Cricket

Ollie Pope, England's stand-in captain, has vowed to ignore criticism of his batting after a disappointing performance against Sri Lanka. Despite England's perfect record under his leadership, Pope has come under fire for failing to reach 20 in four innings.Pope's dismissals in the first Test at Lord's raised concerns about his ability to balance captaincy and batting. However, he insists that he will not use his new role as an excuse for his poor form."I'm not going to put down my average shot to the fact that I was captain," Pope said. "I'll learn from it and move on."Pope acknowledges that his nervous starts have been an issue, but he is working to improve them. "It's something that I'm still trying to improve in my game," he said. "I want to keep on improving, especially the way I start my innings."Despite the criticism, Pope remains confident in his abilities. He has sought advice from Joe Root, who has been in excellent form for England. "Any batter in England can learn a fair bit off him," Pope said.Pope is excited to play his first Test at The Oval, his home ground. "It's always special getting back to The Oval," he said. "Hopefully there will be a great crowd in."England are aiming for a summer sweep, having not won every Test in a home season since 2004. "It would be a pretty cool thing to look back on," Pope said. "We've played some really good cricket throughout this summer."

Jack Leach, the left-arm spinner for Somerset, has expressed his unwavering determination to reclaim his place in the England Test team after his impressive 12-wicket haul against Durham. Leach, who was England's first-choice spinner under Ben Stokes' captaincy, has been sidelined by injuries in recent months, but his recent performance has reignited his hopes of a return to the international stage.Leach's 15 wickets in England's 3-0 Test series win in Pakistan in December 2022 serve as a testament to his abilities. Despite the emergence of Shoaib Bashir, his Somerset teammate, Leach believes he can regain his spot in the pecking order ahead of England's tour to Pakistan in October."I totally understand why Bash has been selected," Leach said. "I rate him really highly and think he is already a very good bowler with a lot of promise for the future. But there is a tour to Pakistan coming up and if England need me, I am more than happy to go."Leach's long spells against Durham have boosted his confidence, and he feels he is nearing his best form after overcoming a series of niggling injuries. He acknowledges the possibility of England selecting multiple spinners for the Pakistan tour and sees no reason why he and Bashir cannot both make the squad."I don't want to get my hopes up, but I am as determined as I ever have been to play for England," Leach said.Somerset's victory over Durham has kept them in contention for the County Championship title, and Leach is eager to contribute to his team's success. He believes the upcoming match against Surrey at Taunton will be crucial in their title aspirations."We are still right in the fight for the title, which is where we wanted to be at this stage of the season," Leach said. "I think the pitch against Durham suits our style of cricket. You had to be patient as a bowler, but if you kept putting the ball in the right place you were rewarded."

England's dominance continued on Day 4 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's Cricket Ground, London. After posting a mammoth 344 in their first innings, England dismissed Sri Lanka for 135 and enforced the follow-on.In their second innings, Sri Lanka lost two early wickets, leaving them with a daunting task of chasing down 430 runs with just eight wickets in hand. Gus Atkinson, who has been a revelation for England this series, claimed the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne in the second innings, adding to his tally of three wickets in the match.England's batting performance was led by Joe Root, who scored a magnificent 186 in the first innings. Jonny Bairstow also contributed with a valuable 111, while Ben Stokes chipped in with 56.Sri Lanka's bowlers struggled to contain England's batsmen, with only Lasith Embuldeniya managing to take more than one wicket. The Sri Lankan batsmen, on the other hand, failed to put up any significant resistance, with only Angelo Mathews (49) and Niroshan Dickwella (35) offering some resistance.With Sri Lanka facing an uphill battle to save the match, England will be confident of wrapping up the contest on Day 4. The hosts need just eight more wickets to secure victory and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

England's Joe Root has etched his name into the annals of cricket history by becoming the all-time highest-scoring player for his country. At the age of 33, Root achieved this remarkable feat during the second Test against Sri Lanka, registering his 34th Test century.Root's achievement is a testament to his exceptional consistency and longevity at the highest level. Despite the significant shift in England's approach to Test cricket under Brendon McCullum's "Bazball" philosophy, Root has maintained his exemplary form, piling up runs and reaching milestones that others can only dream of.Currently ranked seventh on the all-time list of Test run-getters with 12,377 runs, Root has a realistic chance of surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the top spot with 15,921 runs. When asked about the possibility of becoming the highest-scoring player in Test cricket, Root remained humble, emphasizing his focus on playing for the team and scoring runs."I just want to play, and try, and do my bit for the team and score the runs as many as I can and see where we get to," Root said. "But there's no better feeling... it's obviously amazing when you score 100, you'd be lying if you said it wasn't, a big part of why you start playing the game and what you love about it."However, Root also acknowledged the importance of winning Test matches, stating that it is the ultimate goal. "But there's no better feeling than winning a Test match," he said. "So the more it can affect games and the more you can add to the team, the greater it is. So, that will be the main focus. And hopefully more days like this will come with that mentality."With several years of cricket still ahead of him and fitness on his side, Root has a realistic chance of surpassing Tendulkar's record. His unwavering determination and exceptional talent make him a formidable force in the world of Test cricket.

England's decision to halt bowling spin on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's has drawn criticism from former captain Eoin Morgan. With Sri Lanka struggling at 24 for 1, England opted to bring on seamers Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root instead of continuing with spin from both ends.Morgan questioned the decision, citing the poor light conditions and Sri Lanka's vulnerability. "It's a questionable decision," he said. "The reason behind that is just the whole context of the last hour or so: it is dark. There's a reason the seamers can't bowl: it is dangerous for everybody concerned."He emphasized the advantage England had with Bashir, England's premium fingerspinner, and the fact that Sri Lanka had promoted Prabath Jayasuriya, a No. 9 batsman, to No. 4. "They're bowling at a No. 9 at one end. Everything is in England's favor," Morgan said. "I question the decision… you have runs to play with, you have two or three new balls, everything in your favor. And yet you're sitting in the changing room."England's decision to come off the field left a near-capacity crowd at Lord's disappointed. Captain Joe Root expressed the team's desire to entertain fans, but acknowledged the safety concerns. "We pride ourselves on wanting people to come into the ground and feel like they've had a really enjoyable day of cricket, and can walk away wanting to come back for more Test cricket," he said.Ollie Pope, who is deputizing for Ben Stokes as captain, has faced criticism for his leadership. After scoring only 30 runs in four innings across the first two Tests, he was caught in the deep for 17 on Saturday.Sri Lanka's batting coach Ian Bell expressed hope that his team could still save the game. "The more we can spend time in the middle and that ball gets a bit softer…" he said. "This wicket has been quite a new-ball wicket, if you can get through that. There's still plenty of batting, and that's probably been the strength so far this tour: that middle-lower order have got some good runs."

Joe Root, the enigmatic English batsman, has etched his name into the annals of cricket history by surpassing Alastair Cook's record for the most Test centuries by an English player. In the second Test against Sri Lanka at the hallowed Lord's Cricket Ground, Root notched up his 34th Test hundred, eclipsing Cook's tally of 33.Root's century came on the third day of the match, a testament to his unwavering determination and exceptional batting prowess. With a deft cut off Lahiru Kumara, he registered his 10th boundary off 111 deliveries, reaching the coveted milestone. This achievement is even more remarkable considering that Root achieved it in just 145 Test matches, while Cook required 161 Tests to reach his tally of 33 centuries.Earlier in the match, Root had scored a magnificent 143 in the first innings, equaling Cook's record. However, his second century of the game not only broke the record but also cemented his status as one of the most prolific batsmen in England's Test cricket history.Root's seventh Test century at Lord's also secured him the record for the most Test hundreds at the 'Home of Cricket,' surpassing the England duo of Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan, who each had six. In doing so, Root became only the fourth batsman to score centuries in both innings of a Test at Lord's, joining West Indies legend George Headley (1939), Gooch (1990), and Vaughan (2004).Root's latest hundred also elevated him to joint-sixth on the all-time list of Test century-makers, a ranking led by India's Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 51 centuries in 200 Tests from 1989 to 2013. At 33, Root is the only active player among the top century-makers in Test cricket history.This achievement is a testament to Root's unwavering consistency and exceptional batting skills. He has consistently performed at the highest level, amassing runs across different conditions and against formidable opponents. Root's ability to adapt to different situations and play with both flair and resilience has made him one of the most respected and admired batsmen in the world.

Gaby Lewis, Ireland's experienced all-rounder, will lead the team in their upcoming white-ball series against England at home. Lewis has recovered from a quad strain sustained earlier this month and will take over the captaincy from Laura Delany, who is still recovering from an ankle ligament injury.Alice Tector, who made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka, has earned her maiden T20I call-up. She is the sister of Ireland men's batter Harry Tector. Una Raymond-Hoey, who missed the first T20I against Sri Lanka due to injury, has returned to both the ODI and T20I squads.National selector Ciara O'Brien expressed disappointment over Delany's absence but praised Lewis's leadership qualities. "Gaby has led before in Laura's absence. We're very comfortable with her stepping in to lead for the England series and know that she will bring her impeccable high standards to the role," O'Brien said.Lewis, who scored her maiden T20I century against Sri Lanka, is Ireland's leading run-scorer in the format and the second-most experienced player behind Delany. She captained Ireland in their historic first-ever ODI win over Sri Lanka, a series that saw Ireland earn their first points in the Women's Championship 2022-25.The Irish squad for the series is a young one, with an average age of less than 22 years. O'Brien urged Irish cricket fans to support the team. "This is a young side, with an average age of less than 22 years, and we hope that all Irish cricket fans to turn up and support the team," she said.Ireland and England will play three ODIs in Belfast before moving to Dublin for three T20Is. The ODIs are part of the Women's Championship, while the T20Is will serve as preparation for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup.

Andrew Flintoff, the former England all-rounder, will join the Test squad as a batting consultant ahead of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. Flintoff's appointment comes as Marcus Trescothick, the current batting coach, takes a short break before assuming the role of interim white-ball head coach for the upcoming series against Australia.Flintoff has been involved with England's white-ball setup for the past year, including the T20 World Cup in June. However, he will not be part of Trescothick's coaching staff for the three T20Is and five ODIs against Australia next month. Flintoff recently gained experience as a head coach with the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, where his team narrowly missed out on qualification.Flintoff is expected to join the Test squad on Wednesday for two training days and will assist Brendon McCullum's staff throughout the third Test. His role is short-term, and he is not expected to be involved in the winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.Trescothick will take a few days off after the second Test at Lord's before joining the white-ball squad ahead of the first T20I against Australia on September 11. His backroom staff will largely remain the same as Matthew Mott's, with the addition of England Under-19s coach Michael Yardy.Trescothick has not yet decided whether he will apply for the white-ball head coach's role on a permanent basis. He stated, "I'm still very focused on the batting stuff with the Test team. I'm going to let this play out and see what happens for this period of time, and see how much I enjoy doing the head coach's role and then go from there really."Trescothick will work alongside Jos Buttler, his former Somerset teammate, who is expected to continue as captain but may relinquish the wicketkeeping gloves in the T20Is. Trescothick said, "It's definitely something we'll think about, because we can try different options, give it a go for a period of time and see what reaction it has on his captaincy and on the team."Despite recent setbacks in World Cups, Trescothick believes England's one-day cricket is in a good place. He added, "Jos is going to lead that forward for a period of time at the moment - and I don't see it changing."

Joe Root, England's talismanic batsman, has etched his name into the annals of cricket history by equaling Alastair Cook's record of 33 Test centuries. This remarkable achievement came during the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's, a hallowed ground that has witnessed countless cricketing legends.Root's journey to this milestone has been nothing short of extraordinary. In just 145 matches, he has matched Cook's tally, who took 161 games to reach the same mark. This feat places Root in joint-tenth position on the all-time list of Test century-makers, alongside some of the greatest names in the sport.What sets Root apart from his illustrious peers is his longevity and consistency. At 33 years old, he is the only active player among the top ten century-makers. This underscores his exceptional talent and his potential to further cement his place among the all-time greats.Root's achievement is a testament to his unwavering determination and unwavering focus. He has consistently performed at the highest level, scoring runs in all conditions and against all opposition. His ability to adapt to different situations and his mastery of all aspects of batting make him a formidable force in the world of cricket.The list of most Test centuries is dominated by legends from the past, but Root's presence among them is a reminder that the game continues to produce exceptional players. His achievement is a source of pride for England and inspiration for aspiring cricketers around the world.