Tag: England

England will head into the second day of the third Test against India at Lord’s with fresh doubts over the fitness of inspirational captain Ben Stokes.

The skipper pulled up with what appeared to be a groin issue late on Thursday’s opening day, with Stokes receiving on-field treatment before he batted on until the close.

England were 251-4 at stumps, with Joe Root 99 not out and Stokes, who won the toss, unbeaten on 39.

The 34-year-old Stokes’s career has been blighted by injuries, with a longstanding knee problem requiring an operation in 2023, while the all-rounder has suffered two serious hamstring tears during the past eight months.

In an encouraging development for the side, Ben Stokes has been able to operate as a fully fledged all-rounder in recent games after his fitness issues restricted his impact as a lively seamer.

But such is his importance to the balance of the team, with England currently 1-1 in a marquee series at home against India as they build towards a showpiece Ashes tour of Australia, that team chiefs will hope Thursday’s incident is merely a minor problem.

“Fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious and he can do something magic and come back strong,” said England vice-captain Ollie Pope. “We’ll see how he pulls up tomorrow (Friday).

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“We’ve got a big Test over the next four days, and we’ve got a big two coming up after that, so it’s important to try and manage him.

“That’s one of my roles, to make sure he doesn’t push himself to a ridiculous place with whatever he’s dealing with at the moment.

“I’m sure the physios and medics will work with him to lay out a plan and I’ll help push him in the right direction,” added Pope, who made 44 on Thursday.

Play ended with Root just one run shy of his 37th Test hundred and a record-extending eighth such century at Lord’s.

Pope, however, does not expect the star batter to suffer too many nerves overnight.

“Obviously, he’d have loved to have a hundred red (not out), but he’s got 36 of them, so I don’t think he’ll be too sleepless,” said Pope. “He’ll get his head down.

“It would have been nice to see him get it tonight, but he’ll be looking at the bigger picture and trying to make it a monster innings. Hopefully we can kick on and get 400, towards 500.”

READ: Joe Root’s masterclass keeps India at bay on opening day of Lord’s Test

Joe Root composed 99* checked the visitors’ progress on the opening day of the India vs England third Test at Lord’s.

England were 251-4 at stumps, with Joe Root coming in when they were faltering at 44-2 after paceman Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in his first over to remove openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.

But not for the first time in his 156 Test-career, the 34-year-old Root bailed England out of trouble.

England captain Ben Stokes, who won the toss at a sun-drenched Lord’s, was 39 not out after helping Joe Root, his predecessor as skipper, add an unbroken 79 for the fifth wicket.

Root also shared a grinding partnership of 109 in 35 overs with Ollie Pope, who made 44 after almost being out for a golden duck.

Much of the pre-match talk had focused on the return of Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, after he was rested for India’s 336-run thrashing of England at Edgbaston last week that levelled the five-match series at 1-1.

But it was Reddy, the fourth seamer deployed by India captain Shubman Gill on Thursday, who struck twice in four balls on the way to figures of 2-46 in 14 overs.

With his third ball, the 22-year-old had left-hander Duckett (23) well caught down the legside by diving wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off a gloved pull.

Next ball, the often skittish Pope almost fell for a duck when he threw his bat at an outswinger, with Gill just unable to hold a tough chance low to his right in the gully.

But with the last ball of the over, Reddy produced a superb full-length delivery that swung late and straightened off the pitch before taking Crawley’s outside edge to give Pant a simple catch as the Kent batter fell for 18.

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Pope, following his first-ball reprieve, had several more nervy moments, chasing a wide delivery from Bumrah he could have left alone before a loose shot off Reddy fell just short of third slip.

Root, second behind England team-mate Harry Brook in the Test batting rankings, was far more assured as he went to fifty with a glance through fine leg off Reddy — his seventh four in 102 balls faced.

England were 153-2 at tea with Root unbeaten on 54 and Pope 44 not out.

But the very first ball after the interval saw Pope drive loosely at left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, with reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, on the field after Pant suffered a finger injury in the second session, holding an excellent shoulder-high catch off a fast-travelling edge.

New batter Brook only managed 11 before he was bowled between bat and pad by Bumrah after failing to get forward to a nip-back ball. Bumrah ended the day with a miserly return of 1-35 in 18 overs.

England were now 172-4 as Stokes, without a Test hundred since an Ashes century against Australia at Lord’s two years ago, walked out to bat.

The left-hander had made 27 when Reddy had a tight lbw review turned down on the umpire’s call. He then called for the England physio after suffering what appeared to be a groin injury.

Root, however, continued to bat with his customary class, an on-driven four off Reddy, taking the former England captain to 80.

But with play held up by a swarm of flying ants, and Stokes unable to get off strike as he defended Akash Deep’s final two balls of the day, Root was left one run shy of what would be his 37th Test hundred and a record-extending eighth century at Lord’s.

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England captain Ben Stokes has delivered a strong warning to India ahead of the highly anticipated third Test, set to commence on 10 July at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The newly renamed Anderson-Tendulkar trophy is tied 1-1 as India roared back with a statement win in the second Test at Edgbaston, a venue where they recorded their first win on the ninth attempt.

The 336-run victory also marked Shubman Gill’s first win as a captain, who was also named as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his consecutive tons in both innings of the match.

With England requiring a record 608 to chase, their batting crumbled under pressure and they were bowled out for just 271 runs on the final day of the Test match.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Test, Ben Stokes acknowledged that the series was always going to be competitive due to the quality of the teams.

“This was always going to be a series (in) which moments ebb and flow, the results were going to ebb and flow because there are two very good teams going at each other,” he told reporters.

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“We came out on top at Headingley, and they came out on top in the last game. When you have two good sides going at it against each other, you are going to see that. I don’t think we feel like we have the edge over anyone,” he added.

The skipper, who is also facing a dip in form with the willow, issued a warning to the visitors, noting that the Three Lions will come out firing all cylinders.

“We respect our opposition, whoever that may be. We’ll be coming out this week, trying to hit them hard and obviously trying to come away with a win,” he concluded.

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LONDON: England have included Jofra Archer in their playing XI for the third Test of the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy against India, marking the fast bowler’s return to red-ball cricket after more than four years.

Archer will make his return to red-ball cricket on Thursday at the iconic Lord’s, the very ground where he made his Test debut back in 2019.

His comeback follows an extended spell on the sidelines due to recurring elbow and back injuries, which had restricted him to white-ball formats in recent years.

However, he recently returned to first-class cricket, bowling 18 overs for Sussex last month, and has now been deemed fit to lead England’s pace attack at Lord’s.

His inclusion comes as England look to bounce back from a heavy 336-run defeat in the second Test at Edgbaston.

Jofra Archer replaces Josh Tongue in the XI, the only change from the previous match. While Tongue is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 11 scalps, he has been expensive, leaking runs at 4.56 per over.

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Interestingly, Archer’s return mirrors the circumstances of his 2019 debut when England brought him in after Australia’s Steve Smith dominated with twin hundreds in the opening Ashes Test.

Now, he’s been handed the task of unsettling India’s in-form captain Shubman Gill, who stunned England with scores of 269 and 161 at Edgbaston.

Despite a heavy workload in the first two Tests, Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes retain their places. Carse bowled 77 overs across the two matches and appeared to be dealing with a toe issue during the second Test.

However, captain Ben Stokes dismissed fitness concerns, clarifying that the discomfort was due to his footwear rather than a physical injury.

It’s worth noting that Archer has featured in 13 Tests for England between 2019 and 2021, picking up 42 wickets at an average of 31.04. His most prolific run came in the 2019 Ashes, where he claimed 20 wickets at 20.27.

England Playing XI for 3rd Test vs India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.

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Sophie Ecclestone has been named in England Women 15-member squad for the forthcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against India, scheduled to begin later this month.

Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone returns to the 50-over squad, having missed the West Indies series. Moreover, there is a recall for top-order batter Maia Bouchier, who last featured in the Three Lions lineup in January 2025 against Australia.

Meanwhile, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is expected to play a full part in the series despite missing the end of the T20I series against India with a groin injury.

Among the notable inclusions is Lauren Filer, who’ll be looking to make her first ODI appearance since the Ashes in the winter. The seamer, who bowled a match-defining four-over spell at the Kia Oval on Friday night, is continuing her return from a knee injury.

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England Women’s Head Coach Charlotte Edwards shared her thoughts following the announcement of the squad.

“India have really pushed us during the T20I series. We knew they would and we’ve learned a lot about the team in the three games so far,” she said.

“There have been some good moments but we’re a team in transition and we need to keep working hard to do what we’re trying to do more consistently, and for longer. That’ll be asked of us again in the ODIs, Edwards added.

“Friday night was high drama and we were delighted to keep ourselves in the series, I’m very proud of the character and the fight the players showed. Hopefully we can keep that going at Emirates Old Trafford and Edgbaston and into the Bank ODI series,” she concluded.

England Women Squad

Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont,  Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Linsey Smith

England vs India ODI series Schedule

Wednesday, July 16: 1st ODI, Utilita Bowl

Saturday, July 19: 2nd  ODI, Lord’s Cricket Ground

Tuesday, July 22: 3rd ODI, Seat Unique Riverside

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England head coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed that ace pacer Jofra Archer is ready to play in the ‘blockbuster’ third Test against India, set to commence on 10 July at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England is leveled at 1-1, with the visitors equalling the scoreline after thrashing the home side by 336 runs at Edgbaston.

The Three Lions will gain a significant boost as Jofra Archer returns to play in his first Test match since the 2021 tour of India.

Jofra Archer faced a string of injuries, resulting in him playing only seven limited-overs internationals between March 2021 and May 2024.

Speaking ahead of the match, Brendon McCullum shed light on the inclusion of Jofra Archer for the third Test.

“He’ll certainly be available for selection. Jofra is looking fit, he’s looking strong, he’s looking ready to go, and he’ll come into calculations,” said McCullum.

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“It’s hugely exciting. He’s buzzing as well. He’s obviously been through his injuries and his time out of Test cricket, but we all know what he’s capable of achieving and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he’s able to recapture and improve on what he’s been able to do already,” he added.

The pitch at Edgbaston was flat, with a total of 1692 runs scored across five days, marking the highest aggregate between England and India.

“Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways (movement), hopefully,” England’s head coach stated when asked about the surface for the Lord’s Test.

He stated that the upcoming match will be mouth-watering, hinting that the pitch will offer a lot to the bowlers.

“It’ll be a blockbuster either way, but I think it’s going to set up for a cracker, especially if there’s plenty of life in it,” McCullum said.

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Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson could be recalled for next week’s third Test against India at Lord’s after England captain Ben Stokes admitted his attack had failed to “blast them open” at Edgbaston.

India levelled the five-match series at 1-1 with a crushing 336-run win in the second Test on Sunday’s fifth day.

And within hours of the thumping loss, England added Surrey quick Atkinson to their squad for the Lord’s Test.

Atkinson is fit again after suffering hamstring trouble against Zimbabwe in May and could join forces for the first time with Archer, who trained with England in Birmingham ahead of what promises to be the express quick’s first Test following four years of injury-induced exile.

Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue could be the two bowlers to make way after plenty of overs against an India side who’ve scored nearly 1,900 runs, including five individual hundreds, in the opening two games of this series.

Stokes, as he’d done during England’s five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, sent India in to bat at Edgbaston.

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But having seen India reduced to 211-5, the England captain became increasingly helpless in the field as the tourists piled up 567, with opposing captain Shubman Gill making an outstanding 269.

“At 200-5, we were happy, but we just weren’t able to blast them open,” said Stokes after England were dismissed for 271 on the final day. “They ended up getting a big first innings total after us having a good start.”

“It’s no secret that we have spent some time in the field and bowled some overs in the first two games, so we’ll have to see how everyone pulls up over the next two days. With it being a quick turnaround, there probably will be a decision we have to make.”

England bowlers, meanwhile, now have the tough task of stemming new India captain Shubman Gill’s extraordinary run spree.

Not content with his first-innings effort, Gill made 161 second time around at Edgbaston as he became the first batsman in 148 years of Test history to score a double century and a 150 in the same match.

The 25-year-old Gill, who marked his first Test as skipper with a century at Headingley, has now scored 585 runs in the series at a colossal average of 146.5.

England squad for Lord’s Test against India

Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

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BIRMINGHAM: England registered an embarrassing slice of Test history during the second Test against India at Edgbaston, becoming only the sixth team ever to have six batters dismissed for ducks in a single innings.

Despite the collapse, the hosts still managed a respectable 407 in 89.3 overs, thanks to a sensational counterattack from Jamie Smith (184* off 207) and Harry Brook (158 off 234).

The six batters who failed to score included Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, captain Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir, marking England’s entry into a rare and infamous club that already includes Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and India.

Remarkably, England’s 407 is the highest-ever total posted by any team suffering six ducks in a single Test innings. Pakistan had previously held the record for most ducks in an innings, scoring just 128 against the West Indies in 1980.

Teams with six ducks in a Test innings:

• Pakistan – 128 vs West Indies (1980)
• South Africa – 105 vs India (1996)
• Bangladesh – 87 vs West Indies (2002)
• India – 152 vs England (2014)
• New Zealand – 90 vs Pakistan (2018)
• England – 407 vs India (2025)*

Smith’s innings made headlines beyond the team total as he smashed the fourth-fastest century ever recorded against India in Tests.

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His 80-ball ton broke Kamran Akmal’s 19-year-old record (81 balls vs India in 2006) and is now the fastest Test hundred against India by an English batter.

Fastest Test centuries vs India (by balls):

• David Warner – 69 balls (2012)
• AB de Villiers – 75 balls (2010)
• Shahid Afridi – 78 balls (2006)
• Jamie Smith – 80 balls (2025)*
• Kamran Akmal – 81 balls (2006)

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Jamie Smith made the highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 184 not out, and Harry Brook passed 150 yet again, but India still ended Friday’s third day of the second Test at Edgbaston with a lead of over 200 runs.

England were in dire straits at 84-5, more than 500 runs behind, when Smith joined forces with Brook in just the second over of the day’s play.

They came together after Mohammed Siraj had taken two wickets in two balls, including removing Ben Stokes for the first golden duck of the England captain’s Test career.

But England’s sixth-wicket duo went on to add 303 runs before Brook fell for 158, with the hosts just one run shy of the follow-on.

And by the time England were dismissed for 407, Smith had long since surpassed Surrey mentor Alec Stewart’s previous highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 173 against New Zealand at Auckland in 1997.

The second new ball, as the first one had done, however, proved England’s undoing, with Siraj (6-70) and the recalled Akash Deep (4-88), in for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, sharing all 10 wickets in an England innings featuring six ducks.

India, looking to level the series after last week’s five-wicket loss in the first Test at Headingley, led by 180 runs on first innings following a total of 587 built on captain Shubman Gill’s superb 269.

And they had extended that advantage to 244 runs at the close, with India 64-1 in their second innings.

Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in superb touch while making 28 including six fours before the left-handed opener was lbw to a full-length ball from England first-change Josh Tongue.

A visibly angry Stoke was adamant India had taken too long to request a review but, fortunately for England, replays upheld the original decision in their favour.

England resumed on 77-3, with Joe Root and Brook — the world’s two top-ranked Test batter — 18 not out and 30 not out respectively.

But it was not long before Root glanced fast bowler Siraj to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

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And the very next ball, Stokes was undone by a superb rising delivery from Siraj that he edged behind, with England now 84-5.

It was the first golden duck of all-rounder Stokes’ 113-Test career.

But the 24-year-old Smith ‘survived’ the hat-trick by straight-driving Siraj for four.

It was the start of a blistering 80-ball hundred that included 14 fours and three sixes as Smith joined a select group of batters to have made 100 runs before lunch in a session of Test cricket.

India had rested Bumrah, the world’s number one ranked Test bowler, in order to protect the fast bowler’s fitness in a series where he is expected to feature in just three out of five matches.

But in his absence, Smith smashed 22 runs in a single over from paceman Prasidh Krishna, including a six and four fours.

Jamie Smith, showing no obvious ill effects from the strain of keeping wicket for 151 overs in India’s first innings, cover-drove recalled spinner Washington Sundar’s first two balls for four.

Consecutive fours off experienced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the last over before lunch, a straight drive followed by a sweep, saw Smith complete an astounding century.

Brook, 91 not out at the interval went to a hundred after giving his wicket away on 99 in the first Test.

And when he later cut Jadeja for a single it was the fifth time in his nine Test hundreds that Brook had exceeded 150.

But Deep eventually broke through with the new ball by bowling Brook with a fine delivery that darted back off the seam.

Deep also removed Chris Woakes — who has a Test century to his credit – for five on the Warwickshire all-rounder’s home ground.

He had previously reduced England to 13-2 on Thursday by dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks in consecutive deliveries.

Smith smashed Deep for six over long-on to raise England’s 400 but Siraj cleaned up the tail as Brydon Carse, Tongue and Shoaib Bashir failed to manage a run between them.

READ: Jamie Smith rewrites record books with sublime knock against India

BIRMINGHAM: England wicket-keeper batter Jamie Smith etched his name into the record books with an unbeaten knock against India here at Edgbaston on Friday.

England was bowled out for 407 in reply to India’s massive first-innings total of 587 as Mohammad Siraj rattled the hosts with a fiery five-wicket haul. The Three Lions still trailed by 180 runs.

Jamie Smith, who scored his second Test hundred, recorded the highest individual score for an England wicket-keeper. The 24-year-old remained unbeaten on 184*, surpassing Alec Stewart’s highest score of 173.

Highest Score By An England Wicket-Keeper

Jamie Smith 184* vs India, Birmingham 2025

Alec Stewart 173 vs New Zealand, Auckland 1997

JM Bairstow 167* vs Sri Lanka, Lord’s 2016

Jamie Smith came in at number seven with the England team in a precarious 84-5 at the start of the day’s play. He, alongside Harry Brook, partnered for a magnificent 303-run stand to lift the home side out of trouble.

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Smith batted aggressively and notched up his second Test century off just 80 balls, while Brook also brought up his ninth Test century.

Additionally, Smith also broke the record for the fastest century by an England batter against India. He is now ranked fourth overall on the all-time list.

Former Australian batter David Warner holds the record for the fastest ton against India, which he scored in Perth back in 2012.

Fastest Test Centuries Against India (by balls faced):

David Warner (Australia) – 69 balls, Perth (Jan 2012)
AB de Villiers (South Africa) – 75 balls, Centurion (Dec 2010)
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – 78 balls, Lahore (Jan 2006)
Jamie Smith (England) – 80 balls, Birmingham (July 2025)*
Kamran Akmal (Pakistan) – 81 balls, Lahore (Jan 2006)
Adam Gilchrist (Australia) – 84 balls, Mumbai (Feb-Mar 2001)
Clive Lloyd (West Indies) – 85 balls, Bengaluru (Nov 1974)
Ben Duckett (England) – 88 balls, Rajkot (Feb 2024)

However, Brook fell for a well-made 158, but Smith remained unbeaten till the end as his sublime knock featured four sixes and 21 boundaries.

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