371 to win the opening Test by five wickets.
This was the first time in five years that India had put down so many chances in an innings.
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
India pacer Prasidh Krishna relished the banter with 'good mate' Joe Root on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test, and said riling up England's batting mainstay was part of the team's plans.
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