England closed in on a series victory over West Indies after taking complete control on the third day of the second Test on Saturday. The hosts declared their first innings on 569 for six before paceman James Anderson dismissed Devon Smith, Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons as West Indies limped to 94 for three in reply.
'No, I can't pretend I am as good as gold, because I am not. It would be wrong to act like everything's OK.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the fifth Test against England?
Rishabh Pant scored a spectacular 101 as India ended Day 2 in the fourth Test against England on 294-7.
The Test batting chart is headed by Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (915 points), followed by England captain Joe Root (900) while New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (879) dislodged Steve Smith (877) from the No. 3 slot.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor mastered a lifeless England attack to lift New Zealand to 303 for two at the close on the second day of the first Test at Lord's on Friday.
England stumbled to 39 for five at the Kensington Oval to open a lead of 107 runs on Day 2 of the third Test against the West Indies.
England captain Ben Stokes' swashbuckling 155 was in vain as Australia won the second Ashes Test at Lord's by 43 runs on an extraordinary final day on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's on Day 2
'It's always disappointing being on the losing team. Looking back at when we had our chance to bat yesterday, cricket is always skill against skill.'
Recalled England fast bowler Steve Harmison took two wickets in two balls and James Anderson captured three to help dismiss South Africa for 194 on Kevin Pietersen's first outing as Test captain on Thursday.
Star England batter Jonny Bairstow has credited his sensational run of form in the past five Test innings, including the two against India, to freedom from COVID-19 protocols and role clarity under new head coach Brendon McCullum.
Images from Day 4 of the first Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
AB de Villiers' sixth Test century put South Africa on the verge of winning the second Test at Headingley after England ended the third day 269 runs behind the visitors on Sunday.
England took charge of the first Test after James Anderson and Stuart Broad took nine wickets between them in favourable conditions for seam bowling to shoot out Sri Lanka for 91 after Jonny Bairstow's excellent knock at Headingley on Friday.
Rajput, a domestic bulwark, feels that it will be on Kohli's mind to prove a point by scoring in England.
Broad, England's second-highest wicket-taker in tests behind James Anderson, said he was focused on returning to the England
A "gut feeling" choice made by Michael Vaughan to drop his bowling spearheads Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard paid enormous dividends for the England captain during the second Test win against New Zealand.
Captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara made centuries and shared a stand of 226 to put India on course for a big first-innings total against England on the first day of the second Test on Thursday. - Scorecard: Kohli was unbeaten on 151 and Ravichandran Ashwin on one as India reached 317 for four at the close after winning the toss in the first ever Test match in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
The Ashes remains the pinnacle of Test cricket for James Anderson like any Englishman but the showdowns against India also rank pretty high as the world No.1 side brings out the absolute best in him -- the 2012 away series being a case in point.
It is usually a sign of a day with few redeeming features when a coach rather than a player faces the media after play and Sunday's appearance of England's Trevor Bayliss was no exception.
New Zealand, on Monday, recalled temperamental all-rounder Corey Anderson for the five-match ODI series against India next month and he will play as a specialist batsman.
Joe Root's side completed an emphatic victory halfway through the third day when Mohammed Abbas was caught in the slip off Stuart Broad, his third wicket of the innings.
England will not go out of their way to bait David Warner, says paceman James Anderson.
Kevin Pietersen celebrated his first innings as England captain with a century, leading the hosts to a 122-run first-innings lead over South Africa on the second day of the fourth test at The Oval on Friday. South Africa, bowled out for 194 in the first innings, were 37 for one at the close in reply to England's 316.
England fast bowler Steve Harmision was ruled out of the game due to a sore throat with Kabir Ali replacing him.
Jasprit Bumrah will have to squeeze every ounce of energy from his already overworked body, while Ajinkya Rahane will hope to get one final chance to save his international career when India take on England in the fifth and final Test, chasing a historic series win, in Manchester on Friday.
A counter-attacking 67 not out by Ross Taylor helped New Zealand to 202 for four when bad light ended play after just 54 overs on the first day of the second Test against England at Old Trafford on Friday.
Jasprit Bumrah jumped six spots to fourth but struggling star batter Virat Kohli slipped to ninth
Aiden Markram will require surgery and is to be sidelined for six weeks
The England all-rounder scored an unbeaten 72 as England beat New Zealand by three wickets with just one ball to spare in the third ODI of the tri-series.
England have dropped experienced fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard for the second test against New Zealand starting on Thursday.
After England dominated the proceedings on Day 1 of the first Test at the Bay Oval, Tom Blundell struck a century to revive New Zealand's chances.
He remains a doubt for this week's first Ashes Test despite being cleared of any fractures.
Only James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan and Imran Khan have taken more Test wickets against India, earning Nathan Lyon significant praise from Indian great Sachin Tendulkar.
England skipper Ben Stokes expects to deliver with both bat and ball in the upcoming Ashes.
Kevin Pietersen was included in a 14-man squad for next week's third Ashes Test against Australia at Old Trafford despite concerns over his calf injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Sunday.
Dinesh Chandimal completed a fine century as Sri Lanka continued to hold up England's bid to clinch the series by moving on to 403 for six at lunch on the fourth day of the second test in Durham on Monday. The touring side, crushed in the opening test and bowled out for 101 in the first innings, are six runs ahead in the match after losing only one wicket in the morning session.
'It is just a case of trying to put a real focus on the cricket rather than the noise that comes with it.'
England held their nerve to end Australia's last-wicket partnership of 65 and seal a dramatic 14-run victory in an extraordinary first Ashes Test at TrentBridge on Sunday.
