Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
Mike Denness, the only Scotsman to captain England, has died of cancer at the age of 72, the BBC reported on Friday.
BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya is belived to have aceded to a request from new ICC chief Mani, as the match referee had undergone heart surgery.
India are yet to win a Test in Birmingham in nearly six decades -- boasting of a dismal record of seven losses and one draw in eight attempts.
'He was a terrific bowler. His use of crease and angles were just stunning. Batsmen often were made nervous by the prospect of facing him, he had just about every trick up his sleeve, not to mention his flight'
On Thursday morning, the world woke up to the news of the death of iconic New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe. A teenage prodigy, who went on to carve an illustrious career with his superlative batting and smart captaincy, lost his three-year long battle against cancer at the age of 53. Unfortunately, Crowe is among a few famous cricketers who battled to beat cancer but didn't survive the fight.
'When you face bowling of that quality, with that line and length, it's very difficult to score runs and that's what happened to the Indians today.'
Sachin Tendulkar said that Cricket Australia has taken the 'right decision' in banning captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner for one year after being found guilty of ball-tampering against South Africa during the Cape Town.
Harbhajan Singh, on Sunday, slammed the International Cricket Council for letting off Australian opener Cameron Bancroft with only a fine of 75 per cent of his match fee and not a ban, despite his role in the ball tampering scandal in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Dalmiya's finest hour, of course, was the 1996 World Cup where broadcast rights were sold for $10 million and the title sponsorship went for a handsome $13 million. Stories of him turning around the finances of International Cricket Council (ICC) are aplenty. It was rumoured that both England and Australia feared him.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was left ruing the four-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings in their own den.
England ended day four with a 170-run lead over West Indies as Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley notched up half-centuries in the second innings of the first Test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Saturday. Images from Day 4 of the first Test between England and West Indies.
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.
Indian archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost a nerve-wracking final to Colombian world number three Sara Lopez to settle for a silver in the compound women's individual section at the World Championships in Yankton.
Captain Quinton de Kock smashed a sparkling century as South Africa eased to a seven-wicket victory over World champions England in the opening One-Day International, at Newlands, on Tuesday.
After a 117-day absence, international cricket returned in familiar fashion on Wednesday as rain and bad light restricted the first Test between England and West Indies to 17.4 overs and the hosts closed a frustrating day on 35-1.
Factbox on the five-Test Ashes series between England and Australia
IMAGES from the first Test between England and West Indies played at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton on Thursday
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.
Factbox on major ball-tampering incidents in cricket
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday
Pompeo, during a Congressional hearing on Thursday, told the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that 'the actions are entirely consistent with what they have been signalling to the world for decades you might even argue since 1989, but certainly since General Secretary Xi came to power'.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
India's news broadcasters are a national shame that have polarised Indians, observes Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
'If the BCCI's coffers are inundated with funds today, much of the credit must go to Jagmohan Dalmiya.'
'No, you don't require tantrums, or beating a tattoo on the helmet or rude and hostile gestures to make a point.' 'A true fast bowler lets the ball do the talking as it crashes into the stumps,' says veteran sports commentator Kishore Bhimani.
'It shows his confidence in his own ability,' Geoff Boycott tells Haresh Pandya.
Images from Day 2 of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, on Tuesday.
Starring Mankad, Bedi, Siva, Azhar and Sachin.
It is a rare first Down Under for India since Lala Amarnath's side visited the country back in 1947-48 months after independence to face Sir Don Bradman's 'Invincibles'.
'In the merry-go-round of Indian cricket, amid abhorrent match-fixing scandals and incessant politicking, Ravi Shastri is a multifaceted personality who, when called upon, can don any hat with ease.'
Shubir Rishi/Rediff.com speaks to rockstar saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan days before the release of the sequel, MSG 2.
As India gets set to play its 500th Test, Rajneesh Gupta presents India's memorable Test victories at home.