Off-spinner Graeme Swann says that getting the number one spot won't be enough for England, at least for the current group of players.
Captain Andrew Strauss defied a lively South African attack to steer England to 88 for one on the second day of the first Test on Thursday. South Africa made 418 in their first innings and claimed an early wicket when Friedel de Wet had Alastair Cook caught behind for 15 but the hosts failed to make another breakthrough.
Jacques Kallis hit his 32nd Test century to lead South Africa to 262 for four on the opening day of the first Test against England on Wednesday. His 112 not out gave the hosts the advantage after they had been sent in to bat and lost two wickets in each of the first two sessions.
Restricting India to 453 is a job well done and Kevin Pietersen and his men are now very much back into the final Test, asserts England off-spinner Graeme Swann.
Uncapped off-spinner Graeme Swann, batsman Owais Shah were named in England's 15-man squad to play two Tests in India.
Spunky England off-spinner Graeme Swann rates the ball with which he castled Ricky Ponting in the Edgbaston Test as the most satisfying delivery of his career, something he can tell his grandchildren about with considerable pride.
Australia made a confident start in the third Ashes Test against England as Shane Watson's unbeaten fifty lifted them to 126 for one on a rain-disrupted first day on Thursday.
Talking about Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir's conflict, former England off-spinner Graeme Swann said without conflict sports would be dull.
England skipper Kevin Pietersen won the toss and chose to bat first against India in the third one-day international in Kanpur on Thursday. The start was delayed by 45 minutes due to hazy conditions, reducing play to 49-overs per side.
England have named a 15-man squad for next month's one-day series in Sri Lanka, staying loyal to the players who sealed a 4-3 series win over India.
'You are going to face an England team where Joe Root is back to his absolute best, where Oliver Pope is playing his best-ever for England. Ben Stokes has amalgamated the team and got playing in an ultra-positive and rock and roll fashion.'
'India are very, very patient but if you are willing to be patient and bowl all day you will take wickets'
England paceman Steven Finn will miss the remainder of the limited overs series in Australia and return home to work on the technical aspect of his game, his country's cricket board said on Wednesday.
'We were actually very similar in that way, and we actually got on -- me and KP, professionally -- better than most people because we very honest with but openly disliked each other, but wanted each other in the team.'
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".
'If you want to know how to beat anybody as an England team, you pick Stuart Broad and James Anderson, together. While they are still working, still walking, pick them together for goodness sake.'
Anderson revealed this in his new book, 'Bowl. Sleep. Repeat.'
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who made a shock decision to quit all forms of cricket on Sunday, denied his criticism of arrogant international players was aimed at his team mates.
'All the talking stops very quickly and the series becomes a normal series after the first two hours'
England's humiliating series defeat in India painfully exposed an alarming paucity in the side's slow bowling options and drove home the fact they will continue to struggle in South Asia until they unearth some world class spinners. Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann had bemoaned England's indifferent approach towards slow bowling before the five-match series started and his fears were confirmed after the touring side were handed a 4-0 drubbing.
'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'
Root shared a 106-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who was standing in for injured wicketkeeper Matt Prior and fell just two run short of his half century before the tourists were bowled out for 418. England's bowlers initially struggled to impose themselves on the Invitational XI, who had reached 153 for four by close of play for a lead of 39 after their first innings 304.
Alastair Cook's England seem to have neither the form nor the resources to repeat their 2012 heroics against an Indian team determined to cement their top Test rankings in a five-match series starting at Rajkot on Wednesday.
Speaking of spinners, former England spinner Graeme Swann said Kuldeep Yadav should play in the first Test ahead of either Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja.
Ryan Harris sent shudders through the home dressing room by grabbing three early wickets but Bell weathered the storm with a majestic unbeaten 105 that led England to 234 for five in their second innings at the close, an overall lead of 202 runs.
Former England captain Graham Gooch has rubbished Kevin Pietersen's views in his controversial autobiography about former coach Andy Flower and wicketkeeper Matt Prior and also urged England players led by Alastair Cook to break their silence on the issue in a broader manner.
For debutant Keaton Jennings, it was a dream come true just to turn out for England in a Test match and then to follow it up with a century on his debut was even more 'surreal' for the young left-hander. Jennings, who was dropped on nought, played a splendid knock of 112 in his first innings in Test cricket, lifting England to 288 for five at stumps after they had elected to bat first.
Shane Watson's magnificent 176 put Australia in command at 307 for four on the first day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at The Oval on Wednesday.
England completed a crushing 347-run victory over Australia with a day to spare in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Phillip Hughes's tragic death cast a shadow over an eventful year that saw Ashes rivals Australia and England brawl on the field and bond off it, joining India to pull off a bloodless coup and take charge of the game.
Starring Mankad, Bedi, Siva, Azhar and Sachin.
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