England batsman Harry Brook said the tension with Indian players during the third Test at Lord's was fun and put the visitors under added pressure as England secured a dramatic 22-run victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.
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.
England's torrid run in the 50-over format has plunged to alarming depths after they lost their first ODI series to South Africa since 1998.
England have not won a first Ashes Test in Australia in nearly 40 years, nor beaten the hosts in Perth since 1978.
Somerset wicket-keeper James Rew, 19, won the Young Cricketer of the Year having scored more than 1,000 runs in Division One of the County Championship.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series with a left side strain.
Harry Brook could be in contention to replace Ollie Pope as Ben Stokes' deputy when England travel to Australia this winter.
England on Wednesday announced their playing XI for the opening Test of the five-match series against India, which will kickstart at Headingley on Friday.
England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
India's key spinner Varun Chakaravarthy fine-tunes his bowling skills in a dedicated training session ahead of the crucial T20 World Cup semifinal clash against England, focusing on length and control.
India faces Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 match, needing a big win to improve their net run rate after a heavy loss to South Africa. The team needs to address issues in the top order and consider strategic changes to the batting lineup.
'He's a quality player, it was a matter of time for him to score.'
South Africa, already qualified for the Super Eights, will face the United Arab Emirates in their final Group D fixture of the T20 World Cup. South Africa would expect big-hitting youngster Dewald Brevis to regain his form against a struggling United Arab Emirates.
Jacob Bethell has represented England in 29 matches across all formats and will lead the team in the absence of the regular Test players.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 48.
British media reports said all 10 English players involved with the IPL will hold a meeting with the Professional Cricketers' Association over security arrangements for a potential return to India.
India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, addresses the team's inconsistent performance leading up to the T20 World Cup semifinal against England, emphasising the importance of winning the next two games. He also discusses England's strengths and the potential impact of weather conditions on the match.
The legendary B S Chandrasekhar and Brian Lara on Tuesday won the Lifetime Achievement awards.
England bowling coach Tim Southee praised Jofra Archer's 'unbelievable skill' and backed Jos Buttler to rediscover form ahead of England's T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against New Zealand.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 52.
Fans also took to X, calling for Head Coach Gambhir's sacking.
Sam Curran says England are aiming for a 'perfect game' against India in their T20 World Cup semifinal clash, highlighting the familiarity between the two teams and the importance of adaptability in diverse conditions.
England batter Harry Brook has cautioned against underestimating Australia in the Ashes series, even as doubts linger over the availability of their captain and fast bowler, Pat Cummins, for the opener in Perth.
Drama in the most dramatic of series isn't over yet!
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between England and the West Indies, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Saturday.
Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026.
With Jasprit Bumrah crafting chances by the dozen, a spate of dropped sitters, including three by Yashasvi Jaiswal, handed England a lifeline and drew scathing remarks from Stuart Broad and Sunil Gavaskar.
Starc reached his second fifty of the series in 73 balls, striking eight fours, before England finally struck back. Archer ended Lyon's resistance, trapping him plumb in front for 9, and Australia were soon bowled out for 371 in 91.2 overs.
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.
England finally rediscovered their attacking mojo, riding on an explosive start and a splendid late surge from Will Jacks to post a challenging 202 for seven against Italy in their must-win Group C clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
Australia, England registered shameful record during first Ashes Test at Perth as express pace dominates proceedings
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
Statistically, Head's series stands apart. Among all players to score more than 600 runs in a single Ashes, he is the only one to do so at a strike rate north of 75 -- a reflection of how decisively he altered the tempo of games.
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Jos Buttler said cricket is lagging behind other sports in real-time coaching after Brendon McCullum used a walkie-talkie during England's T20 WC game.
All-rounder Jamie Overton, who played the only Test match of his career back in 2022, has been recalled to the 15-member England squad
Sri Lanka's fielding coach R Sridhar believes the team has learned from their previous defeat against England and is ready for their T20 World Cup Super Eights match.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
