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Captaincy question hangs over Alastair Cook with England stagnating | Ali Martin

There is no rush to hand over the leader’s baton but an early decision would allow Joe Root to bed down in time for the Ashes series next winterFronting up to the media after a Test defeat is something Alastair Cook has now done more than any other England captain and after the final-day collapse in Chennai he turned to the room of assembled journalists that had just grilled him in the bowels of the stadium to wish them a merry Christmas and a safe flight home.If reporting this farewell sounds unctuous then consider the circumstances: the self-destructive tendency of his batsmen, on a pitch that just 24 hours had seen his bowlers ship a torturous 759 for seven, made...

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England’s Haseeb Hameed confirms star quality with show of steel and style

The Lancashire opener will fly home for treatment on his injured finger but his rearguard action against India in Mohali further demonstrated his potentialHaseeb Hameed, England’s 19-year-old opener, has seen his tour of India ended by the broken finger sustained during the eight-wicket defeat in the third Test but will fly home with his team-mates in awe and the praise of his captain, his coach and his idol ringing in his ears following an innings of remarkable courage and skill.As the right-hander was repelling India’s bowlers for just shy of three hours from No8 with an unbeaten 59 on the fourth day of the match – one that ended with Alastair Cook’s going 2-0 down in the series with two...

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