Australian fast bowler Brett Lee could miss the first Ashes Test against England starting in Cardiff on Wednesday because of a rib injury, his team said on Monday. Lee, one of Australia's key bowlers in the 2005 series, suffered soreness in his ribs following the drawn warm-up game against the England Lions.
Back in contention for the Ashes with his first five-wicket haul on English soil, Australian pacer Brett Lee says he has finally mastered reverse swing, which the Englishmen had used with destructive precision during the 2005 series.
The two squads comprise a host of players, who have performed consistently for their state teams and IPL franchises over the past couple of seasons.
Injuries to Worcestershire wicketkeeper Steven Davies and his county colleague Kabir Ali has necessitated the England and Wales Cricket Board to make changes in the England Lions Squad to take part in the Duleep Trophy tournament to be held in West Zone centres.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn has been ruled out of South Africa's four-match Test series in England after being forced to withdraw from his country's A team tour as he has yet to regain full fitness following a fractured shoulder.
India went into the first Test with one spinner in Anil Kumble, while Yuvraj Singh lost the battle for a No 6 or 7 slot to VVS Laxman and M S Dhoni.
Mohammed Shami was dropped after he failed to clear the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Reader Honey Marcose sent us this picture from Chelmsford.
England also named their final one-day squad before the World Cup, with fast bowlers Tom Curran and David Willey returning to a unit who defeated Sri Lanka 3-1. Tom replaces brother Sam as Liam Dawson and Olly Stone also miss out.
While the two T20 matches will be a precursor to the ODI series, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is likely to be given a short break to rejuvenate and come back fresh for the ODIs.
The Punjab all-rounder admits it will be tough breaking into the Test side with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in the middle order.
Opener Dinesh Karthik hit a blazing half-century in the second innings as the three-match between England Lions and the Indians ended in a draw.
The master batsman has done it several times, but, yet again, on Saturday, he was required to anchor India out of trouble and did not let the team and his fans down.
The ace batsman scored 171 as the Indians ended Day 2 on 336-7, in the three-day match against England Lions.
England Lions finished the opening day of the three-day tour match on a commanding 379 for 8 against India at Chelmsford on Friday.
Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, on Tuesday, made it clear that his committee picked Ravindra Jadeja for the Test series based on the fitness report where he was declared absolutely fit.
'I got some time off from international cricket, so I could come back to India and reflect on what was not going right for me. Fortunately, I got to play some India A games where the pressure is a bit less and where I could focus on my skill and my technique'
Suspended all-rounder Ben Stokes has left England on a trip to visit family in New Zealand and will not be joining the Ashes squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board said.
Delhi's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant got his maiden Test call-up as he was picked up as the additional glovesman along with Dinesh Karthik after Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out with injury for the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
'Pant can be your match-winner, he has the X-factor.'
aptain Virat Kohli and premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, were both called back into a full-strength Indian squad, while Dinesh Karthik was left out of the five-match ODI series against Australia, starting in Visakhapatnam, on February 24.
Spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali made a comeback to Test cricket as they were included in England's 13-man squad for the first Test against India, starting in Edgbaston, on August 1.
Among his wards, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have taken to Test cricket like duck to water, all-rounder Vijay Shankar is staking World Cup claims, while Shubhman Gill broke into the ODI team in New Zealand.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 International series against England, starting in Manchester on Tuesday.
England's cricketers must take responsibility for their actions and improve their off-field behaviour or risk turning a younger generation of players away from the game, all-rounder Moeen Ali said.
India's ODI squad against Australia announced; squads for New Zealand tour declared
Sanjay Manjrekar said the team management should take the blame for selections which have backfired.
Suspensions on Pandya, Rahul lifted with immediate effect: CoA
'At least 7 to 8 players, who are all Test team specialists will have to be in England in June'
Coach Trevor Bayliss thinks England left some "scars" on the Australia team during the second Ashes Test and can still enjoy success Down Under despite being 2-0 down with three matches to play.
Former England skipper Alastair Cook feels India's pace battery has variety and depth, something that they have lacked as a touring side all these years.
England captain Joe Root sought to draw a line under the litany of off-field incidents that have dogged the team throughout the Ashes on Wednesday, even as a senior player admitted they would continue to haunt the side during the third Test in Perth.
The Indian team is still searching for the right middle-order combination with the World Cup just a few months away.
The ICC at its annual conference in Barbados has revived the task team for Pakistan cricket after the PCB showed a documentary on the security measures adopted for Zimbabwe's tour to the strife-torn nation last month.
Teenaged opening batsman Haseeb Hameed was one of the three uncapped players named on Friday for England's forthcoming tour to Bangladesh.
England have named uncapped Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson in their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20, to be staged in India next month, but there was no dramatic recall for Kevin Pietersen.
Keaton Jennings will make his England debut as captain Alastair Cook's latest opening partner in the fourth and penultimate test against India at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Rishabh Pant is a 'champion cricketer in the making', who is very much in the mix for the 2019 India's World Cup campaign for his ability to seamlessly switch formats, says chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.
Former England batsman Jonathan Trott will continue to try to revive his Test career on his first overseas tour since leaving the Ashes in Australia with stress issues just over a year ago.
A calf injury to explosive batsman Lynn opened an unlikely door for 34-year-old White, who played the last of his 88 ODIs in 2015 and has since been critical of a pro-youth policy he felt did not reward the performance of senior players.
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