Tag: England

Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath has predicted that England will be whitewashed 5-0 in the 2025-26 Ashes.

The Three Lions have not won an Ashes series since 2015 and, notably, not a single Test in Australia since the 2010-11 series.

The most recent series between two arch-rivals, played in 2023, resulted in a 2-2 draw, with Australia retaining the urn.

Now, the six-time Ashes winner and legendary fast bowler McGrath is known for his bold predictions, and in the past, he has made similar statements.

“It’s very rare for me to make a prediction, isn’t it? And I can’t make a different one-5-0,” McGrath stated in an interview with a British news outlet.

“I’m very confident with our team. When you’ve got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it’s going to be pretty tough. Plus, that track record England have had, it’d be interesting to see if they can win a Test,” McGrath added.

Glenn McGrath deemed Ashes 2025-26 crucial for England’s ace batter Joe Root, who is yet to make his mark down under.

Joe Root has amassed 892 Test runs in Australia, including nine fifties, but is yet to score a century.

The 55-year-old also lauded Harry Brook’s batting and termed his wicket crucial for the Australian pacers.

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“This series will be a big one for Root. He’s never really done that well in Australia, he’s not even got a 100 over there, so he’ll be keen to get out there. He’s in fine form,” he said.

“Brook’s the one that I’ve enjoyed watching,” added McGrath. “He just goes out there, plays his game, and takes it on. The Australians will need to get on him pretty early.

He further mentioned England’s top order and the key matchups between both teams.

“Ben Duckett is such an aggressive opener. Zak Crawley would be keen to score a few more runs than he has previously.

“It’s the top order or top and middle order of England against the Australian fast bowlers and Lyon. That’s going to be a big match-up,” Glenn McGrath concluded.

For the unversed, the opening match of Ashes 2025-26 will commence on 21 November in Perth.

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The England Cricket Board (ECB) has shared its views on the proposed two-tier Test structure amid fear of losing key rivalries against India and Australia.

Last month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) formed a team to propose recommendations for saving the longest form of the game amid a packed cricket schedule.

The debate over the two-tier Test system has persisted for over 15 years, with the ICC indicating its support for the concept as early as 2009. However, full members remain divided on the issue for various reasons.

The revamped Two-tier Test system will involve an expansion from the present nine-team format to two divisions of six.

Last week, ECB Chairman Richard Thompson shared his views in an interview with a British news outlet.

“There’s a lot of options that we’ve got to look at – tiers would be one of them,” he said.

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“We wouldn’t want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don’t play Australia and India? That couldn’t happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here,” he added.

Moreover, Thompson lauded South Africa for winning the World Test Championship title (WTC) and backed the notion for improving the WTC structure.

On the other hand, Cricket Australia’s (CA) CEO, Todd Greenberg, has echoed similar sentiments; however, he remains open to changes for the survival of Test cricket.

“When I say we, those three countries that [are] putting resources and energy into Test cricket, what role do we have to help others make sure that they step up because it’s in our interest to see a strong West Indies, a strong Pakistan, New Zealand, [and] South Africa,” he explained.

“We want those countries being strong in this format of the game, but clearly they’re going to need help. They can’t do it alone. It’s incumbent on all of cricket to help,” Greenberg said.

He emphasized changes, stressing the more opportunities for other countries to be stronger, meanwhile stating that if the goal is not achieved, he will no longer support the model.

“My open mind is in reference to, if it helps grow the opportunities for those other countries to be stronger, and have better resources in Test match cricket, if it does that, then I’m open for it,” he said.

“But if it doesn’t achieve that, and it actually affects the opposite, then I wouldn’t be supportive,” he concluded.

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The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis has opened up after his heated exchange with India coach Gautam before the fifth Test against England.

Things remained heated throughout the Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England. However, on the eve of the fifth Test, it reached fever pitch with a verbal altercation between Gambhir and Fortis.

You don’t tell us what we need to do. You don’t tell us what we need to do, okay. You don’t need to tell us. You don’t tell any of my squad what we need to do.

You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman; you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman,” Gautam Gambhir replied to Lee Fortis.

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The exchange arose from the groundsman’s instructions to the Indian players and staff to maintain their distance from the squad housing the main pitch.

After the spat, India batting coach Sitansu Kotak claimed that Lee Fortis shouted at the India staff, which irked Gautam Gambhir.

“We all have been on the ground enough, we have played so much cricket. Curators are possessive about the ground and the square, but they need to understand that they are speaking to highly skilled and intelligent people,” Kotakl said during a press conference at the time.

Now, Lee Fortis has spoken about the incident, lauding the exciting game of cricket.

“Well, I was never the villain; I was made into one. Hope you guys enjoyed the show, and the atmosphere was like the IPL. It was a great game,” Lee Fortis said in an interview with an Indian media outlet.

The series ended on a thrilling note with India securing a win against England by only six runs, resulting in a stalemate of 2-2.

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England pacer Chris Woakes, on Monday, defied a shoulder injury and came out to bat with his left arm in a sling against India in the fifth Test at the Oval. 

Woakes was ruled out of the Test due to an injury on day two of the match while saving a boundary.

However, the pacer decided to put his body on the line for his team in a bid to chase a record 374 runs at The Oval.

The Three Lions started their Day 5 needing 35 runs with four wickets in hand. Meanwhile, India pacer Mohammed Siraj ripped through England’s lower order.

As a result, England were 357-9 and forced Chris Woakes to come out and bat at No. 11.

 

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As Woakes walked out through the dressing-room, the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his courage and grit.

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Gus Atkinson (17) faced many of the balls that prevented Chris Woakes from facing India bowlers; however, he was seen in pain while running between the wickets.

Atkinson was the last England batter to fall as India sealed a six-run victory in the final Test to level the series 2-2.

Defending 374, India bundled England for 367, with Siraj taking 5-104, to level the five-match series 2-2. This was also India’s narrowest winning margin in a Test match.

Ben Stokes, England captain, lauded the efforts demonstrated by both India and the Three Lions players throughout the series.

“Unbelievable, yes, but it was never going to be a question,” he said.

To go out there, running between the wickets, but we’ve had guys, Rishabh [Pant], broken foot, Bash [Shoaib Bashir] with a broken finger, and Chris going out there with a recently dislocated shoulder. It shows how much energy and effort has been put into this series,” the England captain concluded.

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LONDON: India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has shared his thoughts on Harry Brook’s dropped catch after his match-winning performance in the final Test against England here at The Oval on Monday.

Mohammed Siraj was pivotal in India’s thrilling six-run victory in the fifth Test and was the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 wickets.

A day earlier, Siraj was at the receiving end when he dropped England’s ace batter Harry Brook while he was batting on 19 runs.

The right-handed batter went on to score his 10th Test century, which at that time looked like England had taken the game away from India.

During the post-match presentation, Siraj expressed his emotions on the drop catch and revealed the motivation behind his stellar performance.

“I cannot describe my feelings. After yesterday’s incident, I thought the match was gone. Had we got Harry Brook out before lunch, things would have been different, ” he said after being named as the P

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“There would have been no fifth day. That was a game-changing moment. But we came back strongly after that,” he remarked.

Siraj stated that he had believed in himself and had ambitions of changing the game.

“When I woke up this morning, I told myself I would change the game. I opened Google, downloaded a ‘believe’ image, and put that as my phone wallpaper.”

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LONDON: Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj held on to his nerves and claimed a five-wicket haul to steer India to a thrilling six-run victory over England in the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy here at The Oval on Monday.

Defending 374, India bundled England for 367, with Siraj taking 5-104, to level the five-match series 2-2. This was also India’s narrowest winning margin in a Test match.

After resuming on 339-6, England lost four wickets for 28 runs on the final morning of a thrilling series in overcast conditions.

Mohammed Siraj drew first blood, removing England wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith, who was caught without adding to his score, as the home side were reduced to 347-7

Siraj struck again in his next over, removing Jamie Overton, who fell next, lbw for nine runs.

The interesting moment of the final day came when England’s last man, Chris Woakes, came into bat with his left arm strapped up owing to an injured shoulder.

The Three Lions still needed 17 more runs to secure victory when Chris Woakes came out to bat.

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Gus Atkinson, who starred with the ball for the home side, hit a six off Siraj before England got the target down to single figures.

The 25-day thrilling Test cricket series came to a wire with England requiring seven runs to win. However, Siraj bowled a beautiful delivery to Atkinson (17) and cleaned him up as the Oval crowd erupted in loud cheers.

India were without Jasprit Bumrah at the Oval after deciding to stand by a decision to only play the world’s top-ranked Test bowler in three games of this five-match series — a figure the fast bowler reached during last week’s drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford.

Siraj, who was the only pacer to feature throughout, ended the series as the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets at 32.43.

For England, Harry Brook top-scored with 111 of just 98 balls, striking two maximums and 14 fours.

For India, Mohammed Siraj took five wickets, whereas Prasidh Krishna scalped four wickets.

The India-England series ended in a draw with both teams finishing at 2-2 after this emphatic victory.

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LONDON: England ace batter Joe Root etched his name into the record books on Sunday during the final Test against India at The Oval, surpassing Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara.

The right-handed batter who scored his 38th Test century arrived at the crease when England were 82-2 on day five morning.

The Three Lions lost their well-set opener Ben Duckett, who made 54 off 83 balls with the help of six fours.

With England needing a daunting 292 to win in a record chase, Joe Root began cautiously and kept scoring runs to help his team get out of trouble.

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In doing so, he scored his 39th Test century, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 38 tons in the longest form of the game.

Most Test Centuries

1. Sachin Tendulkar – 51 in 200 matches

2. Jacques Kallis – 45 in 166 matches

3. Ricky Ponting – 41 in 167 matches

4. Joe Root – 39* in 159 matches

5. Kumar Sangakkar 38 in 134 matches

Additionally, he became the first-ever player to score over 6,000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC).

Currently, the ace batter is leading the runs chart in WTC at an outstanding average of 52, followed by Australia’s Steve Smith with 4,278 runs in 55 games in the Championship cycle.

The third on the list is also Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, who has accumulated 4,225 runs in 53 Tests.

Most runs in World Test Championship:

1. Joe Root 6076* runs in 69* matches

2.  Steve Smith 4278 runs in 55 matches

3. Marnus Labuschagne 4225 runs in 53 matches

4. Ben Stokes 3616 runs in 57 matches

5. Travis Head  3300 runs in 52 matches

At the time of filing this story, England were cruising at 325, with 49 more runs needed to win the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.

Joe Root was on 101* from 135 balls, whereas Jacob Bethell remained unbeaten on one from 22 balls.

READ: WATCH: Mohammed Siraj’s dropped catch helps Harry Brook reach century

LONDON: India pacer Mohammed Siraj dropped a sitter of England ace batter Harry Brook on the fourth day of the fifth Test here at The Oval on Sunday.

Siraj dropped an easy catch off Prasidh Krishna’s bowling on the boundary when Brook was batting on 19.

Harry Brook, who pulled a well-directed short ball from Prasidh, went to fine leg, where Siraj was outstanding; however, the pacer could not manage to catch the ball, which romped over the line for six runs.

The Indian team fielders were left amused after seeing Mohammed Siraj drop an easy catch on the boundary line.

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The reprieve not only gave a life to Harry Brook but also gifted him six runs, and he went on to take Krishna for 16 runs from the over.

Following the dropped chance, the pair of Brook added 180 runs on the fourth wicket to keep the Indian bowlers at bay.

At the time of filing this story, England were 285-3 with only 89 required to win. Harry Brook remained unbeaten on 100*, whereas Joe Root was standing on 78* at the crease.

Brook scored his 10th and second Test hundred against India in only his 30th match.

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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on pacer Mohammed Siraj for his standout performance in the ongoing fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval.

Siraj was instrumental in India bundling out England for 247 in their first innings on Day 2, finishing with figures of 4 for 86.

Following the second day’s play, Chopra highlighted Siraj’s ability to lead the attack in the absence of senior partner Jasprit Bumrah.

“Siraj might go for a few runs, but he sticks to his plan of bowling longer spells, and that’s the key to his success in taking wickets,” Chopra said in a YouTube video.

The former opener highlighted an interesting statistic: Mohammed Siraj averages 35.00 when playing alongside Bumrah, but that number significantly drops to 25.59 when he leads the attack without Bumrah.

“He raises his game when Bumrah isn’t there. The start wasn’t good; they were getting hit. When we were playing, it seemed like a green top and batting looked very difficult, but when they came, it seemed like it had become a road.

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“They were hitting at seven to eight runs per over. That was dangerous,” Chopra explained.

“He raises his game when Bumrah isn’t there. The start wasn’t great; they were getting hit,” Chopra remarked.

“It looked like a green top when we were batting, but when England came in, it looked like a road. They were scoring at seven to eight runs per over; that was dangerous.”

While acknowledging that Mohammed Siraj isn’t flawless, Chopra stressed that effort has never been in question.

“He might not always bowl perfectly, sometimes straying down the leg side or conceding runs at a higher economy rate,” he added.

“These things can happen to anyone. But have you ever seen him bowl at 70 percent? Has there ever been a time when Siraj didn’t give his absolute best?”

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Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took four wickets each as India fought back in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval on Friday.

England were 129-1 in reply to India’s 224 all out as they threatened to build a substantial first-innings lead.

But they were eventually dismissed for 247, just 23 runs ahead.

The recalled Krishna had figures of 4-62 in 16 overs and fellow paceman Siraj 4-86 in 16.2 in a match India must win to end one of the most enthralling series in England since the 2005 Ashes, level at 2-2.

India were 75-2 in their second innings, a lead of 52 runs, when bad light ended play on the second day, with England a bowler down in the absence of the injured Chris Woakes.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was 51 not out after being dropped twice.

The left-handed opener was reprieved on 20 when Harry Brook floored a tough catch at second slip following a loose drive off Gus Atkinson.

And he was missed again on 40 when Liam Dawson failed to sight a catch in the deep and was hit in the face.

Jaiswal cashed in with a 44-ball fifty completed when he guided Jamie Overton over the slips for six.

India opener KL Rahul was caught by first slip Joe Root off Josh Tongue before Sai Sudharsan, dropped on seven, was lbw to Atkinson for 11.

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Earlier, Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a blistering first-wicket stand of 92 in just 13 overs after Atkinson marked his return to Test cricket with a five-wicket haul.

Both openers fell either side of lunch; however, before stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading the side in place of the injured Ben Stokes, was lbw to Siraj for 22.

Crawley and Duckett dominated India’s attack, with left-hander Duckett telling Akash Deep, “you can’t get me out”.

Deep, however, had Duckett caught behind for 43 off an attempted scoop, then put his arm around the unimpressed batter’s shoulder and appeared to say a few words as he walked off.

This incident followed India captain Shubman Gill’s accusation that England had ignored the “spirit of cricket” by time-wasting during the third Test at Lord’s.

England were then angered by India’s decision to bat on in the fourth Test at Old Trafford rather than agree a draw as soon as possible.

After Duckett’s exit, Crawley holed out off a miscued pull against Krishna for 64, with 56 of those runs coming in boundaries.

The usually mild-mannered Root, second in the all-time list of Test match run scorers, found himself exchanging words with Krishna before the umpires intervened, and was lbw to Siraj for 29.

Jamie Smith’s edged drive off Krishna was well caught by Rahul at second slip, and four balls later, Overton was lbw for a duck.

Brook struck an extraordinary ‘falling’ sweep for six off Siraj during a 57-ball fifty.

But Siraj bowled him for 53, with Brook the last man out as Woakes was unable to bat.

England paceman Woakes was effectively ruled out of the rest of the match before play on Friday after suffering a shoulder injury when diving in an attempt to prevent a boundary on Thursday.

But Atkinson responded with a superb return of 5-33 in 21.4 in an innings where he also ran out the in-form Gill.

The 27-year-old’s fourth five-wicket haul in just 13 Tests was all the more creditable as this was Atkinson’s first senior match since being sidelined with hamstring trouble following a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May.

India, who resumed on 204-6, lost their last four wickets for just 20 more runs in 5.4 overs on Friday.

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