After England’s heavy defeat to India at Trent Bridge, captain Root must lead from the front at the Ageas Bowl Related: Jonny Bairstow ‘desperate’ for England wicketkeeper role after injury Continue reading...
It has taken 38 innings for Buttler to record his maiden Test century and it was his application, not just his ball-striking, that stood outIt was not enough to earn him the nickname of St Jude – the patron saint of lost causes – but in securing his maiden Test century and ensuring that England’s experience here has not solely been one of batting ineptitude, Jos Buttler made a significant point to himself, his teammates and perhaps the wider public, too.After all, until it was trumped by that of Adil Rashid at the start of this series, the restoration of Buttler to the Test team by England’s new selection impresario, Ed Smith, in May was among the most eye-catching and...
Roar at catching India’s captain on 97 shows England all-rounder’s relief at being back centre stage for the right reasonsWho writes your scripts? So asked Graham Gooch of Ian Botham at the Oval in 1986 after the all-rounder picked up a wicket with his first ball back in Test cricket after a 63-day ban for admitting to smoking dope.This was one of many scene-stealing moments in Botham’s outstanding career, making New Zealand’s Bruce Edgar Test victim No 355 and, therefore, equalling Dennis Lillee’s world record before, just 11 balls later, making it his own when Jeff Crowe (match referee for this current series with India) was pinned lbw with a ball that jagged back in. Related: Virat Kohli inspires India fightback...
After winning three successive Tests England’s coach has not been widely heralded but Trevor Bayliss has shown that he is more astute than he lets onIt was not so long ago – after the first Lord’s Test of the summer, when Pakistan defeated England by nine wickets – that several sages were quick to start suggesting immediate replacements for Trevor Bayliss as the coach of England’s Test team.They felt able to conclude Bayliss was somehow a fine one-day coach but useless in the Test arena. This was the cutest of arguments somehow differentiating the qualities Bayliss can offer by the colour of the ball in play. It was mostly convenient, headline-making nonsense triggered by England’s poor run in Test cricket....
After his senior colleagues had faltered the young all-rounder took the fight to the Indian bowlers in swashbuckling styleOf course it is the hope that kills you. Anyone who has followed England long enough knows that. Which was why the thousands of fans inside Edgbaston’s Hollies Stand were so damn happy on Friday lunchtime. Because England were flat out of it, had not enough of the stuff to make the match worth fretting over. Related: Virat Kohli steels India for dramatic finale after Curran revives England Related: Ishant Sharma and dropped catches leave Dawid Malan facing England axe | Ali Martin Continue reading...