Tourists are 1-0 down and must get their selection right on a seam-friendly wicket in Mohali to give themselves the best chance of levelling the seriesLast time the quandary was how to accommodate Jimmy Anderson; this time it is Stuart Broad who is posing the questions … or at least some of them. Alastair Cook sounded doubtful when asked if Broad’s injured foot will have recovered in time for the third Test but in a way his enforced absence may make life easier for the selectors because they could simply bring back Chris Woakes. However the perceived wisdom is that conditions in Mohali are the most likely to suit seam and if England are ever to revert to four seamers...
Hameed displayed his credentials once more while Adil Rashid’s second-innings wickets against India showed he is fast becoming invaluable to Alastair CookSunday is the day that Visakhapatnam truly comes to life, it transpires, with this bustling town on the Bay of Bengal even more awash with people strolling up and down the promenade and enjoying the entertainments it has to offer. A good number made the decision to watch the Test too, with the fourth day representing the first time the ground has been close to its 25,000 capacity.This improved audience provided a crackling atmosphere as the majority willed on India to begin a ceremonial gutting of England’s batting lineup midway through the afternoon, only to spend the first three...
India’s captain decides against enforcing the follow-on as Ashwin reminds England why he is the world’s No1 bowler with five wickets in the second TestAt 1.36pm on the third day in Visakhapatnam, with a round 200-run first-innings lead safely tucked away in his back pocket, Virat Kohli opted against enforcing the follow-on and with it delayed England’s next trial by spin on the subcontinent temporarily.Kohli’s opposite number, Alastair Cook, knows all about the chuntering from the golf-mad commentariat that can result from such a call – Old Trafford against Pakistan last summer springs to mind – and yet on this occasion, with just under half the Test remaining and a pitch to wear further, few could groan at the India...
England’s two young batsmen, while falling in wildly different ways, were the victims of misjudgment in VisakhapatnamThe second day in Visakhapatnam was one of harsh realities for England and, in particular, two of the novices in the side. Both Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett, while falling in wildly different ways, were the victims of misjudgment.In the case of Hameed the mistake was someone else’s and after a debut in Rajkot that saw him record the highest international score by an English teenager and earn comparisons with some of the greats of the game, his experience was one of returning to earth with a bump. Related: India’s Ravi Ashwin makes England pay after Hameed run out sparks collapse Related: Joe Root’s...
When Nigel Farage leafleted Yorkshire fans he tried to tap into outdated notions at odds with the example being set by England’s four Muslim playersBack in June, a little less than half a year and a little more than half a lifetime ago, Nigel Farage visited Headingley. It was the fourth day of Yorkshire’s match against Lancashire, but he had not come for the cricket so much as the opportunity to pose for a photos and press some flesh. He stopped off in the Long Room, where his assistants started handing around Ukip leaflets. Farage often talks about what a keen fan he is of the game. But here, perhaps, was a first clue that this may not be entirely...