Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.
Jacob Bethell has represented England in 29 matches across all formats and will lead the team in the absence of the regular Test players.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
As England and India gear up for the final showdown in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, former England speedster Stuart Broad feels the hosts should make some changes to their Playing XI and rest tearaway Jofra Archer.
Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
Daryl Mitchell's runs had steered the hosts to their victories in Tauranga and Hamilton and when he departed for 44 to leave his team still 27 runs from their target on 196-8, the English scented an unlikely victory.
All-rounder Jamie Overton, who played the only Test match of his career back in 2022, has been recalled to the 15-member England squad
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.
Jamie Overton returns to the Test line-up for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
Fired-up England reduced India to 58/4 chasing 193 for victory in a highly-charged final session on day four on Sunday as a gripping third Test at Lord's.
The T20I series against South Africa will be played from 10-14 September, following the ongoing ODI series where the Proteas hold an unassailable 2-0 lead heading into the final match on Sunday.
Shubman Gill deservedly was the Player of the Match in the Edgbaston Test, but many Indian cricket fans will agree that Akash Deep deserved to be joint POM for his incredible 10 wickets that gave India a triumph for the ages.
England's 22-run victory against India at Lord's was a shining example of the team's ability to break free from their one-dimensional aggressive brand of cricket and adapt as per the need of the hour, pacer Brydon Carse said ahead of fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday.
England go unchanged at Edgbaston
England, who have the option to call in a replacement for Carse if he is ruled out of the tournament, are winless and sit third in the Group B standings behind South Africa and Australia.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
England pacer Brydon Carse has opened up about his recent injury ordeal, saying he contemplated amputating a toe to overcome a persistent and painful problem that kept him out of action for months.
Ben Stokes was ruled out due to a shoulder muscle tear.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
KL Rahul becomes second India batter after Vengsarkar to score more than one Test ton at Lord's
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
British media reports said all 10 English players involved with the IPL will hold a meeting with the Professional Cricketers' Association over security arrangements for a potential return to India.
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson returned to England Test set up after a gap of eight years, replacing injured Shoaib Bashir in the squad for the fourth Test against India.
Images from Day 5 of the third Test between England and India at Lord's on Monday.
It took eight years for Karun Nair to don India jersey again but 25 days into his second coming in Test cricket, the Karnataka batter could well have played his last international game
Ben Stokes, the man who had earlier lit up the field with a sensational century, didn't bowl a single over.
Jamie Smith will return from injury to keep wickets and bat at number three in England's Champions Trophy opener against Australia in Lahore on Saturday.
Ravi Shastri picked Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair's wicket in the second essay as the key moments that tilted the third Test at Lord's in England's favour.
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
Former captain Michael Vaughan feels England panicked on the final day of the fifth Test against India in the absence of inspirational skipper Ben Stokes.
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
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