England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
England's batter Harry Brook will lead the team in the One-Day International series against Australia as captain Jos Buttler recovers from a calf injury.
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
'Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him.'
South Africa, already qualified for the Super Eights, will face the United Arab Emirates in their final Group D fixture of the T20 World Cup. South Africa would expect big-hitting youngster Dewald Brevis to regain his form against a struggling United Arab Emirates.
India faces Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 match, needing a big win to improve their net run rate after a heavy loss to South Africa. The team needs to address issues in the top order and consider strategic changes to the batting lineup.
India's key spinner Varun Chakaravarthy fine-tunes his bowling skills in a dedicated training session ahead of the crucial T20 World Cup semifinal clash against England, focusing on length and control.
Starc reached his second fifty of the series in 73 balls, striking eight fours, before England finally struck back. Archer ended Lyon's resistance, trapping him plumb in front for 9, and Australia were soon bowled out for 371 in 91.2 overs.
Australia, England registered shameful record during first Ashes Test at Perth as express pace dominates proceedings
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
Chasing 305 for victory, England were pushed on the backfoot when they were reduced to 11/2 early in the chase. But a partnership of 156 between Brook and Will Jacks (84 in 82 balls, with nine fours and a six) swung the tide in the hosts' favour.
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.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 48.
England bowling coach Tim Southee praised Jofra Archer's 'unbelievable skill' and backed Jos Buttler to rediscover form ahead of England's T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against New Zealand.
Dawid Malan's half-century and Harry Brook's fiery knock helped England rout New Zealand by seven wickets in the first T20 International.
India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, addresses the team's inconsistent performance leading up to the T20 World Cup semifinal against England, emphasising the importance of winning the next two games. He also discusses England's strengths and the potential impact of weather conditions on the match.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 52.
Sam Curran says England are aiming for a 'perfect game' against India in their T20 World Cup semifinal clash, highlighting the familiarity between the two teams and the importance of adaptability in diverse conditions.
Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
Stokes praises incredibly skillful Akash Deep, says task was to bat out 80 overs
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
England's Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second Test in Brisbane on Thursday despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Statistically, Head's series stands apart. Among all players to score more than 600 runs in a single Ashes, he is the only one to do so at a strike rate north of 75 -- a reflection of how decisively he altered the tempo of games.
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
Nauman was denied a hat-trick by Brook, who kept England's chase going, despite Pope being bowled by Abrar and Stokes losing his wicket in a run-out following a mix-up between the batters.
Play was called off following a long delay after England's innings, in which the tourists scored 153-6 in 20 overs on a difficult wicket, with Sam Curran (49 not out) finishing well after Jos Buttler (29) failed to build on a good start.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain was full of praise for Akash Deep
Just as India threatened to take full control before lunch, a costly fielding lapse by Mohammed Siraj handed England a lifeline - and it couldn't have come at a worse time.
England go unchanged at Edgbaston
England finally rediscovered their attacking mojo, riding on an explosive start and a splendid late surge from Will Jacks to post a challenging 202 for seven against Italy in their must-win Group C clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026.
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.
Taking his 17th Test five-wicket haul, he finished with 7 for 58 off 12.5 overs.
England's Harry Brook and Ben Duckett combined for a brilliant partnership and the returning Mark Wood snared three wickets as the visitors beat Pakistan by 63 runs in the third Twenty20 in Karachi on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series.
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory.
England's Harry Brook bagged his second player of the month award after his exploits in New Zealand Test series,
India's batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar refused England skipper Ben Stokes' offer to call off the fourth Test and settle for a draw before the start of the final hour of play.
Jos Buttler said cricket is lagging behind other sports in real-time coaching after Brendon McCullum used a walkie-talkie during England's T20 WC game.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
