'If you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that World Test Championship final, then it is great, but it is a real weird one knowing that you are playing for something over a long period of time.'
The astronomical fee paid for Ben Stokes at the IPL auction is a confirmation of his status as the modern game's finest all-rounder.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between Pakistan and England in Multan on Tuesday.
Two New Zealand radio presenters were suspended on Wednesday for bringing in Ben Stokes' mother on-air without her knowledge after England's four-wicket loss to West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20 final on Sunday. When Deborah Stokes, who resides in New Zealand where her son Ben was born and raised, called in to complain about her son being "bagged" on the station, she was put straight to air despite assuring that she was off-air. Ben's mother was heard accusing the station of having fun at his expense where many star cricketers backed the young all-rounder. Mrs Stokes, who was herself a prominent cricketer in NZ, continued on to stand up for her son, the broadcasters tricked her saying they were writing down her complaint to alert the station head and the hosts. But they kept misleading her; assuring the conversation was off-air.
England will be without captain Ben Stokes for the rest of the English summer after he picked up a hamstring injury, with batter Ollie Pope taking over the captaincy in his absence
England took charge of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday, riding Harry Brook's 171 to a first-innings lead of 151 before reducing the Black Caps to 155/6 on Day 3.
PHOTOS from the 3rd Test Between England and West Indies on Sunday.
It is understood that Rajasthan Royals will 'wait' for Stokes to get back to the management and only if the cricketer confirms his availability for the second half, it will take things forward.
England Test captain Ben Stokes has welcomed coach Brendon McCullum being given additional charge of the country's limited-overs sides.
It means the inaugural World Test Championship winners face a tough ask to qualify for next year's one-off Test in June 2025, with two wins against England and several other results also needing to go their way if they are to reach the Lord's decider.
England Test captain Ben Stokes was helped off the field after suffering an injury while playing in The Hundred on Sunday.
Greg Chappell hails Harry Brook, compares him to Sachin Tendulkar in an ode to England's bright future
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that the Three Lions should restore the position of their experienced stars in their ODI setup ahead of next year's ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
New Zealand romped to victory by 423 runs after dismissing England for 234 on the fourth day of the third Test in Hamilton on Tuesday to claim a consolation victory and send Tim Southee out a winner in his final match.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon made history on Friday as they became the first bowling quartet in Test history to take 500 Test wickets while playing together.
Saud Shakeel's crafty 134 fetched Pakistan a handy first-innings lead before their spinners blew away England's top order to boost their hopes of a memorable series victory on day two of the deciding third Test in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Being a finisher in T20s can be a nerve-jangling job even for the seasoned names, but 21-year-old Suryansh Shedge has pulled it off twice under pressure situations.
Sachin Tendulkar received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd at Centre Court
'I've been a firm believer in that if you want Test cricket to survive and be alive and thriving, I think that's the way to go.'
Brook's innings was by no means chanceless -- Tom Latham and Tim Southee both missed one good chance to take a thick edge in the slips -- but he rode his luck to bring up his 10th Test half century with a six.
Speaking to ICC in an interview, Cook said that the game has certainly made a big jump in regards to what is possible in Tests.
Joe Root returned to England's one-day international squad for the first time since their ill-fated World Cup title defence in November
Pakistan beat England by 152 runs in the second Test in Multan on Friday to level the three-match series at 1-1.
Jamie Smith smashed a counter-attacking 89 before England's bowlers made early inroads into the Pakistan line-up to drag the touring side back into the deciding third and final Test.
Ben Stokes thrives on his battles with some of the sport's most competitive players as it tends to bring out the best in the feisty England all-rounder, who is hoping to recover quickly from his nightmare end to the World Twenty20 tournament.
'It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing I've got a goal in mind.'
Woakes returned to the test squad for the first time since July 2023 in what will be England pace great James Anderson's farewell series.
England's Test captain Stokes last played a T20 international for England in the World Cup final in November 2022.
Brook's average of 62.54 is the second highest in Test history among players with a minimum of 20 Test innings. His average is only second to the incpmparable Australian batter Sir Don Bradman, who scored 6,996 runs in 52 Tests at an average of 99.94, with 29 centuries and 13 fifties.
New Zealand took charge on the second day of the third Test by dismissing England for 143 and making 136/3 at close of play for an overall lead of 340.
England's Dan Lawrence will open the batting in place of the injured Zak Crawley in the first test against Sri Lanka and seamer Matthew Potts will replace Ben Stokes, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Monday.
'I thought, I've just lost the World Cup. I couldn't believe it.'
Kane Williamson scored a magisterial 156 at his most productive venue to drive New Zealand to the brink of a consolation victory over England at the end of the third day of the third Test.
England Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday named the playing eleven for the third Test match against India in Rajkot, with pacer Mark Wood replacing Shoaib Bashir in the playing squad.
Styris did not have any doubt over Pandya's talent but the Kiwi wanted him to infuse more consistency into his performances.
Pakistan beat England by nine wickets in the deciding third Test to win the series 2-1 in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
New Zealand made a strong start to their bid for a consolation victory in the third and final Test against England at Hamilton's Seddon Park on Saturday, reaching lunch on the opening day on 93 without loss.
Ben Stokes has had knee surgery, the England Test captain revealed on X on Wednesday evening.
Fourth months after splashing out $1.97 million to secure the services of Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals cannot be faulted for regretting the splurge as they struggle to stay afloat in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
Brydon Carse took six for 42 before England comfortably chased down their 104-run victory target in the first Test against New Zealand
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