Skipper Alastair Cook fears Ben Stokes KO as England demolish Pakistan to level series July 25, 2016 Concerned England skipper Alastair Cook admits the prospect of Ben Stokes taking the field against Pakistan in next week’s pivotal third Test at Edgbaston looks bleak after the all-rounder sustained a calf injury. The potential loss of Stokes was the sole blot on an otherwise barnstorming fourth day at Old Trafford as England put the tourists [...]
Alastair Cook right to ignore calls for follow-on, insists assistant coach Paul Farbrace July 24, 2016 England assistant coach Paul Farbrace has defended skipper Alastair Cook’s decision to bat again and not enforce the follow-on as his side turned the screw on Pakistan during day three of the second Investec Test at Old Trafford. Resuming on 57-4, the tourists offered precious little resistance and were dismissed for just 198, a first [...]
Cricket betting: Batting bother for England – but Jonny Bairstow can deliver July 21, 2016 England's batting order has been a cause for concern for a number of years now. Since the departure – wrongly or rightly – of Kevin Pietersen, they have tried to plug the round holes of positions three, four and five with a series of square pegs. Last time out at Lord’s, with Nick Compton in [...]
Cricket betting: Spinner Shah could make things Messi for England July 21, 2016 Pakistan's performance against England at Lord’s last week couldn’t have gone much better and it is no surprise they have a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. They were in control of the game throughout, taking a first innings advantage after a century from captain Misbah-ul-Haq before leg-spinner Yasir Shah helped wrap the game up [...]
Skipper Alastair Cook moves to defuse row over James Anderson’s omission from first Test against Pakistan July 21, 2016 Skipper Alastair Cook has played down the notion of friction in the England camp as the row over seamer James Anderson’s omission from the first Investec Test at Lord’s rumbles on. Anderson is set to return to England’s starting XI for the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, which starts on Friday, as is all-rounder [...]
In Yasir Shah England are facing the best leg-spinner since Shane Warne, insists all-rounder Ben Stokes July 20, 2016 Returning England all-rounder Ben Stokes has hailed Pakistan’s Yasir Shah as the best exponent of leg-spin since Australia great Shane Warne as preparations for the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, which starts on Friday, intensify. Yasir proved the scourge of England during their 75-run defeat to Pakistan at Lord’s in the first Test as [...]
Two spinners, Rashid in for Moeen, Vince out? England have options at disposal for the second Test against Pakistan July 20, 2016 England have some thinking to do before the start of the second Investec Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday as they bid to drag themselves back into the series. Having named a 14-man squad for the clash they have plenty of options at their disposal and there has been a fair bit of [...]
England’s batsmen were naive and need to grow up, blasts skipper Alastair Cook after slumping to defeat against Pakistan July 17, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook lambasted his side for naïve batting after they slumped to a humbling 75-run defeat in the first Investec Test against Pakistan at Lord’s. Chasing 283 for victory, England again fell under the spell of leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who claimed four second innings wickets to finish with match-figures of 10-141 in his [...]
Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq leads Pakistan revival at Lord’s and out-muscles England July 14, 2016 Centurion Misbah-ul-Haq believes Pakistan need another 100 runs to seize control of the first Investec Test at Lord’s after he led his side’s recovery against England with a majestic ton on a placid wicket. Misbah, aged 42, became the oldest player to claim a Test hundred since 1934 as he finished unbeaten on 110 after sharing [...]
Past is the past: Mohammad Amir–inspired Pakistan will be a stern challenge for England July 13, 2016 All the talk is of convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir returning to Test cricket and he is a big reason why I expect Pakistan to provide a stern challenge for England when the four-match Investec series gets underway at Lord’s on Thursday. The 24-year-old looks to be bowling pretty well and swinging the Dukes ball late, [...]