'Dad played the biggest role in my cricket, coached me all the way through and sort of let me go as I got into my older teenage years, but (he) would always shoot a message (like) 'put the reverse sweep away'.'
The Ashes could be decided within days at an Adelaide Oval furnace where England's hopes of wresting back the urn will fire anew or flame out entirely against a strengthened Australia.
Images from Day 5 of the third Test between England and India at Lord's on Monday.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Friday.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
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.
Mitchell Starc made a late-career bid for all-rounder status when he scored a half-century and grabbed two wickets under the Gabba floodlights to push Australia to the brink of victory at the close of day three of the second Ashes Test.
England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
'We know we're behind the game again, in the situation we currently stand.'
Since Suryakumar took over as captain last year, India have hardly put a wrong but his own form has dipped.
England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope has no doubt that Chris Woakes will expertly spearhead their pace attack in the three-test series in Pakistan beginning in Multan on Monday.
England took charge of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday, riding Harry Brook's 171 to a first-innings lead of 151 before reducing the Black Caps to 155/6 on Day 3.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Ganguly said he would have preferred Arshdeep over Prasidh Krishna.
This series begins a potentially era-defining period for Stokes and England coach Brendon McCullum, having enjoyed plenty of highs and lows over the past few years, with the Ashes series in Australia next up in the Test format, starting in November.
England, who beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test, will conclude the series with a third match in Rawalpindi from October 24.
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory.
Ravi Shastri picked Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair's wicket in the second essay as the key moments that tilted the third Test at Lord's in England's favour.
Gill second successive ton as skipper takes India to 310 for 5
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
Ben Stokes, the man who had earlier lit up the field with a sensational century, didn't bowl a single over.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
England's players hired Lime Bikes to reach The Oval, while the West Indies team were stuck in heavy road traffic in London.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
England are set to host Australia for three Twenty20s, followed by a five-match ODI series. The first ODI will take place on September 19 at Trent Bridge.
Captain Shubman Gill and the ever-dependable K L Rahul gave India a glimmer of hope with resilient half-centuries after a well crafted hundred from Ben Stokes extended England's supremacy in the fourth Test in Manchester on Saturday.
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer India to a thrilling two-wicket victory against England in Chennai on Saturday.
26-year-old Tom Banton, a wicketkeeper-batter, is currently the leading run-scorer in the UAE ILT20 competition.
Both teams have struggled in the ODI format recently. World champions Australia lost to Sri Lanka (0-2) and Pakistan (1-2) in their last two series, while England, now coached by Brendon McCullum in all formats, haven't won an ODI series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
England's batter Harry Brook will lead the team in the One-Day International series against Australia as captain Jos Buttler recovers from a calf injury.
England have named two uncapped players in Essex duo Sam Cook and Jordan Cox in the squad for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge later this month.
Opener Rajat Patidar smashed an unbeaten fifty, while Manav Suthar took three wickets as India 'A' displayed a collective effort
'It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing I've got a goal in mind.'
Former captain Michael Vaughan feels England panicked on the final day of the fifth Test against India in the absence of inspirational skipper Ben Stokes.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test played between Pakistan and England in Multan, on Thursday.
"Came here to give myself every chance to play just as batter": Stokes after being ruled out of Oval Test
K L Rahul drove his way to a sublime 47 after England negated India's advantage by totalling 465 in their first innings as the visitors had another ordinary day in the field on Day 3 of the first Test in Leeds on Sunday.
Former England batter Jonathan Trott impressed by India skipper's Gill's poise on Day 1 of 2nd Test.
