Latest news with #RothesaySeries
The Independent
31-07-2025
- Sport
- 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.
The Independent
30-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
England captain Ben Stokes ruled out of fifth Test against India through injury
England captain Ben Stokes will miss the deciding Test against India after being ruled out with a right shoulder injury. Stokes, whose deputy Ollie Pope will lead the team in his absence, has been battling a variety of fitness issues over the course of the Rothesay series and has finally been laid low with a problem that reared its head during last week's draw at Old Trafford. He will be replaced by Jacob Bethell, making his first Test appearance of the year in one of four changes to the England XI. Liam Dawson has been dropped one match into his comeback, with England opting to go without a front-line spinner, while pace pair Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are rested. Three fresh quicks come into the side, with Surrey pair Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton returning on home soil and Josh Tongue completing the line-up. It is understood Stokes has sustained a grade-three muscle tear, meaning a significant lay-off awaits the all-rounder. England do not play Test cricket again until the Ashes this winter, meaning the 34-year-old could face a tight recovery period to be fit for the hotly-anticipated series. Stokes is due to address the media on Wednesday morning to shed further light on his condition.
The Independent
26-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
England hope Ben Stokes benefits from a rest and bowls on Sunday
England are holding their breath captain Ben Stokes will be available to bowl as they push to seal a Rothesay series victory over India at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday. Having turned an overnight 77 into 141 for a first Test century in two years to propel England to 669 and a 311-run first-innings lead, Stokes was then conspicuously absent for the 63 overs India batted. He claimed five for 72 in India's first innings but restricted himself to fielding duties as Shubman Gill and KL Rahul helped the tourists recover from nought for two to 174 without further loss. Stokes has pushed himself to the limit this summer but there is a suspicion this is catching up with him, having struggled with cramp in his left leg when he was batting on Friday, briefly retiring hurt. Asked if he will be fit to bowl on the final day of the fourth Rothesay Test, with England looking to move into an unassailable 3-1 series lead, England assistant Marcus Trescothick said: 'We're hoping so. 'We're hoping another night's rest and physio work overnight that he'll be back. It's just a build-up (of things). He's had quite a big workload in the last few weeks. It's just trying to monitor it.' Stokes underwent surgery on his left hamstring at the start of the year, but he has already bowled the most overs he ever has in a series, even if he leads the wicket-taking charts with 16 at 24.75. He has proved his all-round worth in Manchester by becoming the fourth Englishman – after Tony Greig, Ian Botham and Gus Atkinson – to record a century and five-for in the same match. Ashes 2005-winning captain Michael Vaughan said on the BBC's Test Match Special: 'Ben is a super-human at times. He was probably hoping that they would get the wickets and he wasn't going to be required. 'Maybe the medical staff just said 'Ben, have a day off'.' Chris Woakes dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan with successive deliveries in the first over but Gill survived the hat-trick ball and overcame being dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson to reach 78 not out. KL Rahul is unbeaten on 87 to give India hope of avoiding defeat and setting up a decider at the Kia Oval next week but Trescothick remains upbeat about England's chances, with or without Stokes. Trescothick added: 'We've got 10 other guys who are capable of doing special things also. 'It's never great when bowlers go down or you don't have someone available to do the work you need them to do, it's then just up to everybody else to pick up the pieces and do the extra work.'
The Independent
26-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Shubman Gill and KL Rahul hold up England's push for fourth-Test victory
India captain Shubman Gill and opener KL Rahul slowed England's push to seal a Rothesay series win after Ben Stokes ended a two-year wait for a Test century. The England skipper had been without a three-figure score since the 2023 Ashes but he turned his overnight 77 into 141 on the fourth morning as his side were all out for 669 at Emirates Old Trafford. When Chris Woakes removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan from successive deliveries with India yet to eat into a 311-run deficit, England might have had hopes of quickly wrapping up a 3-1 series lead. But following a tough start to the afternoon session, Gill made 52 not out, having been dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson, and Rahul an unbeaten 30 as India went to tea on 86 for two, still trailing by 225. England's total was their highest at home in the Bazball era, with only the 823 they amassed in Multan last October eclipsing it, with Stokes to the fore on Saturday as he recorded a 14th Test hundred. He also joined Lord Botham, Tony Greig and Gus Atkinson as the only Englishmen to make a ton and take a five-wicket haul in the same match although he curiously did not bowl himself on Saturday afternoon. Having struggled with cramp the previous evening, Stokes was put through his paces first thing, scampering through for a single, getting home despite Anshul Kamboj's direct hit from mid-on. Stokes smeared Mohammed Siraj twice through the covers but lost Dawson for company after he was bowled by one that kept low from Jasprit Bumrah, having fended one off a length the ball before. Stokes breezed to 99 but then played and missed at Bumrah, facing five more nervous dots before glancing Siraj off his pads for his ninth four and 14th Test ton, which he celebrated by removing his left glove and doing his crooked finger celebration, looking at the sky in memory of his father, Ged. Stokes went to 7,000 Test runs in style by thrashing off-spinner Washington Sundar back over his head for six then reverse-sweeping him for four after England's total had gone past 600. Ravindra Jadeja was also carted for a couple of sixes before Stokes holed out while Brydon Carse did likewise in the slow left-arm spinner's next over, leaving India a tricky 15-minute period to bat before lunch. They were unable to emerge unscathed as Woakes squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal fourth ball, with Joe Root initially unable to cling on but scooping the rebound just above the turf. It got even better as Sai Sudharsan shaped to leave the next delivery but the ball took the edge and flew to Harry Brook. Gill negotiated the hat-trick ball, albeit after being rapped on the pad with Woakes' optimistic appeal turned down, but he had to overcome a testing period immediately after lunch from Jofra Archer. England's fast bowler pleaded for a review after locating Gill's front pad but the third umpire was unable to detect whether bat was involved first so the on-field official's not out decision remained. Gill's bottom hand, already bandaged, was struck two deliveries later while he survived another lbw in an eventful first over back but he rode out the storm and found some fluency as the ball got older. With Rahul appearing totally unflustered, England went up for a desperate lbw when Gill was on 45 before he was put down on 46 as a diving Liam Dawson shelled a difficult chance at backward point. Despite his first-innings five-for, Stokes did not bring himself on, even turning to Root to turn his arm over just before tea, with Gill bringing up a fifty to end the session.
Rhyl Journal
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Ben Duckett thrilled as Ollie Pope silences questions about his England place
Pope was at the centre of an outstanding day of ultra-competitive Test cricket against India, finishing with exactly 100 not out as England fought their corner under pressure in this Rothesay Series opener. He walked out to bat on the second afternoon with everything stacked against him – India boasting 471 first-innings runs and the peerless Jasprit Bumrah having just made short work of Zak Crawley with the new ball. That 💯 moment… Take a bow. Oliver John Douglas Pope 🫡 🤝 @IGcom — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 21, 2025 With grey clouds overhead and floodlights needed to improve visibility in the middle, it was a deeply unappetising situation for a player who came into the game with his place under scrutiny. A few hours later, having guided his side to 209 for three, the mere suggestion that he might be replaced any time soon felt fanciful in the extreme. 'It was goosebumps when he got his hundred, you could see what it meant to him,' said Duckett, who shared a stand of 122 with the vice-captain. 'He probably couldn't walk out in tougher conditions, Jasprit running down the hill with the lights on. 'There's no better feeling than that, scoring 100 against that attack after coming out at four for one. You can see that in the way he celebrated but it didn't just mean a lot to him, it meant a huge amount in the dressing room as well.' Much had been made of a theoretical head-to-head between Pope and rising star Jacob Bethell, a notion captain Ben Stokes swatted away on the eve of the match as he threw his full support behind the incumbent. The selection debate has been too loud to avoid but the Surrey man may well have settled it in the most public way possible, bat in hand in front of a sellout Saturday crowd in Yorkshire. 'We're very good at keeping things in the dressing room but obviously you can hear the noise from outside,' admitted Duckett. 'We're not having discussions in the dressing room about who's going to play. But the way Popey has dealt with that has been superb. It sums up and proves why he's England's number three and is doing what he's doing.' Duckett had a front row seat as Bumrah threw everything he had at England. The unpredictable paceman finished with three for 48 from 13 electric overs but could easily have doubled his haul given the number of edges, chances and near misses he generated. The last of those saw him have Harry Brook caught for a duck only to be called for a no-ball, a late gut punch, but he will surely be back for more. 'He's the best bowler in the world,' said Duckett, who was eventually bowled for 62. 'He's good in India on the flattest pitches ever and, when he's coming down the hill with the lights on, swinging both ways, it's tough. 'I feel we minimised the damage early on, it could have been a lot worse today so we're pretty happy with the position we're in.'
