The retirement of England’s record runscorer means a new senior man at the top of the order is needed for the upcoming winter tour of Sri LankaAll eyes will be upon England’s opening batsman at the Oval. Lean, dignified, quick to smile and forever diligent in the way he goes about his business – combatting the new ball so that the fancy Dans down the order can have some fun – he will make his way to the middle to warm applause. The spotlight is on Keaton Jennings. Related: Six years of change leave England with a big post-Cook hole to fill | Andy Bull Related: Keaton Jennings shipwrecked amid a storm of failure by England’s top order | Andy...
The fourth Test win against India presented a rollercoaster ride for fans in the form that is the pinnacle of the gameLarge as the Ageas Bowl is, and loud as Sunday’s crowd were, Joe Root’s voice carried right across the outfield, “Jonny,” he said again. Down at third man, Jonny Bairstow turned and gave him a wave of his hand. “One second,” the gesture said. Bairstow had just stepped over the boundary rope between deliveries to talk to the children huddled behind the hoardings, four girls, four boys, all of them holding out match programmes, miniature bats and scorecards for him to sign. Away in the middle, Bairstow’s teammates waited while he signed one more and then promised the rest...
He struggled in the county game but learned how to bat in English conditions and showed it with a hard-earned hundredThe slow, lazy rhythms of Test cricket feel an unfamiliar music now, when most innings unravel so fast and batsmen are so frantic. But Friday played out the old way. Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s throwback batsman, batted five hours for his first Test century in England. When he finally got it, as the sun was beginning to dip, the crowd rose in a standing ovation. It was not just the score they were clapping but the manner of it. Pujara had done the one thing so few batsmen have seemed able to in this series. He had persisted.There was only the...
The manner of the opener’s dismissal in the first innings of the fourth Test against India highlighted a player whose ability to make decisions is hampered by the mental pressure he is underBack when Keaton Jennings was a coming man, he was one of a group of English players picked to take part in a military training camp. One of the tasks, Jennings said then, was that the players had to fix a broken boat during a storm.Turns out that while this may have been good metaphorical preparation for the experience of playing in this England team, it was less help getting him ready for the actual business of Test match batting. Jennings made such a strong impression at that...
Cook? Jennings? Bairstow? Stokes? Fourth Test against India finds England in a state of flux with only Joe Root inked in for October’s tourOne up with two to play makes you the favourite to win. Yet on the eve of the fourth Test in Southampton the India team, though 2-1 down in the series, seem the more settled. For the first time in Virat Kohli’s reign as captain he has indicated he intends to play the same side in consecutive Tests. Meanwhile England, despite their lead, remain a team in a state of flux. Related: Joe Root defends dropping Ollie Pope for Moeen Ali Related: Virat Kohli says momentum is with India as tourists name unchanged side Continue reading...