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New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is expected to recover from a foot injury in time for the test matches against Australia later this month while Scott Kuggeleijn will replace injured fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, New Zealand Cricket said on Saturday.
Ollie Pope has hailed England captain Ben Stokes for the “unbelievable achievement” of reaching 100 Test matches in his glittering career.
Ben Stokes will earn his 100th Test cap when he leads England against India in the third Test beginning Thursday in Rajkot, with both sides having to contend with the absence of key players. The five-match series is on a knife-edge at 1-1 after India's 106-run victory in the second Test in Visakhapatnam followed England's 28-run win in Hyderabad. Batsmen Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will be absent for India while England's senior spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the final three matches with a knee injury suffered in the first Test.
England were at the receiving end of Jasprit Bumrah's sensational spell in the second Test but head coach Brendon McCullum expects his players to work out a way to tackle the immense threat posed by the star Indian pacer. Bumrah ran through the England batting line-up, known for their ultra-aggressive Bazball approach, returning figures of 6/45 to help dismiss the tourists for 253 in their first innings and set up India's series-levelling win in Visakhapatnam. McCullum, also known for his aggressive batting during his playing days, was non committal when asked how England plan to deal with Bumrah in the remaining three Tests, simply saying that his team does not believe in theories.
England Test skipper Ben Stokes opened up about leading the side in Tests and said that it was an opportunity that he couldn't turn down. After registering a 28-run victory against India in the first Test on the back of Ollie Pope's 196 and a seven-wicket haul from debutant Tom Hartley, England will look to lead the series 2-0 when they take on hosts in the second match on Friday at Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. In the opening match, the southpaw played a knock of 70 runs in the first innings. The all-rounder asserted that he never aspired to lead the England side in the longest format of the game. He said that this is a role he has enjoyed.
The Hyderabad Test loss should serve as wake-up call for India that England's 'Bazball' strategy is effective on slow tracks as well, according to former captain Nasser Hussain. Since embracing Bazball, England are yet to lose a Test series and they fashioned a memorable 28-run win on the back of Ollie Pope's monumental 196 and debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley's seven-wicket haul after conceding a massive 190-run first innings lead in the opening Test against India. "India will probably rue their first innings. They got 436 but actually they could have got a lot more if not for some sloppy dismissals. They will come back. They are a very fine side and history tells you it will be tough for England," Hussain wrote in his column for 'Sky Sports'.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has raised concerns over youngster Shubman Gill's batting approach in the first Test of a five-match series against England in Hyderabad. Gill scored just 23 runs across two innings in the first Test as England defeated India by 28 runs on Sunday, December 28. Chasing a target of 231, India were bowled out for 202 on an extended final session on Day 4. Patel criticised Gill's approach in Hyderabad, saying that he was not trying to play shots at all.
Legendary South Africa cricket team star AB De Villiers took a sly dig at England's 'Bazball' approach while praising India for their batting display on Day 1 of the first Test match in Hyderabad on Thursday. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each to bundle out England for just 246 before posting 119/1 in 23 overs. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal began the innings in aggressive fashion and De Villiers said that more than 'Bazball', it was a good reading of the situation by the openers.