Spinner Dom Bess was named in England's 13-man squad for the first Test against West Indies and there was no place for Moeen Ali among nine reserves, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Saturday.All-rounder Ben Stokes will lead England in the match, which will begin at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday in a bio-secure environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rishabh Pant scored a spectacular 101 as India ended Day 2 in the fourth Test against England on 294-7.
India need a draw in the final Test, also in Ahmedabad from March 4, to reach the WTC final against New Zealand.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Abrar Ahmed made a stunning Test debut claiming seven for 114 to bowl out England for 281
England captain Joe Root defended his decision to bat first in the opening Ashes Test against Australia and stood by the selections in their bowling unit despite going down to a heavy nine-wicket defeat at the Gabba on Saturday.
It was a vastly improved effort on the home side's first innings score of 135, as they chase down England's first innings total of 421.
England beat Sri Lanka by 211 runs inside four days in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Galle International Stadium on Friday.
As expected, fast bowler Jofra Archer was included in the 12 and looks poised to make his Test debut in the absence of England's record wicket taker James Anderson.
Steve Smith's domination of England's bowling attack in the Ashes series reached new heights on Thursday as his magnificent 211 led Australia to 497-8 declared on the second day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Matthew Wade's defiant century proved in vain as England bowled Australia out for 263 to win the final Test at The Oval by 135 runs on Sunday and ensure the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
The aim is to make a strong start on the final day and put India under pressure.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between Pakistan and England in Multan on Sunday.
Joe Root scored a breezy, unbeaten 67 and will resume on the third morning with Jonny Bairstow, who has 24.
Batsman Harry Brook and seamer Matthew Potts received maiden call-ups as part of the 13-man squad announced on Wednesday.
Victory for England would see them take the series, which is poised at 1-1.
Chasing a record 482 for an improbable victory, England endured a top order collapse to finish day three on 53-3, still 429 behind at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Jason Holder and Nkrumah Bonner shared an unbeaten 75-run partnership as West Indies recovered from a mini collapse and advanced to 202 for four on the second day of the first Test against England on Wednesday.
The mask can potentially be worn longer, causing less plastic waste as it does not need to be replaced as frequently, the researchers said.
Images from Day 4 of the third Test Ashes Test in Leeds on Sunday.
Team combination a worry for India
A place on the squad came free after Ollie Robinson was suspended from all international cricket by the England & Wales Cricket Board following the emergence of racist and sexist comments he posted on Twitter nine years ago.
England are thinking of bringing a specialist spinner back into the line-up after going with an all-pace attack in their last two outings, coach Chris Silverwood said as they arrived in Cape Town for their second Test against South Africa starting on Friday. That means a seamer such as record wicket-taker James Anderson or Stuart Broad may be dropped for a contest expected to be played on a much flatter deck than the first Test in Pretoria, which South Africa won by 107 runs inside four days on Sunday.
Off-spinner Moeen Ali struck twice in three deliveries as England completed a 57-run victory in the second test against Sri Lanka on the final day on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
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.
A fiery spell from captain Ben Stokes dragged England back into the match but South Africa remained the happier side as they reached 289/7 at the close on the second day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.
India opener Rohit Sharma has progressed six places to a career-best eighth position in the MRF Tyres ICC men's Test player rankings after a fine performance in the low-scoring third Test against England in Ahmedabad.
England's all-time leading Test wicket takers James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been dropped for the three-Test tour against West Indies.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
Travis Head smashed a T20-style century to put Australia firmly in control of the first Ashes Test on Thursday as England were hit by an injury crisis during a miserable day two in the field at the Gabba.
'I am a non-resident Indian. I didn't come to India to shine a light on its negative aspects.' 'I came to India to showcase what I think are remarkable aspects of India and Indians on a global scale.'
Wood was also given a break after the series in the island nation where he went wicket-less in the first Test and took three wickets in the second.
With pacer Jofra Archer, opener Rory Burns and star all-rounder Ben Stokes back in the England squad, the visitors are likely to have some competition for spots in the team for the 1st Test against India.
England's highest successful run chase came in 2019 when they reached a 359-run target in an Ashes test against Australia on the back of Stokes's brilliant unbeaten century.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Friday, June 3, 2022.
England have dropped out-of-form opener Dom Sibley and brought in Dawid Malan for the third Test against India at Headingley, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Wednesday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between England and New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday.
England beat Sri Lanka by 42 runs in the third and final Test in Colombo, on Monday, to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
