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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Full weather forecast as England and India clash in rain-disrupted final Test match at The Oval
The first day of the fifth Test match between England and India at The Oval was badly disrupted by heavy rain and thunderstorms. England led 2-1 coming into the final game, with India needing victory to draw the series. The tourists reached 72-2 from the opening 23 overs, played out under floodlights and gloomy skies, before the heavens opened to force an early lunch. And although play resumed at 3pm – with India captain Shubman Gill throwing away his wicket to a run-out 20 minutes later – rain again stopped play after half an hour. A blistering hot June and July is giving way to a wet start to August. Here is how the forecast looks over the coming days. Thursday 31 July 22C, heavy rain Thursday's rain did indeed fall as forecast, but clear skies are expected in the late afternoon and evening, raising the possibility of more play. Friday 1 August 21C, cloudy There is the possibility of showers, particularly around late morning and lunchtime, but the late afternoon is expected to be clearer with sunshine breaking through. Saturday 2 August 23C, sunny intervals Saturday is currently forecast to be the best weather of the Test match, with sunny spells throughout the day and little chance of rain, as it stands. Sunday 3 August 23C, thundery showers The forecast is not looking great on Sunday, however, with heavy rain and even thunderstorms expected through the morning and early afternoon. Monday 4 August 22C, light rain This match has every chance of going the distance, given the weather, but Monday's play could be curtailed with more rain forecast in the late afternoon, so organisers will need to take advantage of early sunny spells if this Test match is to produce a result.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Viktor Gyokeres' underwhelming debut shows why Arsenal need him so much
A debut defeat and an outing that was underwhelming but left the sense he was underused may matter little. When it comes to competitive games, Viktor Gyokeres ' Arsenal bow will come at Old Trafford against Manchester United on 17 August. But as he donned their No 14 shirt for the first time in a game, Arsenal at least showed the need for Gyokeres, for a forward who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP. The first North London derby staged outside the United Kingdom yielded a 1-0 loss to Tottenham, with Arsenal registering a lone shot on target, which Kai Havertz directed at Guglielmo Vicario. Gyokeres was limited to the last 20 minutes, including stoppage time, as Arsenal were largely toothless. The argument that they needed a specialist goalscorer is scarcely new, but perhaps it was underlined when they spent an initial £55m to acquire one. Arsenal had been waiting for Gyokeres: for a year, some might say, given the desire of many fans to buy a professional predator last summer. For weeks, definitely, given the hope they would have sprung into action the instant the transfer window opened, rather than signing him on 26 July. They had to wait a further 77 minutes, Mikel Arteta waiting before bringing on the buy who – one way or another – is likely to define the summer spending spree. He got a rapturous reception from the Hong Kong public who may have envisaged seeing him sooner. 'It was a short one but at least that one is over now,' said Arteta. He had brought on Gyokeres along with a lower-profile recruit, in defender Cristhian Mosquera, and added: 'I'm really happy to have them here. I think they are going to add a lot of value. You see straight away the energy and the quality they are going to bring.' Arteta had started with Havertz, just as the German has represented Plan A for much of his two seasons at the Emirates Stadium. A sign that Havertz is the man in possession or simply that, with Gyokeres only linking up with his new teammates this week and only having one full training session, he is the fitter, the better prepared. But Arsenal drew a blank. They did too often last season. In his 20 minutes, the arrival from Sporting CP was a presence in the penalty box, albeit one Arsenal struggled to pick out. Gyokeres' best touch was to set up Martin Zubimendi for the second of his long-range shots; the first, landing on the roof of the net seconds after his arrival, was the more threatening. The Spaniard was not supposed to be the summer signing who delivered the goal threat. Arsenal may hope there is a role reversal in more meaningful matches, the defensive midfielder passing to the centre-forward. When Gyokeres joined, he got a welcoming letter from Martin Odegaard, offering to do anything he could to help the newcomer settle. Some assists would be appreciated, the Swede smiled. Odegaard was at least on the pitch during Gyokeres' cameo. He may not expect to spend his time on the pitch being flanked by Reiss Nelson and Max Dowman. The 15-year-old at least sparkled in his own substitute appearance. He looks a precocious talent whereas Gyokeres, at 27, was bought to be the finished article. He was given the ultimate Arsenal goalscorer's shirt, the 14 made special by Thierry Henry. Perhaps his first goal in it will come at the Emirates Stadium: Arsenal have further friendlies against Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao on home soil. Arteta promised Gyokeres a longer outing then. He also said that Leandro Trossard came off after Spurs after tweaking a muscle but that Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes, who did not feature, should be fit for the start of the Premier League season. In their absence, Arsenal ended their Asian tour on a relative low. After beating AC Milan and Newcastle, they lost to Thomas Frank 's Tottenham. It amounted to an encouraging outing for the new manager. Even before Spurs scored, Pedro Porro and Wilson Odobert struck the same post, the full-back with a corner, the winger with a low shot. They won courtesy of a spectacular goal, Pape Matar Sarr lobbing David Raya from 50 yards after Myles Lewis-Skelly had lost the ball. The goalkeeper's presence nearer the half-way line than his own box was because of his role in the build-up, but it was not the only time Raya's positioning felt faulty. Arsenal will trust that, when the serious business starts, Gyokeres will be found in the right place at the right time and it leads to goals.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Gus Atkinson makes impact on England return but rain blights opening day
Gus Atkinson made an instant impact on his England return but the first day of the Rothesay Series decider against India was blighted by rain. Atkinson injured his hamstring against Zimbabwe in May and has since been restricted to a one-off club appearance for Spencer CC and an outing for Surrey's 2nd XI, but he was England's liveliest performer as India reached 85 for three on day one at the Kia Oval. He took the new ball in a revamped attack missing the injured Ben Stokes and rested duo Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, promptly dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw in a threatening opening spell. The ever-present Chris Woakes added the wicket of KL Rahul when the opener slashed an inside edge into his own stumps but wayward spells from the returning Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton undermined English efforts in inviting conditions. With heavy cloud cover, floodlights in action early on and good carry from a green-tinged pitch, the pair's failure to hit a consistent line or length allowed the tourists to wriggle off the hook as they reached 72 for two at lunch. The interval came eight minutes early due to showers and the elements continued to win out, with the players finally re-emerging at 3pm only to be forced off again after just under half-an-hour. But that slim window was all Atkinson needed to make his presence felt again. He was bowling to India's emphatically in-form skipper Shubman Gill when a ridiculous attempt to steal a single came out of the blue. Sai Sudharsan (28no) refused to be the sacrificial lamb, sending Gill back and inviting Atkinson to pick and throw at the stumps. As Gill turned, the England quick was more than up to the challenge, running him out by a comfortable distance with a clinical piece of ground fielding. For Gill it was a horrible self-inflicted wound, leaving him on 743 runs for the series – 31 short of Sunil Gavaskar's Indian record with one more innings to play. Another weather interruption followed, with England now narrowly in front of the game despite an occasionally wasteful effort with the ball. Ollie Pope, standing in for Stokes, kept up the home side's 100 per cent record at the toss and made the simple decision to bowl first in helpful conditions. But while Atkinson proved reliable on his return, taking one for 13 in nine disciplined overs, Tongue and Overton disappointed. Both were guilty of losing their radar, Tongue conceding 11 in wides as two stray deliveries slid to the fine leg boundary and Overton unable to build pressure with some inconsistent lines.
