India beat England by six runs to draw Test series
Chris Woakes, who is expected to be out for several months with a dislocated shoulder he sustained on Friday, came out to try and finish the job with 17 runs still needed.With his left arm in a sling, Woakes prepared to bat, but he never faced a ball as India's Mohammed Siraj bowled Atkinson out to secure the series draw.
It took just 57 minutes.
Ben Stokes' team may not be the favourites for this winter's Ashes against Australia, but this latest five-match Test has challenged them like never before.
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Powys County Times
41 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Pope's form, Stokes' fitness and pace options – the questions facing England
With England's dramatic Test series against India over after five gripping games and a 2-2 scoreline, minds are already starting to turn to the Ashes. There are just over three months until England arrive in Perth and the planning can now begin in earnest. Here, the PA news agency looks at five key questions England need to answer. Will Ben Stokes be fully fit? England are a completely different team when their inspirational captain is firing on all cylinders. He was in brilliant form this summer, rolling back the years with ball in hand, but missed the Kia Oval decider with a shoulder problem. A six-to-10-week lay-off will follow but any further setbacks would raise serious alarms. Having been struck down by knee, hip, hamstring and shoulder injuries in the past two years, is it too optimistic to expect him to be in peak condition throughout a gruelling tour? What is the pace bowling pecking order? England have talked up the importance of building deep reserves of fast bowlers but when the first Test kicks off in Perth they must be clear on their best combination. Jofra Archer looks certain to be in it after his long-awaited comeback, Mark Wood hopes to be back after missing the entire Test season, while Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes and Sam Cook all played this summer. Woakes looks like missing out with a dislocated shoulder, but how do the others stack up? How do they get the best out of Ollie Pope? A big hundred against Zimbabwe and another century in his first knock against India removed some of the questions that had been circling about Pope's spot at number three. But he finished the series averaging 34 and was 10th on the run-scoring charts. Jacob Bethell's disappointing effort in the fifth Test against India has weakened his case as a replacement but England need more from a senior player in a key position. Could taking the vice-captaincy off him and promoting white-ball skipper Harry Brook be part of the answer? Is the spin situation settled? A lot of faith has been placed in Shoaib Bashir, with England backing their hunch that he can do well in Australia. It has been a mixed bag so far, with 68 wickets in 19 Tests but a stubbornly high average of 39. His broken finger opened the door for them to have an overdue second look at Liam Dawson, but the county scene's standard-bearer was dropped after taking one for 140 at Old Trafford. Will he travel as competition for Bashir, could there be a return to Jack Leach or might England look at using all-pace attacks for some Ashes contests? How will they prepare for the war of words? Australian players, fans and media cheerleaders have been paying close attention to the India series and it is has not been hard to realise the long-range sledging has already started. From David Warner's recent jibe at Joe Root to the social media barrage about the merits, or otherwise, of 'Bazball', the heat is already rising. Expect that to continue all the way until Glenn McGrath shockingly predicts a 5-0 win for Australia. England have refused to entertain much Ashes talk in recent months but the temptation will rise as the weeks tick by. Will they fire some broadsides of their own or keep things on the field?
Daily Mirror
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
World's richest footballer worth £15.1bn went to same school as England cricket star
The footballer believed to be the richest in the world went to school in England when he was a teenager - and one of Englahd's cricketers was educated at the same place Brunei international footballer Faiq Bolkiah, thought to be the richest player in the world, went to £58,000-per-year Bradfield College when he grew up in England. He isn't the only professional athlete to pass through the doors of the Berkshire private school, though. Born in the United States and raised in the UK, Bolkiah is a member of the Bruneian royal family and has previously been estimated to have a net worth of around $20billion (£15.1bn). He turned 27 earlier this year, making him the same age as England cricketer - and fellow Bradfield old boy - Gus Atkinson. Atkinson, as far as Mirror Sport knows, isn't a multi-billionaire. However, when he made his first class debut for Surrey in 2020, he was described by the school as an 'Old Bradfieldian'. He was one of four alumni mentioned in a round-up of professional cricketers at the time, along with Lauren Bell, Harry Came and Ryan Higgins. Bell is also an England international, having played test, ODI and T20 cricket for the senior women's team. Bolkiah and Atkinson might not have seen a great deal of one another at school. The royal spent time in the academies of Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester, while Atkinson's schooldays saw him get minutes for Surrey's second XI while still in his teens. While he never made it as a Premier League footballer, Bolkiah played for Leicester's Under-19 side in the UEFA Youth League in 2016. He played alongside the likes of future top-flight stars Harvey Barnes and Calvin Bassey, while opponents included Portugal keeper Diogo Costa and Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot when the Foxes took on Porto. Attacking midfielder Bolkiah moved to Portugal himself in 2020, spending a year with Maritimo, before continuing his career in Thailand. He spent the last two seasons at Ratchaburi, returning to action in February after a year out with a broken leg. Atkinson, like his fellow Old Bradfieldian, has carved out a career as an international athlete. His first England opportunity came in 2023, with his test debut arriving the following year. He was part of England's squad for the fifth test against India at the Oval, taking 5-33 in the tourists' first innings. He took three more wickets in the second innings, while contributing 11 and 17 with the bat, but England suffered a narrow six-run defeat to tie the series 2-2. The 27-year-old's form leaves him in contention to play a big part in the winter Ashes series in Australia. Speaking after the Oval test, captain Ben Stokes said: "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." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Wallabies can take heart from Lions series for litmus Tests against South Africa
If Australian rugby is to take a key learning from the British & Irish Lions tour and adopt a credo for the upcoming Rugby Championship and the road to the 2027 World Cup, Will Skelton nailed it at half-time on Saturday: 'We don't take no itshay.' The 203cm, 145kg colossus's performance was as big as he was in the Wallabies' stirring victory in Sydney. But Skelton's fighting words to his team - 'Keep fighting. Keep fighting for each other. Keep fighting for the jersey' - and the pig Latin catchcry that followed was a crudity that offered perfect clarity to Joe Schmidt's team. By taking no shit from the Lions – showing aggression, attacking from every angle, hurting their enemy in mind and body – Australia rattled their opposition and won ascendancy. Unlike in Brisbane where they found fire only when 24-5 down, or Melbourne where they let the initiative slip when leading 23-5, the Wallabies this time showed the ruthless edge fans have waited so long for, leading for all 80 minutes. As they set their jaws for the flight to South Africa on Friday and twin litmus Tests against the world champions, Australia should be confident of upsetting rugby's No 1 side. The Springboks have only lightly tuned up for this series with two cantered victories against Italy (No 10) and one over Georgia (No 11). Conversely, the Wallabies are fit and full of fire after smashing the Lions and finding their mongrel mojo. The touring squad Schmidt names on Thursday must be as bold as his Sydney 23. He will be without his two first-pick flyhalves, with young Tom Lynagh ruled out with another concussion after being illegally cleared out in Sydney, and Noah Lolesio out for the season with a neck injury sustained in the Fiji Test in July. He may also lose his preferred half Jake Gordon to the hamstring twinges that cost him an appearance in the third Test. That means the axis of attack in South Africa will again fall to unfamiliar alchemies being forged in the Test furnace. Ben Donaldson will get his chance to start at No 10, after coming off the bench in Brisbane and Sydney, with veteran James O'Connor, 35, the likely wildcard on the pine. Nic White's call to retire post-Sydney inspired his side but the little general might be needed for two last outings against the Springboks. Vitally, back-to-back John Eales medallist Rob Valetini will tour. But it is Skelton's name that must be first on the team sheet. Without him and Valetini in the Lions opener in Brisbane, Australia looked timid and tepid. Yet in every minute Skelton was on the field in the Tests that followed, the Wallabies were bossing the scoreboard. Skelton neatly encapsulates the enigma of Australian rugby this past decade. Born in New Zealand to Samoan parents, he was raised in western Sydney and played rugby league for most of his early years before finding union in his mid-teens. Unlike most, he stuck at it, was brought into the Waratahs fold by mentor Michael Cheika aged 21 (his second start was against the 2013 Lions) and won a Test debut in 2014. Skelton's size 17s walked out on Australia in 2017. With Saracens in the UK and, more recently, La Rochelle in France's Top 14, he has since won four European Championships. For six years, as Australian rugby hit the skids and their biggest stars joined the exodus overseas, Skelton existed as the Wallabies' lost colossus. Not until 2021 – 1,814 days after his last Test – did he return to the XXXXL gold jersey. A mixed bag of international cameos since then has gradually roused the sleeping giant. Yet at age 33 he has played only 33 Tests. This fortnight has shown the power Skelton wields to inspire his teammates while intimidating their enemies. Now the big man is rolling, the juggernaut must continue. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Schmidt is schmoozing Skelton to delay his return to France to fly on to South Africa. And Rugby Australia chiefs, CEO Phil Waugh and high performance boss Peter Horne, have told the coach there is 'no impediment to select whoever he wants' from Australians playing around the world. Horne says the Giteau Law – in which only overseas players with 60 Tests could be selected for Test duty – is 'redundant'. Former Wallaby Quade Cooper has long reckoned, 'if we want to compete with the world we need to select the world's best players, regardless of where they play'. It is likely too late to keep three stars of the Sydney Test from heading abroad – Taniela Tupou is joining Racing 92 while man of the match Tom Hooper is off to Exeter and Langi Gleeson to Montpellier – but after years of selecting only home-based talent and not stars plying their trade abroad, the gates are at last open to the barbarians. That includes Skelton. With him at the helm, Australia can challenge South Africa at home, put Argentina to the sword in Townsville and Sydney and even wrest back the Bledisloe Cup from New Zealand for the first time since 2002. And that's no itshay.
