England fast bowler Mark Wood said on Thursday that players are using 'back sweat' rather than saliva to try and shine the ball in the first Test against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. Strict health protocols are in place for the return of international cricket after a 117-day stoppage caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including a ban on saliva.
Usman Khawaja will replace Travis Head in Australia's middle order for this week's fourth Ashes Test against England in the only change to the side that wrapped up the series in Melbourne last week.
England pacer James Anderson has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during the second day of the ongoing fifth Test against India in London.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell lists a number of weaknesses in England's line-up, from Alastair Cook's performance suffering due to not having a stable opening partner to predictability in their pace attack and off-spinner Dom Bess's inexperience.
Images from Day 5 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Monday.
Former captain Allan Border wants the current team to play "hard-edged Australian brand of cricket" in the memory of Phillip Hughes but at the same time urged them not to get involved in some heavy duty sledging with the Indians during the Test series starting December 9.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes revealed that he and his teammates endured sudden weight loss during the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad after a stomach illness hit the tourists before the match.
Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin has said that he knew he was out and did not need to wait for the replay to determine that he had hit the ball, which brought the end of the first Ashes Test, that went in favour of England.
England face a rejuvenated Australian team who have turned day-night cricket into a competitive advantage, winning all eight of their Tests under lights dating back to the format's 2015 debut.
Glenn McGrath cautioned that an in-form Jimmy Anderson could make things tougher for the Indian captain this time too.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the interesting numbers from Day 5 of the India-England Test at Lord's.
England last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar proved their country's unlikely batting heroes when the hosts defied the rules of probability by drawing the first Ashes Test against Australia on Sunday.
Who do you think should be part of England's playing XI for the first Test?
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is glad that he has seen a lot of 'ups and downs' and evolved as a player, having learnt from his 'mistakes' in his short but eventful international career.
England last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar proved their country's unlikely batting heroes when the hosts defied the rules of probability by drawing the first Ashes test against Australia on Sunday.
England have omitted fast bowler James Anderson from the team to face the Stanford Superstars in Saturday's US $20 million match in Antigua. Anderson joins Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Ryan Sidebottom as the players to miss out, with captain Kevin Pietersen opting to include spinner Graeme Swann alongside Nottinghamshire team mate Samit Patel.
England pacemen Jake Ball and Steve Finn have been left out of the revised squad for the second Test against Pakistan starting on Friday, captain Alastair Cook said on Thursday.
'The trick is that in England you've to get people on the front foot, because the wicket's slightly slow, so as soon as you're slightly short, you get murdered around the ground. Why Yasir did really well for Pakistan is that he bowled quick leg spin...didn't allow batsmen to go on the backfoot'
Rain wiped out virtually the entire third day's play in the first Test between New Zealand and England with only 17 balls bowled in Auckland on Saturday as the hosts padded their lead to 175 runs.
Jimmy Anderson put England in firm control on the second day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Saturday, with his four wickets leaving South Africa trailing by 142 runs with just one first-innings wicket remaining.
Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India after recovering from a broken middle finger.
Former India star batsman VVS Laxman prefers all-rounder Hardik Pandya over Karun Nair in the playing XI for the first Test match against England, considering his all-round skill sets. Laxman is a firm believer of the "five bowler theory" and wants Pandya to open the bowling with Mohammed Shami, with Amit Mishra playing as the third specialist spinner.
Opener KL Rahul issued a stern warning to England that if their players try to sledge any Indian player then the remaining 10 will come hard at them, as was witnessed during the second Test at Lord's.
Ben Stokes is poised to lead the team in the first Test against West Indies on July 8 with captain Joe Root likely to miss the game to attend the birth of his second child.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell reckons India will start as favourites in the Test series against England owing to a quality pace attack with plenty of depth and a top order that is more consistent than the visitors'.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer got his maiden Test call up as he was included in England's squad for the Ashes series opener against Australia.
'I think anything over 220-230 is going to be pretty difficult, but not impossible obviously. It won't be easy.'
A throw from Black Caps fielder Martin Guptill deflected off Stokes's bat while he was diving to reach his crease to complete the second run and the ball ran off to the boundary in the dying stages of the England run chase.
Ishant made his Test debut as an 18-year-old in Bangladesh when Rahul Dravid was the captain and subsequently was led by Kumble, Dhoni, Kohli and Rahane during the last decade and half.
With Hussain back, England will either have to drop Paul Collingwood or drop one of their pace bowlers.
'We probably didn't think it was going to move around like it did. It was tough but Jimmy (Anderson) was magnificent' 'I think we're still reasonably confident, obviously the last two days haven't gone to plan but I think we're still in front of the game'
Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 300th wicket in ODIs as Sri Lanka beat England by 31 runs in the tri-series.
England fast bowler Steven Finn took a bizarre hat-trick off the last three balls in Saturday's World Cup clash against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Strict health protocols are in place during the first England-West Indies Test.
Jimmy Anderson doesn't think the Indian skipper's batting feats are a big deal.
With pacer Jofra Archer, opener Rory Burns and star all-rounder Ben Stokes back in the England squad, the visitors are likely to have some competition for spots in the team for the 1st Test against India.
Anderson revealed this in his new book, 'Bowl. Sleep. Repeat.'
England lost the series-opener by four wickets with Jermaine Blackwood leading West Indies to a memorable victory.
Factbox on the five-Test Ashes series between England and Australia
Kagiso Rabada has said currently his thoughts are not towards participating in the cash-rich Indian Premier League which, though he did not rule out the possibility in the future.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances