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Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Ben Stokes joins N Superchargers
England's Ben Stokes during a press conference at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 23, 2024. Photo: Reuters England Test captain Ben Stokes on joined the Northern Superchargers as a mentor for the upcoming season of The Hundred. Although sidelined from playing due to injury and fitness management, Stokes will be part of the men's team in a non-playing capacity throughout the competition. The 34-year-old has previously featured in five matches for the Superchargers across the 2021 and 2024 seasons. However, he was already expected to miss this year's 100-ball tournament after it was announced in February that he would focus on managing his workload and fitness ahead of the upcoming Ashes series in Australia this winter. A shoulder injury sustained earlier this year also ruled him out of the fifth Test against India and would have made him unavailable for The Hundred regardless. Despite his absence on the field, Stokes will now look to contribute from the sidelines by joining head coach Andrew Flintoff's support staff. Earlier, Stokes did not play the fifth Test of the series against India at The Oval Cricket Ground. He had sustained a shoulder injury during the fourth Test against India, which ruled him out of the final match and Ollie Pope captained the side in his absence. Stokes had an impressive series before his injury setback. The 34-year-old bowled 140 overs across four Tests, picking up 17 wickets at an average of 25.24. With the bat, he contributed 304 runs in seven innings at an average of 43.43, underlining his value to the team. It is pertinent to mention that India defeated England by six runs in a thrilling contest at The Oval in the fifth and final Test, leveling the five-match series 2-2 last week.
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First Post
01-08-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett join elite group after blazing stand against India at The Oval
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett brought up their seventh fifty-plus stand against India on Day 2 of the fifth Test at The Oval, joining an elite list in which they find themselves ahead of former England captains Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss. read more Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got England off to a dream start on Day 2 of the fifth Test against India with a 92-run opening partnership. Reuters England enjoyed a dream morning session on . Not only did India lose four wickets for just 20 runs to get bowled out for 224, with Gus Atkinson completing his five-for, openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett later got the hosts off to flier with a typical 'Bazball' start. Crawley and Duckett, who have had two mammoth partnerships this series – 188 at Headingley and 166 at Old Trafford – stitched together a 92-run opening stand in which they scored at more than seven-an-over! In the process, England's first-choice opening pair achieved a new feat, surpassing legendary batters Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here's more on Crawley and Duckett's feat, explained in pictures: Legendary West Indian openers Gordon Greenidge hold the record for most runs by an opening pair against India (1,325) as well as the joint-most fifty-plus stands (8). Image credit: X England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stitched together their eighth fifty-plus stand against India and amassed 984 runs against India so far. AP Former England captans Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss have seven fifty-plus partnerships and a total of 933 runs against India. Reuters Australia's Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson have seven fifty-plus partnerships and 753 runs against India. Image credit: X Australia's Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have seven fifty-plus stands and a total of 714 runs against India. Reuters
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First Post
27-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul create history, repeat a feat last achieved 55 years ago
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul created history by becoming the first Indian batting pair in 55 years to achieve a rare milestone. They steadied India's ship in the second innings with a 174-run partnership after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan got dismissed cheaply. read more KL Rahul and Shubman Gill forged a crucial partnership in the second innings of the 4th Test. Reuters England continued to dominate India on of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at Old Trafford, Manchester. After restricting India to 358 in the first innings, the hosts piled on a mammoth 669 runs, putting the visitors under huge pressure. Things got even worse for India in their second innings as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan were dismissed for ducks in the very first over by Chris Woakes. However, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul steadied the innings with a solid partnership. By the end of Day 4, Gill was unbeaten on 78, while Rahul was batting on 87. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read: IND vs ENG, 4th Test: Will rain help India on Day 5 in must-win clash in Manchester? Gill and Rahul achieve rare milestone Their efforts not only kept India's hopes of saving the match alive but also helped them achieve a rare milestone in Indian cricket history. Both Gill and Rahul have now crossed 500 runs each in this Test series, becoming the first pair of Indian batters to achieve this feat in a single series in 55 years. Sunil Gavaskar (774 runs) and Dilip Sardesai (648 runs) last achieved the landmark during India's historic tour of the West Indies in 1971. Before that, Vijay Hazare (543) and Rusi Modi (560) did it against the West Indies in 1948. Rahul and Gill are the latest to join the list as they became the top two scorers in the ongoing series. Gill has scored 697 runs in 8 innings at an average of 99.57, including two centuries and a double ton. Rahul, on the other hand, has 508 runs under his belt in 8 innings at an average of 72.57. He also has one century to his name in the series so far. Also Read: 'Look at his pace': Ricky Ponting slams Jasprit Bumrah for not bowling at full potential in 4th Test As far as the fourth Test is concerned, India will now look to bat out the entire fifth day to salvage a draw, still trailing England by 137 runs with eight wickets in hand. On the other side, England will be aiming to break this partnership early and push for victory on the final day. India have five more batters to come before the tailenders and they will hope to keep batting.
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First Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
McCullum admits England go the toss wrong after heavy defeat at Edgbaston: 'We didn't expect that...'
After going 1-0 up in the five-match series against India with a five-wicket win at Headingley, England were served a reality check in the form of a 336-run thrashing in the second Test at Edgbaston that concluded on Sunday. read more England head coach Brendon McCullum congratulates India captain Shubman Gill after the latter led his team to a 336-run victory in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Reuters England head coach Brendon McCullum admitted skipper Ben Stokes' decision to bowl in the second Test against India in Birmingham wasn't the wisest decision, adding that the home team didn't quite get their assessment of the Edgbaston wicket right. Shubman Gill led from the front with scores of 269 and 161 while India scored more than 1,000 runs across both innings which, together with some clinical bowling from the new-ball pair of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, resulted in a commanding 336-run victory on Sunday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We thought this pitch might get better to bat' 'I think as the game unfolded we probably looked back on that toss and said 'did we miss an opportunity there?' and it's probably fair,' former New Zealand captain McCullum told BBC's Test Match Special following England's lopsided defeat at Edgbaston, which leveled the five-match series 1-1 after Stokes and Co had won the series opener by five wickets. 'We didn't expect that the wicket would play quite as it did and hence we probably got it slightly wrong. We thought this pitch might get better to bat on as we went through the five days but as we saw it didn't,' he added. It was a rare statement from the 43-year-old, who has revolutionised English cricket since he was appointed head coach of the men's Test team in 2022 with his innovative 'Bazball' tactics. McCullum currently serves as the head coach across formats, having taken over from Matthew Mott in the white-ball formats in September last year. England had chased down a target of 371 in the series opener at Headingley, Leeds – their second consecutive successful chase of a 370-plus target against India. At Edgbaston, however, the target of 608 proved too steep, with a sensational spell from Akash helping India bowl them out for 271. The two teams travel to London, where they lock horns at Lord's from Thursday. And though the series currently stands level at 1-1, the Indians will be the more upbeat of the two teams given the emphatic manner in which they bounced back from the defeat in the first Test. And speaking to reporters after the Edgbaston loss, McCullum hoped for a wicket with 'plenty of life' at the 'Home of Cricket' for the third Test to assist the English pacers in their bid to contain Gill and the rest of the batters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It'll be a blockbuster either way, but I think it's going to set up for a cracker – especially if there's plenty of life in it the pitch,' McCullum said. Archer's looking ready to go 'Baz' also hinted at express pacer Jofra Archer making his first Test appearance since February 2021 in the upcoming fixture. Archer had been overlooked for the second Test despite being included shortly after the victory at Headingley, with the hosts opting to stick to their winning combination. However, the disastrous loss in Birmingham is likely to result in some chopping and changing, with Gus Atkinson – added to the squad within an hour of the defeat at Edgbaston – also likely to play at Lord's. 'Jofra will certainly be available for selection. Our seamers have gone two Tests on the spin and we've got a short turnaround before we head down to HQ. 'We'll let the dust settle on this one, but Jofra is looking fit, he's looking strong, he's looking ready to go, and he'll come into calculations. It's hugely exciting,' McCullum added, hinting at changes in the team combination at Lord's.
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First Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
England include Gus Atkinson in squad for Lord's Test immediately getting outplayed by India at Edgbaston
Gus Atkinson, who has quickly established himself as a first-choice pacer in the Test format since making his debut at Lord's last year, has not played since the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May, where he had suffered a hamstring injury. read more Gus Atkinson has not played any cricket since England's innings victory in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May. Reuters England shored up their pace attack for the third Test against India at Lord's by adding Gus Atkinson to the squad. The announcement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) came shortly after Ben Stokes' men suffered a 336-run thrashing at Edgbaston that helped the visitors level the five-match series with three matches to go. 'Welcome, Gus. We've made one addition to our Test squad for Lord's,' the ECB wrote in a post on X confirming the Surrey pacer's addition to the squad less than an hour after India collected their maiden victory at Edgbaston by bundling England out for 271 on the final day after setting them a mammoth 608 to win. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD NEWS: Gus Atkinson has been added to the England Test squad for this week's match at Lord's. 🙌 Great to see you back, Gussy. 🤎 | #SurreyCricket — Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) July 6, 2025 Atkinson has not played since the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in May – where he suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the subsequent ODI series against West Indies. The 27-year-old has quickly established himself as a first-choice pacer for England since collecting 7/45 and 5/61 on debut against West Indies at Lord's last year, the match also marking James Anderson's 188th and final Test appearance. And captain Stokes as well as head coach Brendon McCullum will be delighted to have him back in action after getting smashed for more than a thousand runs at Edgbaston, where India captain Shubman Gill alone scored a combined 430 (269 and 161) across both innings. England had earlier included Jofra Archer in the squad days after going 1-0 up in the five-match series with a five-wicket victory at Headingley, but decided against drafting the Barbadian-born pacer into the XI right away. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Archer's appearance in the recent Sussex-Durham County game was his first in First-Class cricket since May 2021, which might have been the reason behind England sticking to their winning combination for the second Test. However, the team is more than likely to make changes after the sound thrashing in Birmingham and it remains to be seen if both Atkinson and Archer are included in the playing XI in order to stop Gill, who's in red-hot form at the moment, and the rest of the Indian batting order. England squad for the third Test at Lords': Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Sam James Cook, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson
