1st Test: Bumrah's new-ball spell will go long way in deciding who wins, says Hussain
Bumrah was at his lethal best on Day 2 and scalped all three wickets that fell on the day, while also continuously beating and finding the outside edge, but was not able to claim a wicket in the first session of Day 3.
Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj claimed the wickets of centurion Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes respectively.
'This game is evenly poised. We are three overs from the new ball and we know who is going to take that. Whoever wins the Bumrah spell will go a long way to winning this Test,' said Hussain on Sky Sports.
At lunch, England were 327/7. Brook was almost dismissed for naught off Jasprit Bumrah at the stroke of stumps on day two, as replays showed it was a no-ball, the right-handed batter was at his free-flowing best. He earned another reprieve when on 46, Rishabh Pant dropped his catch off Ravindra Jadeja, as Brook eventually reached his half century off 65 balls to end the session at a counter-attacking 57 not out.
Hussain hailed Brook's aggressive approach against Bumrah in the first session on Day 3 and talked about the importance of converting his 12th half-century into a century in front of his home crowd.
'You wondered whether England would see off Bumrah or go after him and Brook went after him. Running down the pitch is one of his shots. He is world class but of his eight hundreds only one has come in England. He would love to make that two on his home ground, kick on and make a really big score," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Australia will be big challenge: Steve Smith fires warning at England before Ashes
Australian batter Steve Smith has issued a warning to England ahead of the upcoming Ashes, noting that although they impressed in their recent series against India, the conditions in Australia will be a much tougher last won the Ashes in Australia in 2010-11, securing a 3-1 series victory thanks to Alastair Cook's 766 runs and James Anderson's 24 wickets. Since then, they have failed to win a single Test on Australian soil, struggling against pace-friendly pitches and Australia's relentless bowling preparation for the Ashes, England drew their five-Test home series against India 2-2, playing an aggressive style of cricket but revealing weaknesses under pressure, especially in decisive moments. Australia's seasoned bowling line-up, combined with challenging home pitches, is expected to push England's batting to the limit as they try to end a 14-year winless streak Down Under.'Their series against India was one of the best I've seen in years. They play aggressive cricket, but batting in Australia will be a big challenge. Our wickets have been tricky, and we've got an experienced, successful bowling attack,' Smith told Sky Sports in an interview.'Joe Root has been outstanding'Smith, who's currently playing for Welsh Fire in the Hundred, hailed Joe Root ahead of the Ashes, noting that the English batters have made his starts count, especially in the last two the recent Test series against India in England, Root scored 537 runs in nine innings at an impressive average of 67.12, including three centuries and a fifty. Yet in Australia across 27 innings, he averages just 35.68 and remains without a Test century there.'He's been outstanding the past two years, turning 50s into big hundreds. He hasn't scored a Test hundred in Australia yet — I'm sure he'll be aiming for it, but hopefully he doesn't get it this summer.'We'll just let our skills do the talking. We know our conditions well and trust our game,' Smith upcoming Ashes starts on November 21 with the series opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth.- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian cricket must not adjust for Bumrah, Bumrah must
I guess enough time has gone by for us to now look back at the India England series rationally and perhaps less emotionally. Jasprit Bumrah in action against England during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. (Action Images via Reuters) I must confess, I, too, like you, was floored by the performance of young India in an overseas, exhaustive Test series of 5 Test matches, each Test match lasting 5 days. Firstly, my feeling about young India batters does not change, my chest is still pumped in the way (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, (Shubman) Gill, (KL) Rahul, (Rishabh) Pant, (Ravindra) Jadeja and even (Washington Sundar) Washy batted. I won't tire saying that in this age of T20 cricket, what these T20 compatible batters have done is nothing short of phenomenal. And we are not talking only about results here... it's how these results were achieved, it was through hardcore old fashioned Test batting of the extreme kind, defending for hours with a still bat, leaving balls outside off, ball after ball, when rest of the year these same batters are trying to hit a 6 off every ball, it was not just unbelievable but even hard to fathom. They dug deep into their mental reserves not just for 2 or 3 or 4 Tests, but they still had enough left in the tank for another grind right at the end when most batters would be mentally done and finished. I am thinking of Yashasvi Jaiswal here. That all this happened in front of packed audiences was icing on the cake! A great Test series played in front of an audience & a country that truly loves Test cricket. Yes, it was a great Test series in many ways, especially for Indian fans a team devoid of all the big names, most of them on their first tour of England and that virtually every match finished so close was a much-needed blessing for Test cricket. So as a spectacle, it was two months of brilliance! I could stop right here and finish my piece, but it's also important to look at things a little more deeply, address, as they say, the elephant in the room. Great series for fans, yes great result for Indian cricket lovers yes, great advertisement for Test cricket yes, but what about quality? Was the cricket of the highest quality? No, it wasn't. For starters, sorry to burst the bubble, it has to be one of the weakest bowling attacks from both sides that I have seen in a series featuring two main stream teams. The one bowler with great skills and ability had a bizarre approach to playing in this series even before it began, so bowling greatness or excellence was seen very sporadically over 175 hours of Test cricket. Flat pitches made matters even worse, in fact one felt sorry for them and admired those bowlers with clear limitations bowling their hearts out and making a difference, Siraj through the series and Ben Stokes in the matches that he played in, both bowled with a lion's heart. That a class act like Kuldeep did not feature at all will remain one of the shocks of the series, when you are playing an opposition with a very weak bowling attack and a strange batting approach such selection blunders can cost you. A similar approach versus Australia and India would pay a heavy price for it, like we saw recently in the BGT. In the current euphoria these tactical mistakes if not questioned by the selectors and the BCCI, leave India vulnerable to another sound beating against a good side. While admiring how India played we must also acknowledge how bad England was, then the follow up question also springs to mind, was this Next Gen India team so impressive because England was poor? No, Jaiswal, Gill, Rahul & Pant & even Washy are your safe bets even against quality opposition but I fear for India's seam bowling and its strange tactics led by Gambhir with regards to playing XIs and bowling changes, if these controllables were handled better, India would have beaten the natives 3-1 you would think. But this should not take the sheen off India's overall performance especially the execution side of things... in this area, young India was fantastic. The second point I will make is this, that the game will always show us the mirror however much we try and gloss over things. It was poetic justice that the two Tests India won were two matches Bumrah did not play. This should embolden the Indian selectors to make some hard choices when it comes to big-name players. This series has been a great lesson to them and to us too, the two Tests victories India achieved did not feature Virat (Kohli), (Cheteshwar) Pujara, Rohit (Sharma), (Mohammed) Shami and Bumrah too! It reminded us of the eternal truth of sport and life, no one, however great, is indispensable. And this is how India must handle Bumrah. If he cannot play more than two matches in a row or sometimes even more than one, he must not be your frontline pick. Players who are match fit, eager, keen to play and perform should be picked any day for me over a highly skilled player. It will motivate such enthusiastic players even more. This is not an idealistic position to take, but it's the right one for the long term health of a team sport. In this series, Akash Deep & Siraj replicated the Bumrah impact in the two wins, of course, this is not likely become a pattern but it should give the selectors the guts to take hard calls on big name players, just as they do with Kuldeep Yadav. As for Bumrah, of whom I am a fan, if he really wants to serve Indian Test cricket, longevity and durability is an imperative for him, it's after all the true test of a great athlete is to still turn up when not 100% fit and deliver. Indian cricket must not adjust for Bumrah, Bumrah must. That is, if he wants to. By making some tough choices or working even harder on his fitness, this fitness bar can be raised to whatever levels one wants, like all fast bowling greats have done before him.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
'It's going to be tricky to get in there': Steve Smith wants to make Australia squad for 2028 Olympics
Steve Smith (Agency Photo) Australian cricket star Steve Smith has expressed his thoughts about qualifying for the T20I squad in the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, acknowledging the challenges ahead. Cricket is making its return to the Olympics after a long absence of 128 years, with its last appearance dating back to 1900. Smith, who will be 39 during the Los Angeles Games, is eager to represent Australia at this prestigious sporting event. "I mean, it is a goal of mine to try and make that Olympic team in 28. I think, you know, the team's doing pretty well at the moment, the Australian T20 team. So it's going to be tricky to get in there, but you know, just got to keep putting my best foot forward, and we'll never know," Smith was quoted as saying to Sky Sports. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Yeah, I mean, I've watched a lot of Olympics since I was a young kid and really enjoyed watching the Australian athletes go about it. So, you know, when I heard that cricket was going to be a part of it, I was like, that would be really cool to be involved." The prospect of competing at the Olympics has captured Smith's interest, despite his extensive experience in major cricket tournaments including World Cups, Champions Trophy, and World Test Championship finals. "So, you know, I've obviously played in, you know, lots of World Cups and Ashes and uh Border Gavaskar Trophy and things like that, but um yeah, when this popped up, it was something new and another opportunity to, you know, represent your country on a world stage. So, yeah, it was like I'd love to be involved in that, but it's still a fair way away. So, we'll see," he added. Smith recently retired from ODI cricket following a Champions Trophy disappointment. His participation in T20 internationals has been limited, with his most recent appearance occurring in February 2024 against New Zealand. The upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year adds uncertainty to Smith's position in Australia's future plans. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
