Ian Bell, under enormous pressure after a poor run of form and promoted to number three in the order, answered his critics in emphatic fashion with a composed unbeaten 65 to steer England to victory in the third Ashes Test.
Alastair Cook apologised to England fans for letting them down in the Ashes series and said he wanted to stay on as captain to help turn around the team's fortunes.
Factbox on England captain Alastair Cook, who became the first English batsman to score 10,000 runs in test matches in the second test against Sri Lanka on Monday. *Born Dec. 25, 1984 in Gloucester, England. *Scored an unbeaten 104 on test debut against India at Nagpur in 2006, and made his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka in the same year. *Scored 766 runs in seven innings during the 2010-2011 Ashes tour, to help England to their first series win in Australia for 24 years. *Scored 294 against India in 2011, his highest test score to date, and was named as International Cricket Council's Test Cricketer of the Year in 2011. *Was appointed MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list.
'There's a difference between a captain who consults and one who is uncertain; dithering is a bad look for a captain. There are times in Australia when a captain has to be imaginative in order to force the issue and this is not one of Root's strengths.'
England Managing Director Hugh Morris feels India's decision of not allowing the Decision Review System's usage in the just-concluded Test series was disappointing after touring captain Alastair Cook fell victim to a couple of dubious decisions.
A list of top 10 centurions from each Test playing nation.
Warne heaps praise on 'wonderful guy' Cook
Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four for 60 to reduce England to 285 for nine in 88 overs at stumps on Day 1 of the first Test.
The England team on Thursday embarked on their gruelling Test tour of India with captain Alastair Cook insisting that Kevin Pietersen's text message scandal was over and he was delighted to have the controversial batsman in the squad for the series.
Graeme Swann took six wickets and England dodged the rain clouds hovering over Headingley to wrap-up a 247-run second Test victory over New Zealand on Tuesday and secure a 2-0 series triumph.
Alastair Cook closed in on a 25th Test century after deciding not to enforce the follow-on as England, looking to ensure a series victory over New Zealand, built a substantial lead in the second and final Test on Sunday.
England skipper Alastair Cook admitted on Tuesday that it's been long since his side won a Test and it will desperately look to change that when the five-match series against India gets underway, in Nottingham, on Wednesday.
Alastair Cook and Nick Compton made some amends for England's poor first innings by grinding out a 231-run partnership to eat deep into New Zealand's lead of 293 on the fourth day of the first Test on Saturday.
The former England opener says Cook, Bell and Root shouldn't be in the One-day squad and is unimpressed with the team's bowling line-up.
Rediff.com's Manu Shankar points to the factors that led to Team India's downfall in the Kolkata Test.
After beating India at their own game, England skipper Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen said the team will have to guard against complacency in the remaining two matches.
India were staring at an embarrassing defeat in the second cricket Test against a spirited England who rode on Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook's brilliant centuries to gain a vital 86-run lead before the spinners tightened the noose around the hosts in Mumbai on Sunday.
Kevin Pietersen smashed a 94-ball 110 before retiring hurt as England put up 408 for 3 on Day 1 of the tour match against Haryana in Ahmedabad.
India were without several frontline players and fielded five debutants in the series.
Moeen Ali said Chennai Super Kings will always have an edge over their opponents because of the unpredictable strategies of their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Australia captain Michael Clarke said he could not have asked for a better performance from his team following their 405-run mauling of England in the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
The Alastair Cook-led English team, which arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday for a five-match one-day series and Twenty20 game against India, got down to business with a practice session.
Former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist is anticipating another tight Ashes series between Australia and England, and believes that either team can win the urn.
England will head into this year's Ashes series against Australia heartened by their performances against New Zealand but with nagging doubts about key areas in the team.
Former pacer Steven Finn urged England to take a cue from Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen's centuries in their 10-wicket win in the 2012 Mumbai Test.
Photos from Day 3 in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
England fought back after losing their first three wickets in the space of half an hour to reach 342 for six on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's on Friday.
29-year-old Derbyshire left-arm seamer Mark Footitt, who has taken 32 wickets for his county in Division Two this season, was handed a place at the training camp, which begins on June 27, ahead of Yorkshire all-rounder Adil Rashid.
Kevin Pietersen hit his first ODI century for more than three years to steer England to a nine-wicket win over Pakistan Saturday to help them secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Himself known for his delightful cover drivers, Bell thinks Virat Kohli plays his favourite shot the best among his peers.
India captain Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 49 to deny England victory in an intriguing final session of the opening Test of the five-match series in Rajkot on Sunday.
More than the disappointment of missing out on a triple century by just six runs, England opener Alastair Cook is 'thrilled' at scoring 294 against India in the third Test at Edgbaston on Friday.
Images from Day 2 in the third Test between India and England in Birmingham, on Thursday.
England have included pace bowler Graham Onions in a 13-man squad for the first Ashes Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Wednesday.
England captain Alastair Cook has described as "blatant fabrication" the claims that Ashes players have used silicone tape on their bats to confuse Hotspot technology and he wants an apology.
Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar has reportedly been relegated to the peripheral fourth umpire role following the ball-tampering allegations in the ICC Champions Trophy that rocked the England team.
Alastair Cook has warned that England's players could go on a strike if the country's Board does not trim the schedule as the team is playing 'too much cricket'.
England reclaimed the Ashes urn after hammering Australia by an innings and ... runs when the tourists were bowled out for ... on Day 3 of the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday.
Strike bowler Stuart Broad, one of the heroes of England's 3-1 Test series victory against India, was on Monday left out of a 15-man squad for the five one-day internationals between the two teams.
An Ashes series that promised so much has all but fizzled with Australia taking an unassailable 3-0 lead, but Melbourne's Boxing Day Test offers some intrigue as to whether England will continue to self-destruct or salvage some pride from a turbulent campaign.
