Latest news with #IndiaSeries
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England bowler Mark Wood reveals his 'rehab is going well' as he returns to the nets and eyes return in fifth Test against India
Mark Wood has revealed he is back bowling in the nets and hopes to make his England return in the fifth Test against India. The Durham quick had surgery on his injured left knee in March and was expected to miss the entire Test summer. However, Wood believes he can now be back in time to feature in the final match of the India series, which starts at the Oval on July 31, ahead of the winter Ashes tour. 'Rehab is going well,' the 35-year-old told BBC Test Match Special, who he is working for at Headingley. 'I have just started bowling, very lightly, but I am on the comeback trail now officially. 'I am hoping still to play a part in this series. I am still targeting maybe the last Test. 'Anything before that is probably a bit too soon. The last Test I might not get there, but at the minute that is still my focus, that I might play a part.' Wood's imminent return is a major boost for England, who hope to have their full battery of fast bowlers fit for Australia. Jorfa Archer is also expected to play in Sussex's County Championship match at Durham starting on Sunday, with an eye on making his England comeback in the second or third Test.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
It would be remarkable to drop Ollie Pope after 171
Ben Stokes insists Ollie Pope was never in danger of being dropped for this week's opening Test against India, claiming it would be 'remarkable' to leave his vice-captain out. Jacob Bethell is pushing hard for a place in the red-ball side as he continues his sharp ascent through the ranks but while he was at the Indian Premier League last month, Pope firmed up his spot at number three with a knock of 171 against Zimbabwe. If there were ever any doubts over him holding on to his shirt, that innings at Trent Bridge extinguished them and he remains the man in possession heading into a huge five-match series that begins on Friday at Headingley.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ben Stokes calls on England to adapt better ‘when we're up against the wall'
Ben Stokes may have described England's recent lack of Test action as 'a bit odd' but playing just one game in the past six months has given the side space to reconsider their approach before the series against India. Stokes has won 23 of his 36 games in charge while losing 12 and insisted: 'I don't think it's arrogant to say that we've been good over the last three years,' but with England's next 10 Tests coming against either India – starting at Headingley on Friday – or Australia they have prepared for potential adversity. Advertisement Related: England are right to stick with a settled top six – Bethell should follow the Lara model | Mark Ramprakash 'We've had a lot of time to speak about what we want to do as a team and where we want to take ourselves,' Stokes said. 'We've had time to identify areas where we know we are incredibly strong, but also areas that we think we need to get better at. One of those was adapting better when we're up against the wall. 'When those moments come in the series, that they no doubt will, it's identifying them a lot quicker. We know that when we are on top of teams we are very, very good, and where we maybe have let ourselves down in the past is when we have been behind the game. It's about being smarter in those situations when it's obvious that the opposition is on top of us. 'I think if [you] look at some of the victories we've had, they have been in a manner of complete dominance of the game throughout. But when we've lost we probably look back on moments. Could we have been a lot better at slowing everything down and understanding where we are in the position of the game, to then allow us to play in that natural way that we like to go about things?' Advertisement Stokes said he thinks 'conversations together in a room as a group are sometimes just as valuable as training in the nets and working harder', but he has found time for both, with his return to full fitness after an operation on his hamstring in January allowing him to work on his bowling action. 'I can't remember the last time I was able to work so hard on just technical stuff,' he said. 'To be able to get myself back to where I feel like I was before I had my injuries is really good, because there was naturally quite a few changes that crept into my action – how I was landing, how I was approaching the crease – because of my knee or because of my hamstring. It was nice to be able to get rid of those.' Stokes insisted that Ollie Pope's 171 against Zimbabwe had ended any discussion about his place in the team for this week's first Test. 'It would be remarkable to choose someone else if [his] last knock was 170,' he said. India arrive in search of their first series victory in England since 2007, having won just one of their last eight Tests and with a much-changed team, a situation their new captain, Shubman Gill, is looking at as a bonus. 'A lot of people talk like our side is not experienced, but there are also positives that we don't really have any baggage coming to England. That could be one thing that really makes a difference for us,' said Gill, who has delayed naming his team because of uncertainty over who will bat at No 3.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Ben Stokes calls on England to adapt better ‘when we're up against the wall'
Ben Stokes may have described England's recent lack of Test action as 'a bit odd' but playing just one game in the past six months has given the side space to reconsider their approach before the series against India. Stokes has won 23 of his 36 games in charge while losing 12 and insisted: 'I don't think it's arrogant to say that we've been good over the last three years,' but with England's next 10 Tests coming against either India – starting at Headingley on Friday – or Australia they have prepared for potential adversity. 'We've had a lot of time to speak about what we want to do as a team and where we want to take ourselves,' Stokes said. 'We've had time to identify areas where we know we are incredibly strong, but also areas that we think we need to get better at. One of those was adapting better when we're up against the wall. 'When those moments come in the series, that they no doubt will, it's identifying them a lot quicker. We know that when we are on top of teams we are very, very good, and where we maybe have let ourselves down in the past is when we have been behind the game. It's about being smarter in those situations when it's obvious that the opposition is on top of us. 'I think if [you] look at some of the victories we've had, they have been in a manner of complete dominance of the game throughout. But when we've lost we probably look back on moments. Could we have been a lot better at slowing everything down and understanding where we are in the position of the game, to then allow us to play in that natural way that we like to go about things?' Stokes said he thinks 'conversations together in a room as a group are sometimes just as valuable as training in the nets and working harder', but he has found time for both, with his return to full fitness after an operation on his hamstring in January allowing him to work on his bowling action. 'I can't remember the last time I was able to work so hard on just technical stuff,' he said. 'To be able to get myself back to where I feel like I was before I had my injuries is really good, because there was naturally quite a few changes that crept into my action – how I was landing, how I was approaching the crease – because of my knee or because of my hamstring. It was nice to be able to get rid of those.' Stokes insisted that Ollie Pope's 171 against Zimbabwe had ended any discussion about his place in the team for this week's first Test. 'It would be remarkable to choose someone else if [his] last knock was 170,' he said. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion India arrive in search of their first series victory in England since 2007, having won just one of their last eight Tests and with a much-changed team, a situation their new captain, Shubman Gill, is looking at as a bonus. 'A lot of people talk like our side is not experienced, but there are also positives that we don't really have any baggage coming to England. That could be one thing that really makes a difference for us,' said Gill, who has delayed naming his team because of uncertainty over who will bat at No 3.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sir Alastair Cook explains why England should pick Ollie Pope over Jacob Bethell against India
Former England Test captain Sir Alastair Cook has explained why he thinks Ollie Pope should be selected ahead of Jacob Bethell for the upcoming India series. Pope, the current England vice-captain, scored a mammoth 171 as Zimbabwe were soundly beaten at Trent Bridge in the only Test match of the summer so far. Advertisement But he is battling with youngster Bethell for the number three slot ahead of India's five-match series in England. Speaking at the launch of The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, Cook said: 'Ollie Pope's 170 meant a lot to me, he and [Zak] Crawley were under the pump and they delivered.' Cook was speaking with former England captain Michael Vaughan, ex-spinner Phil 'Tuffers' Tufnell and former England player and fan-favourite broadcaster David 'Bumble' Lloyd. Ollie Pope scored a century against Zimbabwe (Action Images via Reuters) 'When I left New Zealand I thought they'll go with Jacob Bethell but if he isn't leaving the IPL to come and play a test match, for whatever reason that it, it's not a punishment, but that's the way the cards have fallen whether it's Bethell's fault or not,' Cook said. 'If he's that desperate to play I would have said he would have come out and played, then he'd have guaranteed his England selection. I don't care what's going on behind the scenes on that.' Advertisement Both Pope and Bethell are named in the 14-man squad for the opening Test, which begins at Headingley on Friday, June 20. Warwickshire's Bethell has played three Tests, and was an important fixture of the ODI and IT20s whitewashes of the West Indies over recent weeks. However, he missed the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Cook, who is one of only three England captains to win multiple Ashes on home soil, looked ahead to this winter's trip to Australia as the conversation over who to pick at number three between Pope and 21-year-old Bethell rumbles on. He said: 'Will Pope play at number three in Perth? He's in possession at the minute and we'll find out if he's good enough against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah. Sir Alistair Cook on the new Stick to Cricket show (Betfair/Stick to Cricket) 'The issue I've always said about Pope, and I don't think this changes, is his first 20 balls, Tuffers [Phil Tufnell] is more likely to get through his first 20 balls. Advertisement 'Lots of judges of players have said that Bethell is really good, but at Warwickshire he struggled like a year ago, he struggled and was batting six behind [Sam] Hain, [Alex] Davies and guys that were picked ahead of him all the time.' Bethell has an average of 52.00 from his six Test innings to date, high-scoring with a 92 against New Zealand in December. Meanwhile, Pope has an average of 35.49 from the 56 matches he has played for his nation, notching eight hundreds and 15 half-centuries. " width="500"> Betfair are set for a big summer and winter of cricket, launching a new show with The Overlap: Stick to Cricket. Don't miss the first episode next week, where the team will be reviewing the opening test of the series between England and India.
