England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.
Pakistan middle-order batsman Mohammad Rizwan hit a defiant half century on a difficult batting pitch to guide his side past the 200-mark in their first innings and frustrate England in the second Test on Friday.
England Test captain Ben Stokes on Tuesday said he had feared he might not play again after taking an extended break from cricket last year to focus on his well-being.
England skittled out shell-shocked Australia for 60 and piled up 274 for four in reply to take control of the fourth Ashes Test on a dramatic first day at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Former off-spinner Graeme Swann slammed England's selectors for splitting the country's most successful new-ball pairing of Stuart Broad and James Anderson during the recently-concluded Test series against the West Indies, saying "you don't discard blokes with 500 Test wickets lightly".
Majestic cricket milestones mark T20 World Cup journey
England needed four wickets to win in their 500th overseas Test, but had to overcome late resistance and feisty 71 from Keshav Maharaj and 39 from debutant Dane Paterson before completing the task 10 minutes before lunch.
The 39-year-old Anderson, as he has done on numerous occasions, opened the attack for England and once he delivered the first ball of the contest, the seasoned campaigner became the oldest player to do so since India's Lala Amarnath.
England's pacers chipped away at the wickets to reduce to India to 174 for six in their first innings at stumps on Day 2 in the fifth and final Test at the Oval in London on Saturday.
Photos from Day Four of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
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 4 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia in Durham, on Monday.
With his four-wicket tally in the WTC final, Ashwin surpassed Australian pacer Pat Cummins who had 70 wickets to his name from 14 Tests
McGrath shared a word of caution that promises to prolong Bumrah's career.
A beaming father Chandrapal, said that the son told his mom that he was confident of stopping the legendary MSD on his tracks.
England's bowling attack will struggle to bowl out Australia in the Ashes if they prepare flat wickets
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said wickets must be credited to the bowlers when they run out batters at the non-striker's end for backing up too far, as it requires "presence of mind".
The Delhi youngster had had his fair share of struggles while transforming from a frail 15-year-old to a frighteningly quick fast bowler.
England fast bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of the third Test against India with a jarred right shoulder.
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia in Durham, on Monday.
Captain Brendon McCullum played one of the most important six-ball knocks of his career to lead New Zealand to a nine-run win over England via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-marred World Twenty20 match on Saturday.
England have rested batsman Kevin Pietersen and bowling pair Graeme Swann and James Anderson from their limited-overs squads for the series in Australia starting next month.
The second day's play in the third Test between England and South Africa at The Oval will not take place on Friday following the death of Queen Elizabeth, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Thursday.
India speedster Mohammed Shami says he watched videos of rival pacers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to understand how to exploit English conditions and has learnt to make an impact while bowling in away series.
A disciplined England attack shrugged off the challenge of a bland Adelaide Oval wicket to limit Australia to 273-5 and leave the second Ashes Test delicately poised after the opening day on Thursday.
Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 85 to guide Australia to 339/5 as England wasted favourable bowling conditions on the first day of the second Ashes Test.
Images from Day 1 in the second Test between India and England, at Trent Bridge.
England, chasing 251 to win the must-win third Ashes Test, closed the rain-delayed day three on 27/0.
England have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the second Ashes Test at Lord's next week having thrashed Australia by 169 runs in Cardiff on Saturday to take a 1-0 series lead, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Sunday.
Fast bowler Stuart Meaker feels by taking three wickets against Haryana on a flat batting strip, he has done a decent job which may help him get into England XI for the first Test against India.
Ben Stokes played another magnificent innings, but the England skipper wasn't able to finish the job as Australian won the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
After Ben Stokes enforced a follow on, New Zealand left the England bowlers frustrated on Day 3 of the second Test in Wellington.
Captain Michael Clarke pointed the finger at his own batting failures after Australia threw away a winning position to lose the fourth Ashes Test to England by 74 runs on Monday.
England hero Stuart Broad said a pep talk involving him and Tim Bresnan paved the way for the home team's thrilling 74-run victory over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test on Monday.
England have recalled batsman Kevin Pietersen and rested their senior fast bowler James Anderson for a four-week tour of India next month including five One-day internationals and a Twenty20 international.
England cricketers have been warned not to hurl the ball close to batsmen after pacer Stuart Broad was fined 50 per cent of his match fees during the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Sunday for hurling the ball at Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider.
England paceman James Anderson will be rested for the first Ashes Test against Australia but he is fit to play, wicketkeeper Jos Buttler said.
'If he's looking to hit the ball and not leave the ball like he is I think he'd be fine'
'It's certainly there, the way that they want to play, this bold new approach to Test match cricket, trying to make bold decisions at any stage in the game where they can.'
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.
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