Joe Root and Harry Brook hit half-centuries to put England in control before bad light ended play early on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
Boycott slams ECB over underperforming Woakes, Crawley
India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
Shubman Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord's Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease.
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
England started the day at 97-0 needing another 33 to win and picked them up in 27 minutes for the loss of Alex Lees for 39. Crawley finished on 69 not out, with Pope unbeaten on 11.
A cricket team was bowled out for 0 in just 20 balls in a county six-a-side indoor championships match in England. Chasing 121 to win set by Christ Church University in Canterbury, no batsman from Bapchild Cricket Club was able to open their mark as the team from a village in Kent folded for a record-low. Christ Church player Mike Rose said they were stunned to see not one Bapchild batsman being able to get off the mark. "We all couldn't really believe it to be honest, bowling a team out for 0, especially indoors as all they needed to do was hit a wall to get one run," Rose told the Crawley Observer.
Hurt India eye sweeping changes in approach against England's 'Bazball' in second Test
England name nine uncapped players in new squad for series against Pakistan
England selected an entirely new squad for their limited-overs series against Pakistan after three players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Usman Khawaja will replace Travis Head in Australia's middle order for this week's fourth Ashes Test against England in the only change to the side that wrapped up the series in Melbourne last week.
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