Usman Khawaja celebrated his recall to the Test arena after two years in the wilderness with a stylish 137 to drive Australia to a declaration on 416 for eight shortly before the close of play on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test on Thursday.
England quick Stuart Broad reckons his total domination of Australia opener David Warner in last year's Ashes series was down to his strategy of denying the batsman any width to play his fierce cut shots and square drives. Broad dismissed Warner seven times in 10 innings as the subdued left-hander finished the drawn series with only 95 runs.
England's decision to go with James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for the first Test in Southampton snapped Stuart Broad's run of 51 consecutive home Tests.
Veteran England pacer James Anderson on Wednesday said he is keeping his 'fingers crossed' for a return against India in the rescheduled fifth Test match, starting at Edgbaston on Friday.
Nasser Hussain reckons James Anderson will pip Stuart Broad for a place in the 2nd Test starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
England paceman Stuart Broad is aiming to recover from an ankle injury in time to play domestic first-class cricket for his county Nottinghamshire later this month, days before the first Test against India.
The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw, with England having won the first Test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.
Victory for England would see them take the series, which is poised at 1-1.
'They will bowl short at you. Therefore, you will have to come out with a plan.'
England levelled the three-Test series against West Indies after bowling the tourists out for 198 in the second innings to win by 113 runs in the final session of the second Test with Ben Stokes in inspired form at Old Trafford on Monday. England had declared their second innings at 129-3 in the first session in Manchester after sizzling all-rounder Stokes smashed 78 off 57 deliveries, setting West Indies a target of 312 with 85 overs left in the day.
Stuart Broad took 10 wickets in the Test -- for only the third time in his career -- and was named man of the series despite his surprise omission from the first Test in Southampton.
The 34-year-old debuted for England in 2007 at Colombo with Chaminda Vaas his first, and only, wicket in that Test at a cost of 95 runs and logged his best figures of 8-15 when he rampaged through the Australians at Trent Bridge in the Ashes five years ago.
Images from Day 4 of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's in London on Saturday.
Broad missed the opening Test in Brisbane and the most recent encounter in Melbourne
With Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes already missing the series due to injuries and Ben Stokes taking an indefinite break to focus on his mental well-being, England fielded a depleted team, and now Wood, too, could join the list of absentees.
England's most successful bowler James Anderson feels he and Stuart Broad should be paired together to lead the bid for a series win in the decisive Test against the West Indies. The hosts are spoilt for choice ahead of Friday's start of the third Test at Old Trafford with Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all looking to return to the team.
The days of James Anderson and Stuart Broad spearheading England's fast bowling attack are over, according to former captain Michael Vaughan.
'But when you get that click, that six or seven overs where everything is in sync and you see the ball flying down at 90mph-plus causing chaos, that's why you put Jofra Archer in your team.'
Since 2011, England have managed to eke out just a single draw in 13 Ashes Tests over three tours and their last two Tests in Sydney have resulted in humiliating defeats.
Scott Boland will become the first indigenous Australian Test player since Jason Gillespie played his last match in 2006 when he receives his baggy green cap on Sunday.
Team combination a worry for India
Becomes first England fielder to take 5 catches in an innings.
A fiery spell from captain Ben Stokes dragged England back into the match but South Africa remained the happier side as they reached 289/7 at the close on the second day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.
Wood was also given a break after the series in the island nation where he went wicket-less in the first Test and took three wickets in the second.
The England team caused a flutter when two of its players tried playing a bit of 'football' with the ball during the post-lunch session on the fourth day of the second Test at Lord's on Sunday.
The 26-year-old returned to action for county side Sussex against Kent last week in a bid to regain match fitness but he only bowled five overs in Kent's second innings due to pain in the elbow.
The batting was a big letdown for the Indians with Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer failing in both innings, while Shardul Thakur's selection over Ravichandran Ashwin turned out to be a big mistake.
Another England bowler to advance in the rankings was Chris Woakes, whose five-wicket haul in the second innings lifted him to 20th position and a career-best rating points tally of 654.
Commenting on the batsman who troubled them most, both named former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Test played between England and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Kohli, Dhoni named captains of Test and ODI team of the decade by Aussie website
England will draw confidence from India's strong comeback from a similar situation and continue to play aggressively when play resumes on Day 3 in the rescheduled fifth Test, at Edgbaston, Birmingham, says veteran seamer James Anderson.
Royal Challengers Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said he felt like Stuart Broad when Mumbai Indians veteran swashbuckler Yuvraj Singh smashed three sixes in one of his overs.
The opening match of the series begins in Brisbane on December 8, with Australia playing their first Test since losing to India in January.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Ashes Test played in Adelaide on Thursday.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (919) continued to lead the batting charts, with the Australian duo of Steve Smith (891) and Marnus Labuschagne (878) rounding up the top three.
England face a rejuvenated Australian team who have turned day-night cricket into a competitive advantage, winning all eight of their Tests under lights dating back to the format's 2015 debut.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between England and New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday.
Australia great Ian Chappell says Virat Kohli is an exceptional captain who has carried the Indian team to a higher level, whereas England's Joe Root is a "fine batter but poor captain".
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