Latest news with #Ben Stokes
The Sun
05-08-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
The Ashes rights snapped up by major broadcaster but it could be a terrible omen for England
ENGLAND will once again not be shown on Sky Sports during The Ashes in Australia. A rival broadcaster has stepped in to cover the event, after already agreeing terms for the ODI tours of New Zealand and Sri Lanka which come beforehand and afterwards. 1 TNT Sports have agreed a one-year deal with Cricket Australia to show the full Ashes series. And that could be a bad omen for Ben Stokes' side. TNT Sports - under its previous name BT Sport - showed live coverage of the last two tours to Australia, with England losing both Ashes series 4-0. The broadcaster also showed England's 4-1 series defeat in India last winter. But its coverage was less than popular as they hosted the first Test without even having a studio, as presenter Matt Floyd was forced to simply talk over the highlights during the Lunch and Tea breaks. The channel then rushed to put a studio together in the Netherlands, from which Alastair Cook and Steven Finn provided analysis. TNT will be sending a team to Australia to cover The Ashes live from the event. However, the channel will use live coverage from the local broadcaster. Sky Sports has been scaling back its coverage of cricket's winter tours in recent years. In addition, a number of Sky Sports News presenters were let go over the summer as the channel moves to focus on its Premier League football coverage. TNT snapping up the Ashes means Sky Sports will not be showing the England men's team between this September and June next year, when the three-Test series with New Zealand gets underway.
BBC News
03-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Thirty five runs or four wickets - rest well, if you can'
What is it about this place?Finales. The Bradman walking off for a duck, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh arm in arm, Stuart Broad denying Australia one last famous old ground has delivered again. Realistically, England have no right to be in with a shot of yet another successful run chase, but here we Brook and Joe Root. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Kumar Dharmasena and Ahsan Raza. Rain and bad light. 35 runs and four wickets. A long night staring into the morning will not be as raucous as Sunday evening, but the stakes will not be diminished by having to return at the beginning of the working England, there are 35 runs standing between them and the biggest series win of the Bazball they pull it off, it will be the second highest successful chase in their history and will break a 123-year-old record for the best chase by any team on this would do it with Ben Stokes not in the team and Chris Woakes absent for most of the match. England's two best all-rounders of the past 10 years have only two working shoulders between have a patched up pace attack that is missing Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood. Their first-choice spinner is injured. Jacob Bethell has been a part-time cricketer for the past two months and batted like dropped six catches in the India second innings and gave away 38 runs in extras in their first – how important they look now. At 106-3 on Sunday morning, England were toast, only for Yorkshire's finest to find individual inspiration to make the unlikely seem this ground 20 years ago, another epic series was on a knife edge. On that occasion, it was Kevin Pietersen belting Brett Lee into the stands that secured the Ashes for England. Two decades on and Harry Brook, the modern day spirit of KP, decided attack was the only was to Joe Root, this Test was always likely to be emotional, a celebration of the life of his mentor Graham Thorpe. How fitting that Root would play with Thorpe-like cool at the home of the great left-hander. Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Root celebrating his hundred by pulling on Thorpe's trademark contrasting centuries, a tired India attack flogged to all parts. Siraj treading on the boundary rope to reprieve Brook evoked memories of Trent Boult doing the same for Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final – another nerve-shredding Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle. After they departed, 35 seemed must wonder what they have to do to beat this England team. It was India on the wrong end of a chase of 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, then 371 at Headingley in something stirred in Siraj, Krishna and Akash Deep. Perhaps it was the beat of the dhol drum that provided the soundtrack to India's last bat went further than the ball when he was caught at mid-off for 111. Bethell looked like what he is – a 21-year-old in his first home Test with only one first-class match since December – in scratching around for five off 31 balls. A wild hack and middle stump the tension got to Root. Play and miss, play and miss, lbw review, edge behind. The Oval came is hard to see how England would have won had the weather not intervened. Smith and Overton, the only Jamies to play Test cricket for England, were left with the task of resisting the touring pacemen and what felt like every Indian in home side were the happier to scurry to the dressing room. The boos of the crowd when the close was confirmed probably sounded like sweet music. What is left is mainly Surrey v India. Smith, Overton, then Gus Atkinson. Josh Tongue has not been dismissed in his six Test innings, but it's probably best not to rely on his not seen since leaving the field with his left arm in a makeshift sling on Thursday, was in his whites and ready to go on Sunday. Root said he had some throw downs to work out what was Woakes emerges on Monday, it will be the biggest act of bravery by an Englishman since James Bond stayed behind on the island in No Time To bowlers will have the benefit of a night's rest and a second new ball available 3.4 overs into the fifth morning. The tourists might not want it, because the old ball has started to England, 35 runs can be dented in a couple of big overs. Batting surely can't be harder than it was when the players were taken off on Sunday are the consequences for less than an hour's cricket on the fifth day? The difference between 3-1 and chance of a first series win against India in seven years and a first five-match series win against anyone in the same timeframe. The difference between heading to Australia as winners, or a way to end it run chase at Headingley, Shubman Gill's epic at Edgbaston. Aggro and Stokes at Lord's. Rearguards and handshakegate at Old down to five runs or four wickets. Rest well, if you can.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Why is KL Rahul's average so low?
The Guardian's over-by-over coverage is built on reader interaction. We probably receive more than 1,000 emails during an average Test, hundreds of which are published. As an epic Lord's Test unfolded, the same question kept dropping into our inboxes. 'This is the second innings of the series that has left me baffled as to how KL Rahul averages only 35 in Tests,' began one such email from Ned Blackburn. 'He seems to have the temperament, technique and discipline to be absolutely elite. What am I missing?' Rahul's Test average has become the unsolved mystery of the English summer. But after a day in the statistical dirt – and Ben Stokes thought he went to some dark places on Monday – we can offer some potential explanations. The simplest reason is that after a fine start to his career he became a superstar of Indian cricket, a status that is Kryptonite for an overthinker. 'I just couldn't get out of my own head,' he said in late 2023. 'I couldn't leave cricket or my professional life on the field. It was such a heaviness on me.' All batters have a fallow period – but Rahul's lasted the best part of six years. He averaged 26 from 28 Tests played between November 2017 and December 2023, including a desperate tour of England in 2018. Rahul made 113 runs in the first eight innings – including a technical change halfway through the Lord's Test that solved one problem and created an even bigger one – before a dead-rubber century in the final Test. Amid the extended struggle at Test level, there were two reminders of Rahul's cathedral-high ceiling. In 2021 he made magnificent centuries in the toughest conditions at Lord's and Centurion. Kevin Pietersen was often described as 'a player of great innings rather than a great player'. Rahul played great innings in 2021, yet his overall record suggested he wasn't even a very good player. He has never been good at squeezing metaphorical lemons. The great batters usually wring every run out of a spell of good form; Rahul has always flattered to deceive. The current England tour is the first time he has made two centuries in one series and only the second time he's managed three 50+ scores. For a player of his ability, those statistics are downright offensive. Rahul had a different problem against Australia in 2016-17, when he stroked six fifties in seven innings, only to find weird and wonderful ways to get out without reaching three figures. He also has a poor appetite for cheap runs, a virtue in many ways but damaging in a game where statistics are gospel. Just as Rahul has left plenty of runs out in the middle, so he has been denied access to plenty through injury or selection. The first example came in 2015, when he missed a one-off Test in Bangladesh through illness. The new opening pair, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, banged 150 and 173 respectively in India's only innings. There were few dissenting voices when, after a two-year struggle, Rahul was dropped for the series against South Africa in 2019. In that series, the openers Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal smashed five centuries, three of them huge, in only eight innings. Such series are not the norm. The 2000s were an excellent time to open the batting in Tests, but it has since gone back to being the hardest gig in batting. Statistically, the 2020s are the toughest decade for openers since the 1900s. And while it doesn't tell the whole story, one comparison suggests Rahul may not have done too badly. In the 61 Tests he has played, the other Indian openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit, Dhawan and the rest – have a combined average of 37.55. That's 0.6 better than Rahul when he joins them at the top. Just as Peter Willey played 15 of his 26 Tests against the West Indies' four horsemen, so Rahul's excellence in tough conditions has probably counted against him. A startling 48% of his Tests have been in Sena countries (the abbreviation for South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, usually the toughest tours for subcontinental batters). Seven of his 10 Test hundreds have also been scored in those games. There should be more to come. At 33, Rahul looks like a man who has worked it out. Marriage and fatherhood have made him more relaxed about cricket. He is also less vulnerable to the psychological self-harm of social media and rolling opinion after making a conscious decision to change his habits. 'Since then,' he said, 'my life has been more peaceful.' On the 2018 tour of England, Rahul was a walking wicket; seven years later he is more of a walking epiphany. He didn't shy away from the conflict when the Lord's Test threatened to turn nuclear, but he looked more detached – even amused – than the rest. He wears his seniority well. In a new, young India team, Rahul has gone from underachiever to Zen uncle. Cricket has umpteen stories of supreme talents who finally worked it out at the back end of their careers, from Carl Hooper and Justin Langer to Graham Gooch and his mentor Ken Barrington. At the start of 1990, Gooch had an unbecoming average of 36.90. Five run-kissed years later, when he retired, it was 42.58. Right now, in July 2025, there are lies, damned lies and KL Rahul's Test average. But it's not too late for the truth to emerge. The football World Cup of 1990 – known in most cultures, if not cricket newsletters, as Italia 90 – had some unforgettably dramatic matches. Colombia 2-0 United Arab Emirates or Republic of Ireland 0-0 Egypt were not among them. But they were among the most significant games of the whole tournament, precisely because they were so forgettable. The brazen negativity and time-wasting on show broke the camel's back, or rather Fifa's tolerance of the back pass. As football became more cynical, so teams exploited the ancient law that allowed them to faff around and waste time, risking nothing more serious than a mild loss of dignity. The law was changed two years later and football became infinitely more watchable. The Lord's Test of 2025 could have a dual legacy, as both a classic match and a gamechanger. Attitudes against slow over-rates and unnecessary stoppages have been hardening for a while. But the second day, when a risible 72.3 overs were bowled in six and a half hours, felt like the moment weariness gave way to anger and intolerance. Some easy tweaks can be made to improve the over-rate, particularly around ball changes. But other proposed solutions may have unforeseen consequences. One example: gamesmanship and dissent are probably more brazen than ever, bad-faith acting too, so it might not be as straightforward as we think for an umpire to tell an injured player to get on with it or retire hurt. Even so, after the Lord's Test everything should be on the table – including the simplest change of all. The ICC playing conditions for Test cricket are not carved in stone. With the draw almost extinct and nobody complaining about the quality of the cricket, why not change the playing conditions to a minimum of 80 overs per day, instead of 90? This morning I was struggling a bit. The ball kept coming out full, and one of the full balls he charged and hit for four. It pissed me off a little bit. So I just said to him: 'Charge that!'' – Jofra Archer on his verbal send-off to Rishabh Pant after bowling him on the final morning at Lord's. To 1987 and a celebrity charity cricket match, featuring (from left) David Owen, Donny Osmond, Paul Young and Alvin Stardust. Never mind Bazball, this was Bazbrawl: say goodbye to happy-go-lucky England, writes Andy Bull after a febrile Test. Barney Ronay watches Ben Stokes loom over the final day at Lord's like the angel of the north. Barney again on the 75th anniversary of a historic Lord's Test. And A Portrait of Cricket is a beautiful new book from the award-winning photographer Tom Shaw. Here's a taste.
France 24
11-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Stokes's injury cloud a worry for England in Lord's clash with India
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, 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). "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 batsman 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." © 2025 AFP
Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
England fightback sets up another final-day Headingley cliffhanger
Headingley has not disappointed. This wonderful cricket ground that has produced more great players and more memorable matches than anywhere else in England has offered up a treat, with both teams pecking away at each other relentlessly. India have dominated for long periods but, because of their lower-order frailty, have not been quite able to shake England off completely. Another treat is in store for the final day. That is exactly how the fourth day panned out. India dominated the first two sessions with superb, contrasting hundreds from their master technician, KL Rahul, and their laughing cavalier of a wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant. As thoughts turned to a possible declaration — a tricky one, too, given the history of the ground as a good place to chase and the reputation of this England team, who like to do so — a clatter of wickets came with the second new ball. India lost seven wickets for 41 in their first innings, to leave the door open, and lost their last six wickets for 31 in the second. By the time Prasidh Krishna, the last man, joined Ravindra Jadeja the lead was 355, only a few shy of the mark England were asked to make here, famously, against Australia in 2019 when Ben Stokes, the miracle man, saw them home. India's last pair eventually stretched that lead to 370, which Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett reduced by 21 in the final six overs of the day. A target of 371, then, with 350 more required on the final day. To win it, England will have to make the second-highest fourth-innings score in Tests on this ground and their second-highest of all time. And they will have to do so against Jasprit Bumrah. In their favour is a pitch that remains largely true, a seam-bowling support cast that is vulnerable and the confidence they will take from their recent fourth-innings chases — not least the last time these two teams met at Edgbaston, when England made 378 for three to win batting last. It would be silly to discount all possibilities. England have drawn only one match under Stokes's captaincy, when two days of rain prevented victory in the Ashes at Old Trafford, and a second cannot be discounted. Of the two positive results, India are favourites and Bumrah and the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja will be the key, but what Shubman Gill would give to have the left-arm wrist-spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, at his disposal. The way Crawley, playing straighter than in the first innings, and Duckett got through with no real alarms raised England's hopes. India began the day 96 runs ahead, and had to repel some excellent seam bowling in the morning session from Brydon Carse. Until their late wobble, in fact, they showed how to do what Stokes, before the game, had asked his team to improve in doing, which is soak up pressure when necessary and play the situation smartly. Only 63 runs came in the first session, as England pressed hard, but then the acceleration came with Rahul and Pant adding 81 in the hour after lunch, and 145 in the middle session all told. Brilliant batting. Rahul was given one life on 58 by Harry Brook in the gully but made a very accomplished ninth Test hundred, and his eighth outside India. Rahul, according to Ollie Pope the night before, was the most prized wicket of all, and, as he dealt expertly with the occasional inconsistent bounce at the Football Stand end, it was easy to see why. With his blue bandana and tattoos adorning his body, Rahul is a very modern cricketer, but his batting conforms to some ancient principles. Solid in defence, sideways on, light on his feet, back and forward according to the length of the ball, able to drop his hands to the rising ball because he plays beside it, not behind it, he is a technically superb batsman. His driving through the off side is a joy to watch, as he leans into the ball so gracefully, and fittingly that was how he went to his hundred in the afternoon session. The curious thing is that his Test average was a relatively lowly 33 heading into this game, because he looks a more accomplished player than that, but his role here became more important following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as he brings vital experience of English conditions. His first-innings score was important in setting a platform and he added to that impressively. Pant is a completely different player but so, so dangerous and he became only the second wicketkeeper in the history of the game, after Andy Flower, to make two hundreds in the same Test, and the first India batsman to achieve that feat against England. He now has four hundreds against England, has had a brilliant match with the bat and will now bring his influence and game awareness to bear standing up to Jadeja on the final day. He plays in joyful and carefree manner, as if by numbers from time to time, and was lucky early on, dancing down the pitch to his second ball only to edge the ball over the slips. He aimed an early slog-sweep, surviving only because the blustery wind took the top edge away from the chasing pack, and beat a leg-before shout, having fallen over again sweeping, because of a faint inside edge. Over the stump microphones, Pant could be heard gently chiding himself and telling himself to calm down, and eventually he heeded his own advice. After that, until lunch, there was precious little to report from him, except a steady accumulation of runs. After lunch, Stokes sat back, curiously for him, as if in deference to the danger Pant offers. Stokes set a defensive field, one absent of slips, and twice Pant edged Josh Tongue through there. Once he had passed his half-century and not content any more to milk Shoaib Bashir, Pant attacked, sending the off spinner for two mighty sixes down the ground. Then he applied the brakes again, spending 26 balls in the nineties, and determined to avoid the fate that has befallen him five times in the nineties. There was no cartwheeling celebration this time. With England there for the taking, Pant holed out with the new ball imminent. Carse got Rahul with it, dragging on, which was deserved, given his earlier excellence. Chris Woakes finally got in on the act, by taking a smart return catch from Karun Nair and, as in the first innings, Tongue nipped out the tail. England's bowling, though better in the second innings, has looked largely ineffective across the game: Woakes's figures were an unflattering one for 148; Bashir's were three for 190 and only one of Tongue's seven wickets was of a top-six batsman.
