England skipper Joe Root has backed James Anderson to hit peak form again, saying on Wednesday that the pace bowler's spot in the team is not in question ahead of the second Test against Pakistan starting on Thursday.
'We'll have to play right at the top of our game to win out there but we couldn't be in a better place to go and challenge them (India).'
India skipper Virat Kohli was effusive in praise of Ravchandran Ashwin after the off-spinner became only the fourth Indian, and sixth spinner in the world, to take 400 Test wickets.
KKR have so far failed to come together as a unit and slipped to sixth in the table after starting the tournament on a high against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Axar Patel claimed a career-best 6-38 as India bundled out England for 112 on Day 1
On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot. Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win.
The custom WWE Championship Title will remain with the ECB as a permanent fixture at Lord's.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is all set to resume on Sunday with Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns against each other.
Root said rotation policy is the best they could have asked for under the current circumstances, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rajasthan Royals' English batsman Liam Livingstone aspires for a successful Test career but he doesn't mind being a T20 "nomad" either and would prefer to spend his time building his white-ball brand instead of losing sleep over whether he can make it big in the longest format.
England's most successful bowler James Anderson feels he and Stuart Broad should be paired together to lead the bid for a series win in the decisive Test against the West Indies. The hosts are spoilt for choice ahead of Friday's start of the third Test at Old Trafford with Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all looking to return to the team.
RR will have to get their combination right as only four foreigners can make the playing XI.
Who do you think should be part of England's playing XI for the first Test?
The ball moved enough in last week's Southampton Test between England and West Indies to erase any lingering doubt about swing bowling under cricket's COVID-19 protocols, manufacturer of the Dukes ball said.
'At the moment he's in incredible form and to play the way he has done in such tough conditions, so alien to us as England batsmen, is incredible.'
Ben Stokes returned to practice with England on Wednesday after the condition of his critically ill father improved, but three others missed out as illness continue to plague the tourists, 24 hours ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Centurion. Stokes spent Tuesday at the bedside of father Ged, who was hospitalised the day before due to a "serious illness".
Tendulkar also felt that Leach doesn't vary his pace a lot which will be required on tracks offer turn.
England fast bowler Mark Wood said on Thursday that players are using 'back sweat' rather than saliva to try and shine the ball in the first Test against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. Strict health protocols are in place for the return of international cricket after a 117-day stoppage caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including a ban on saliva.
Mitchell Starc feels the regulation will not have much affect in the limited overs formats.
'England against Australia at Lord's, it doesn't get much bigger than that.'
South African opener Hashim Amla sat out practice on Saturday after suffering concussion in the World Cup opener, and he is a doubt for South Africa's second game at the tournament against Bangladesh.
At the halfway point, after winning just two games out of seven, CSK are looking set to miss the play-offs for the first time in their history. Harish Kotian tells Captain M S Dhoni and Coach Stephen Fleming how to get CSK back to its winning ways.
'Getting Virat Kohli and AB Villiers in same match is a dream for any youngster. It is the best moment of my cricketing career and definitely one of biggest moments of my IPL cricket'
England star all-rounder Ben Stokes says losing a tight game like the fourth Twenty20 International against India on Thursday and going into a 'winners-take-all' contest will only prepare them better for the World Cup as they will get used to pressure situations.
Jonny Bairstow has been rested and injured pacer Jofra Archer was left out while spinner Moeen Ali was unavailable for Test selection.
Images from the fourth Twenty20 International between India and England, in Ahmedabad, on Thursday.
England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat after early morning showers delayed the start and reduced the game to 47 overs per side.
Tendulkar, who was in Sydney for a charity match last week, had called Labuschagne special when asked to name the player who most reminds him of himself.
Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
England captain Eoin Morgan said a home World Cup is a massive chance for the players to write their names into English cricket folklore.
RR have a lot of issues to sort out, particularly in the absence of key foreign players like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
In the bowling department, pacer Mohammad Abbas (13th) and experienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah (24th), who have in the past, been ranked third and first, respectively, and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (32nd) are other Pakistan players to watch.
MI are coming into the match after suffering back-to-back losses
A look at the major names who were not retained by the IPL franchises.
England produced a brilliant comeback to beat Australia by two runs on the final ball of their first T20 international in Southampton on Friday after the visitors looked to be cruising to victory in their first competitive match for six months.
'If India don't have success in the One-dayers and the T20s, they are in deep trouble in the Test matches and they'll get smoked 4-0, in my opinion'.
Michael Kasprowicz quits Cricket Australia Board
Denly, who made his Test debut against West Indies last year, has reached double figures 24 times in 28 innings but has managed just six half-centuries.
New Zealand have already booked their spot for the inaugural WTC final, leaving India, England and Australia vying for the other.
Jos Buttler has not scored a fifty in his last 12 Test innings and also dropped Jermaine Blackwood, who ended up scoring match-winning 95 for West Indies in the first Test.
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