England faces searching Ashes questions after India series thriller
The next major red-ball assignment is a five-match Ashes series away to arch-rivals Australia — where England has gone 15 Tests without a win — starting in November.
What England gains from having Ben Stokes in the side was never more evident than when its inspirational captain missed the fifth Test with a shoulder injury — a fresh worry following his history of hamstring trouble.
The 34-year-old all-rounder was the most threatening member of England's attack against India, taking 17 wickets at 25 in 140 overs — the most he has bowled in a series.
Stokes also looked back to his best with the bat, scoring 141 in England's mammoth total of 669 in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. By contrast specialist opener Zak Crawley failed to reach three figures in nine innings.
And at the Oval, the sight of vice-captain Ollie Pope running off to the dressing room to receive what appeared to be tactical guidance from Stokes did not say much for England's depth of leadership.
England limited-overs captain Harry Brook, also a mainstay of the Test team and a lively skipper in the Stokes mould, could yet prove a better fit as vice-captain against Australia.
England has long believed a battery of genuinely fast bowlers is essential if it is to win an Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 2010/11.
But fitness issues could blight the best-laid plans.
Jofra Archer made an encouraging return to Test cricket against India but played just two matches as England looked to manage the express paceman's workload.
Mark Wood, another bowler with genuine pace, has not played Test cricket for nearly 12 months and had knee surgery earlier this year.
The inconsistent Josh Tongue's return of 19 wickets at under 30 in the India series could well see him selected for Ashes duty, with Gus Atkinson's five-wicket haul on his return to Test duty at the Oval doing his cause no harm.
England, and Stokes in particular, have shown huge faith in Shoaib Bashir, a 21-year-old off-spinner unable to hold down a regular place in a county side but who has now taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests at 39.
In the India series, Bashir's 10 wickets came at an expensive average of 54.1, before a finger injury ruled him out of the last two Tests.
But Hampshire stalwart Liam Dawson failed to seize his chance in the drawn fourth Test, with Stokes appearing to tell the left-armer where he should be bowling on the Old Trafford pitch.
Leicestershire's 20-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, already England's youngest Test cricketer, is another option.
England, however, didn't bother with a specialist spinner at the Oval, deploying Joe Root and Jacob Bethell — clean bowled following a reckless charge down the pitch during a second-innings collapse — for a mere 11 overs combined.
But former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England should stick with Bashir for the Ashes because of his similarity to outstanding Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
"Australia will have probably three or four left-handers in their line-up which will aid the right-arm off-spinner as well," Ponting told Sky Sports. "And it's the over-spin that you need in Australia."
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Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
England faces searching Ashes questions after India series thriller
England suffered an agonizing six-run loss to India at the Oval on Monday as one of the most dramatic Test series of recent times ended in a 2-2 draw. The next major red-ball assignment is a five-match Ashes series away to arch-rivals Australia — where England has gone 15 Tests without a win — starting in November. What England gains from having Ben Stokes in the side was never more evident than when its inspirational captain missed the fifth Test with a shoulder injury — a fresh worry following his history of hamstring trouble. The 34-year-old all-rounder was the most threatening member of England's attack against India, taking 17 wickets at 25 in 140 overs — the most he has bowled in a series. Stokes also looked back to his best with the bat, scoring 141 in England's mammoth total of 669 in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. By contrast specialist opener Zak Crawley failed to reach three figures in nine innings. And at the Oval, the sight of vice-captain Ollie Pope running off to the dressing room to receive what appeared to be tactical guidance from Stokes did not say much for England's depth of leadership. England limited-overs captain Harry Brook, also a mainstay of the Test team and a lively skipper in the Stokes mould, could yet prove a better fit as vice-captain against Australia. England has long believed a battery of genuinely fast bowlers is essential if it is to win an Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 2010/11. But fitness issues could blight the best-laid plans. Jofra Archer made an encouraging return to Test cricket against India but played just two matches as England looked to manage the express paceman's workload. Mark Wood, another bowler with genuine pace, has not played Test cricket for nearly 12 months and had knee surgery earlier this year. The inconsistent Josh Tongue's return of 19 wickets at under 30 in the India series could well see him selected for Ashes duty, with Gus Atkinson's five-wicket haul on his return to Test duty at the Oval doing his cause no harm. England, and Stokes in particular, have shown huge faith in Shoaib Bashir, a 21-year-old off-spinner unable to hold down a regular place in a county side but who has now taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests at 39. In the India series, Bashir's 10 wickets came at an expensive average of 54.1, before a finger injury ruled him out of the last two Tests. But Hampshire stalwart Liam Dawson failed to seize his chance in the drawn fourth Test, with Stokes appearing to tell the left-armer where he should be bowling on the Old Trafford pitch. Leicestershire's 20-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, already England's youngest Test cricketer, is another option. England, however, didn't bother with a specialist spinner at the Oval, deploying Joe Root and Jacob Bethell — clean bowled following a reckless charge down the pitch during a second-innings collapse — for a mere 11 overs combined. But former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England should stick with Bashir for the Ashes because of his similarity to outstanding Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon. "Australia will have probably three or four left-handers in their line-up which will aid the right-arm off-spinner as well," Ponting told Sky Sports. "And it's the over-spin that you need in Australia."
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
India wins test series finale by 6 runs against England in Oval classic
India's players celebrate their win against England on day five of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at The Kia Oval in London, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) cricket A gloomy, drizzly London morning. The final day of a fifth test. Just 35 runs or four wickets away from victory. Those are not usually temptations for selling a bunch of match tickets. But the Oval was sold out on Monday in goosebump anticipation of a dramatic end to the England-India series, and a buzzing crowd of 27,000 wasn't disappointed. The action lasted for only an hour and 8.5 overs but every ball drew a roller-coaster of emotions as India won by a measly six runs in a fitting climax to a series that finished in a 2-2 draw. Adding to the drama, England allrounder Chris Woakes came out to bat one-handed with a dislocated left shoulder tucked in a sling under his jersey. Woakes ran a bye in obvious agony — his left arm fell out of the sling — and was protected by teammate Gus Atkinson from facing a ball. But Atkinson couldn't safeguard his own wicket for long and was the last man out, missing his attempted sweep and bowled by a Mohammed Siraj full toss. England, in pursuit of an Oval-record 374, was all out for 367. Siraj took off running with arms out in airplane mode; his third wicket in the hour gave him five wickets in the innings and nine in the match. 'Siraj is a captain's dream,' India captain Shubman Gill said. 'Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled.' Gill, the first-time captain who became the all-time leading run-scorer in any single England-India series, was named co-player of the series beside Harry Brook, whose 111 on Sunday lifted England in sight of clinching the series 3-1. 'To rock up with a crowd like this today when we needed 30-odd runs to win is phenomenal,' Brook said. "I don't think we could get support like that in any other series, other than the Ashes. 'We have not left anything out on that pitch. We have been absolutely knackered. A very intense test series, but a very enjoyable one.' Woakes arguably had the biggest effect on the Oval test by his absence, after hurting his shoulder while fielding on day one Thursday. He didn't bat when England replied to India's 224 with 247 for a 23-run lead on the first innings. He also didn't bowl as India racked up 396 to set the target of 374, requiring England to achieve its second highest successful run chase, eclipsing the 371 rundown in Leeds in the series opener. By the time Woakes walked out on Monday to a standing ovation, England was nine down and 17 runs from winning. Atkinson farmed the strike. When he swept Siraj, the ball popped out of Akash Deep's hands and over the cow corner boundary for a six, to reduce the runs required to 11. Atkinson kept Woakes off strike for two consecutive overs but at the start of the third he was dismissed by Siraj and the series was over. India took time out of its on-field celebrations to approach Woakes and applaud his pluck, another fitting end to a series in which emotions bubbled over from the drawn third test at Lord's onwards. India, trying to win a series in England for the first time since 2007, lost the toss in all five tests but exceeded expectations by winning more sessions. It was a tribute to Gill and his inexperienced team that the fight they put up diminished talk about the pre-series retirements of India greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. 'Before the series we spoke about how we didn't want to be looked at as a young team,' Gill said. 'We wanted to be a gun team and I think we showed that today." Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Lokesh Rahul put Sharma in the shade, and Gill met the No. 4 traditions of Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli. Gill was questioned about his lack of scores overseas and began preparing for the series during the Indian Premier League. He stamped his authority in India's first bat with 147, the first of his four centuries in the series. 'We weren't given a chance but we've fought in every game and got 2-2,' 11-year test veteran Rahul said. "For Indian test cricket this will rank right at the top and this is where change begins. The India test team will win a lot more series. 'Not having Rohit, Virat, Ashwin hit me two weeks in. Everyone was coming to me to ask about English conditions. Then it hit me, I've stepped into a different role now. Gill's been phenomenal. He's formed connections. Tactically good, changes have gotten us wickets. He'll go on to become a good test captain.' Gill was the series leading run-scorer with 754, more than 200 more than Joe Root, and Siraj was the leading wicket-taker with 23, playing all five tests and still bowling at 90 mph (145 kph) on the final day. Also remarkably, premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah was restricted for workload reasons to three tests and India's two wins were without him. For England, Root's 500-plus runs lifted him to second on the all-time test runs list behind only Tendulkar. Fast bowler Jofra Archer returned after four years with venom and was keen to be available for the year-ending Ashes. Captain Ben Stokes was England's most effective bowler but exhausted himself into a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the Oval test. He was looking forward to being well rested for the first Ashes test against Australia starting on Nov. 21 in Perth. Stokes praised his Oval seam attack — depleted of himself, Archer and Woakes — for running India so close. 'When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the role of the other seamers changes,' Stokes told the BBC. "Even in the second innings, the heart and desire they showed was amazing. There were many what-ifs in the last five days, makes the game great, but all (coach) Brendon (McCullum) and I asked was to give it everything. (Josh) Tongue, Atkinson and (Jamie) Overton showed it. 'The way in which we've been able to perform throughout the series, I'm looking forward to getting to Australia and doing what we want to go out there and do.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Japan Times
Imperious Ledecky beats McIntosh to win 800-meter free thriller
American great Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh to win a thrilling 800-meter freestyle title on Saturday and said her rule for the event is simple: "I don't lose 800s." Ledecky won her seventh career gold in the event but she was challenged all the way, touching the wall in a championship-record 8 minutes, 5.62 seconds — a fingertip ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29). The race was billed as a potential changing of the guard between the 28-year-old Ledecky and McIntosh, a decade her junior and in red-hot form in Singapore. Pallister made sure she inserted her own name into the conversation, but Ledecky had the final word, winning gold again in an event she has dominated for over a decade. "This is my favorite event, it was my first gold," said Ledecky, who made her international breakthrough in the 800 when she won at the London Olympics as a 15-year-old. "Even in practice, if I'm doing 800s I tell myself that. I kind of have this fake rule — I don't lose 800s." It was Canadian sensation McIntosh's first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships. The 18-year-old has already won three golds in Singapore. Ledecky had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also in gold-medal contention right until the end. "They pushed me all the way," said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event. "I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs." Ledecky competes in the final of the women's 800 on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI The eagerly anticipated race began with Ledecky, Pallister and McIntosh all setting a fast pace, with little between them in the opening stages. The lead changed hands several times but Ledecky, swimming between her two rivals, looked best-placed to strike for home. In the end it was the American celebrating with her country's flag on the pool deck after an epic race. "I just knew it was close the whole way, there were times where I thought someone was going to break away," said Ledecky. "I was just happy I was up there. You never know when you dive in what everyone's tactics are going to be." McIntosh is relatively new to the 800 but she threatened Ledecky's world record at the Canadian trials in June. She has another chance to add to her gold tally on the final day in Singapore on Sunday in the 400-meter individual medley, an event in which she broke the world record in June. "I hate losing more than I like winning and I think that's a mentality that I carried with myself through my entire career — and that's my hand on the wall first most of the time," she said. "The feeling right now is something I never want to feel again."
