England are an ageing side alright, but few will dare to bet against Jos Buttler's men successfully defending their World Cup title in a few weeks time.
"There has always been one point in the three games were we haven't been a better team. Losing the first three games you probably would say we can't (take positives), but we are trying to and there is no point in looking back...Because if we lose 4-5, it's going to be really tough to come back from that," he said.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan feels the Rajkot pitch will be similar to the ones in Hyderabad and Vizag, bringing reverse swing into play once again.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes, born in New Zealand, played a crucial role in England's World Cup victory and he starred for the hosts in the final match against New Zealand.
All-rounder Ben Stokes has been recalled to the England squad for the first Test against India, starting at TrentBridge next Wednesday.
England name nine uncapped players in new squad for series against Pakistan
England cricket captain Alastair Cook says all-rounder Ben Stokes gives England the "X factor" and put his improvement down to the work he has done to play against spin. Stokes won man of the match for his performance in England's thrilling 22-run victory in the first test against Bangladesh in Chittagong. He took six wickets, including two in three balls to seal victory on the final day, and scored a crucial 85 runs in the second innings after England's top order collapsed on day three.
Ben Stokes' dismissal soured Australia's 64-run over England in the second ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
'I'm not sure how happy they are about the term, but they are playing really good cricket, let's be honest about it.'
10 costliest buys that stirred the cash-rich league.
England have called up uncapped batsman Ollie Pope to replace out of form David Malan while paceman Chris Woakes comes in for all-rounder Ben Stokes for the second Test against India, which begins on Thursday at Lord's.
Two New Zealand radio presenters were suspended on Wednesday for bringing in Ben Stokes' mother on-air without her knowledge after England's four-wicket loss to West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20 final on Sunday. When Deborah Stokes, who resides in New Zealand where her son Ben was born and raised, called in to complain about her son being "bagged" on the station, she was put straight to air despite assuring that she was off-air. Ben's mother was heard accusing the station of having fun at his expense where many star cricketers backed the young all-rounder. Mrs Stokes, who was herself a prominent cricketer in NZ, continued on to stand up for her son, the broadcasters tricked her saying they were writing down her complaint to alert the station head and the hosts. But they kept misleading her; assuring the conversation was off-air.
CSK revealed that Stokes missed the match against Mumbai owing to a minor toe injury on Saturday.
Barbados-born Jofra Archer, who shone for Sussex last season and in Australia's Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes, is eligible for national selection under new England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) residency rules.
With ICC sanctions firmly in place, cricket has been losing character due to fear of penalty but there are still a few who can engage the crowd with their on-field skirmishes.
England players were in demand as batter Harry Brook earned a Rs 13.25 crore winning from Sunrisers Hyderabad.
England named batter Harry Brook at the expense of Jason Roy on Sunday in the squad for their 50-over World Cup title defence.
Young England batsman Zak Crawley believes Ben Stokes will have no trouble filling the captain's shoe in the absence if Joe Root as the all-rounder is already a "big leader" of the team. Root will miss the Test series opener against West Indies, which starts on Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl to attend the birth of his second child, handing over the captaincy duties to England's World Cup hero Stokes.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes says he did not willfully handle the ball that led to his controversial dismissal for "obstructing the field" in the second One-dayer against Australia on Saturday.
Stokes took three quick wickets late in the afternoon session to quash a brief Australian fightback and two more victims late in the day helped England restrict the touring side to 241 for seven at the close, still 90 runs behind the hosts.
England coach Trevor Bayliss has backed shattered Ben Stokes to bounce back from the harrowing World T20 final experience and also expressed his desire to see the all-rounder putting himself in pressure situations again. A visibly devastated Stokes was left squatting with his head in his hands on the ground after he failed to replicate his death-bowling heroics, displayed during clashes against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, in the high-octane finale. It was in the last over when West Indies required 19 more runs to win but Carlos Brathwaite produced his batting master class and hit the bowler for four successive sixes to steer his side to their second World T20 title. The match also saw Marlon Samuels using abusive and offensive language at Stokes after their seven wickets win over England.
England's Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the fourth and final Test against Pakistan at The Oval due to a calf injury but the all-rounder refused to write off his chances of playing in the subsequent limited overs matches against the same opponents.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming addressed succession plans for MS Dhoni's captaincy, revealing that they had plans in place for about 10 years.
Ben Stokes thrives on his battles with some of the sport's most competitive players as it tends to bring out the best in the feisty England all-rounder, who is hoping to recover quickly from his nightmare end to the World Twenty20 tournament.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 3rd Ashes Test played in Melbourne on Sunday.
New Zealand speedster Trent Boult on Wednesday surpassed legendary Kiwis all-rounder Richard Hadlee to register the most five-wicket hauls for his country in ODIs.
The 28-year-old is expected to open the batting with Surrey team mate Rory Burns for the one-off match against Ireland starting at Lord's next Wednesday.
To avoid the ignominy of missing the cut for the prestigious Champions Trophy, England must win their remaining two fixtures against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the fifth Test against England?
India head coach Rahul Dravid was delighted to see the players identify themselves with Rohit Sharma's leadership principles.
Fast bowler Steven Finn will replace injured all-rounder Ben Stokes in England's team for the third Test against Pakistan, starting Wednesday, captain Alastair Cook said.
'Just catch up with everyone I haven't seen in a long time'
Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson and England all-rounder Ben Stokes have been found not guilty of breaching the code of conduct despite clashing during the second Ashes Test, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
Overseas stars likely to make a difference to their IPL teams this seasons.
The expected loss of all-rounder Ben Stokes from the third Test against Pakistan has left "a bit of a hole" in the England team, coach Trevor Bayliss has said ahead of the match at Edgbaston, starting next Wednesday.
England, chasing 251 to win the must-win third Ashes Test, closed the rain-delayed day three on 27/0.
England have slid to the fourth position in the 10-team standings with eight points from seven games
England have recalled bowler James Anderson, all-rounder Ben Stokes and leg-spinner Adil Rashid to a 14-man squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford starting on Friday.
The British media's 'no love lost' attitude towards Virat Kohli was evident once again as they questioned the Indian captain's exchange of words with Ben Stokes after the latter's dismissal but performer of the day Jonny Bairstow was in no mood to fan the fire.
Ben Stokes, who played a few memorable knocks this year, especially at the ICC World Cup final and then powering England to victory at Headingley in the Ashes, beat Lewis Hamilton, Raheem Sterling among others to win the coveted crown.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances