England went on a rampage against West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Thursday. In a superb display of power-hitting Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope went on a rampage as England reached the score of 50 in just 4.2 overs. This is the first time in the 147 years history of Test criket that a team reached 50-run mark in less that 27 balls. In doing so, England broke their own record of reaching 50 in 4.3 overs against South Africa in 1994 at The Oval. 

Fastest team 50s in Test cricket: (where known)

4.2 overs – England vs WI, Nottingham, 2024

4.3 overs – England vs SA, The Oval, 1994

4.6 overs – England vs SL, Manchester, 2002

5.2 overs – Sri Lanka vs PAK, Karachi, 2004

5.3 overs – India vs ENG, Chennai, 2008

5.3 overs – India vs WI, Port of Spain, 2023

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to field in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

With sunny blue skies overhead, conditions appeared ideal for batting on a lightly-grassed pitch.

But Brathwaite’s decision was understandable given his side had been bowled out for just 121 and 136 during an innings and 114-run defeat by England in the first Test at Lord’s last week.

“It looks a good cricket pitch, but I think we’ll utilise what we get today,” Brathwaite said, with the West Indies looking to level the three-match series at 1-1.

“With the ball, we could be a lot of more disciplined. That’s one thing we’ve talked about.

“Batting wise, we’ve got to build partnerships and score at least 300 runs in the first innings.”

England captain Ben Stokes added: “It was a tough one if we’d have won the toss. I’ll keep to myself what we were going to do.”

Both sides had already named their teams before the toss, with England recalling fast bowler Mark Wood after veteran seamer James Anderson retired from international duty with 704 Test wickets — a record for any pace bowler in the format — following the Lord’s Test.

But the West Indies, who had planned to be unchanged, were forced to make a late alteration when spinner Gudakesh Motie woke up with ‘flu on the morning of the game and dropped out.

It was a blow to the tourists, with Motie the only one of their batsmen to pass 30 at Lord’s, where he was also the West Indies’ most impressive bowler.

His place was taken by spin-bowling all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, who came in for his second career Test.

Sinclair made a fifty on his Test debut when the West Indies produced a stunning upset to beat Australia by eight runs in Brisbane in January.

Teams:

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Kevin Sinclair, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

Umpires: Adrian Holdstock (RSA), Rod Tucker (AUS)

TV umpire: Nitin Menon (IND)

Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

With AFP inputs 

Pakistan cricket team is going through a nightmare period of time at the moment. From a forgettable campaign at the ODI World Cup 2023 to a humiliating exit in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, Pakistan have failed to put up a good show. Not just the players but the Pakistan Cricket Board also went through numerous changes, which ultimately resulted in their team’s debacle. Many former cricketers and experts have criticised the players and skipper Babar Azam has always been on the receiving end.

Babar, who was once the No 1 ODI batter in the ICC rankings, miserably failed to produce a good knock for his team during the ODI World Cup in India. Later, he carried his poor form in the T20 World Cup, where his team got eliminated in the group stage.

To make things worse, a video from Team Pakistan’s net practice session has gone viral on social media, where Babar was seen struggling against star pacer Naseem Shah‘s younger brother, Ubaid Shah.

Babar Azam struggling against Naseem Shah’s younger brother Ubaid Shah in the nets pic.twitter.com/0HvMlHbQ06

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 17, 2024

Ubaid, who is just 18 years old, easily dominated the 29-year-old Babar with his brilliant pace.

Earlier, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi heavily criticised Babar and stated that he has got enough chances but he failed to deliver.

“Babar has got a full open chance to lead Pakistan. He has been given enough time to show his worth as captain. Now whatever surgery the PCB wants to do, they should take their decision,” Afridi told the media in Birmingham where he was taking part in the World Legends Championship.

“I have also captained Pakistan and so have Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq but whenever the team has performed badly in the World Cups, first thing the captain faces the knife (sic),” he said.

Talking about Team Pakistan, Babar and co will be squaring off against Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, starting from August 21 in Rawalpindi.

(With PTI Inputs)

Representative image© AFP

File photo of Gautam Gambhir© X (formerly Twitter)

Rohit Sharma is all set to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and he will be leading the side as well, according to a report by Hindustan Times. Earlier, there were speculations that the trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the entire tour of Sri Lanka with KL Rahul possibly becoming the ODI captain for the upcoming series. However, the report claims that Rohit will be back in action while Virat and Bumrah will enjoy an extended leave after playing non-stop cricket. India will play just six ODIs before the Champions Trophy 2025 and the report said that it was a big reason behind Rohit’s involvement. The series will also be Gautam Gambhir‘s first assignment as Team India head coach.

Meanwhile, the T20I captaincy remains a topic of discussion as Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav have both emerged as strong contenders. However, media reports believe that SKY hold an advantage in the race as the team management is concerned about Hardik’s fitness struggles.

Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as the dark horse to become India’s T20 captain till the 2026 World Cup and might just pip top contender Hardik Pandya, whose elevation from the vice-captain’s position was being seen as a natural progression up until now.

Pandya made himself available for the shortest format games against Sri Lanka this month but it has emerged that Suryakumar, who captained India in eight T20Is against Australia and South Africa last year, is the preferred choice of new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.

It is learnt that both Gambhir and Agarkar spoke to Pandya about this change of plan earlier this evening and explained to him that a long-term option was being finalised to ensure stability.

The T20 leadership role fell vacant after Rohit Sharma bid adieu to his international career in the shortest format following India’s World Cup triumph last month in the West Indies.

Pandya, one of the heroes of that victory, will take a break during the three-match ODI series against the island nation due to “personal reasons”. The T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo.

The squad for the series is expected to be announced in the next couple of days.

“Hardik Pandya was India’s T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side but there is a very strong feeling that SKY would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“Hardik’s break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. He doesn’t have any fitness issue as is being suggested in the media,” the official said.

(With PTI inputs)

File photo of Hardik Pandya© AFP

Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya reflected on his journey and body transformation from days of suffering injury during the 50-over World Cup to winning the ICC T20 World Cup this year for Men in Blue with his all-round performance. After his T20 World Cup triumph, Pandya received a warm welcome in his home city, Vadodara, on Monday. The 30-year-old also attended a roadshow to celebrate Team India’s win in the T20 World Cup.

Now, taking to Instagram, Pandya reflected on his tough journey from the 50-over World Cup in October-November last year to the ICC T20 World Cup this year in June, which also included a very controversy-filled period in which he returned to Mumbai Indians (MI) as a captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In the second image to the right, Pandya looks much more ripped physically, as opposed to the first picture, where he seems a little out of shape following his injury.

Pandya wrote in his caption, “Was a difficult journey after the freak 2023 Cup injury but well worth the effort with the T20 WC win. The results come as long as you put in the effort. Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Let’s all try our best and work on our fitness.”

In the T20 World Cup, Pandya scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57, with a half-century and best score of 50*. He also took 11 wickets in eight games at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64, with the best figures of 3/20.

During the roadshow, many fans gathered on the road to give Hardik a cordial welcome in Vadodara. Hardik’s brother, Krunal Pandya, was also present at the roadshow.

Facing injuries and controversies not so long ago, Hardik once again delivered when all the lights shined bright on him, playing a major role in his side’s ICC T20 World Cup triumph. It was Hardik who secured the crucial wicket of Heinrich Klaasen in the 177-run chase during the final and delivered the crucial final over in which he got the wicket of David Miller, which completely turned the game in favour of India.

This tournament marked a redemption tale for Hardik, who was booed out of nearly every stadium across India during the IPL 2024 after taking over the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians (MI) from five-time IPL champion Rohit Sharma. The all-rounder, who was just making a comeback into the game after suffering an injury to his ankle in the 50-over World Cup last year, became a victim of online trolling and fan wars as he was accused of betraying the MI franchise, Rohit, and his former franchise, Gujarat Titans (GT), which he led to the IPL title in 2022.

India ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought as Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) starred in Men in Blue’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final at Barbados on June 29. Virat’s masterclass knock helped India reach 176/7 in 20 overs, while Bumrah and Pandya unleashed a pace choke on Proteas, snatching the match from a losing position to restrict Proteas to 169/8 in their 20 overs.

One of the most iconic cricketers of all time, Virat Kohli became a big talking point on social media after veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra shared some scintillating revelations from the Indian Premier League. Mishra, who plays for Lucknow Super Giants, suggested that Kohli has changed a lot over the years, with “fame and power” bringing about a big shift in his personality. As Mishra’s comments triggered a huge debate on social media, Punjab Kings star Shashank Singh shared a brilliant story from his interaction with Kohli, that truly showcases the personality the latter has.

During an interview, Shashank revealed that Kohli stood for 40 minutes while discussing cricketing topics with him after an IPL match. The length to which the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star went to help a youngster like him, touched Shashank’s heart.

“He was standing, I was standing. We were standing for 40 minutes. I didn’t even know when 40 minutes passed,” Shashank Singh told InsideSport.

“Our team position was 12:45. It was 12:40, I didn’t know when 40 minutes passed. And we were talking about cricket, about technique, about shots, about mental chatter,” he added.

“And the way he was answering, it felt like, keep doing it, keep doing it. It felt like, he is one of our Chhattisgarh players. He was so friendly, talking to me to help me understand. It felt so good to talk to him,” he added.

Earlier, Mishra had drawn a comparison between Kohli and Rohit, saying the latter has remained the same over the years but the former has changed drastically due to ‘fame and power’ he has earned.

“I have seen Virat change a lot. We had almost stopped talking. When you get fame and power, they think people are reaching out to them for a purpose. I was never one of those. I have known Cheeku since the time he was 14, when he used to eat samosas, when he needed pizza every night. But there is a huge difference in the Cheeku I knew and Virat Kohli the captain,” he had said in a podcast.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah© AFP

Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra dropped a few bombs during a podcast, as he shared details from some of the most controversial incidents in Indian cricket. Mishra shared the inside details from the Virat Kohli vs Naveen-ul-Haq battle during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, revealing how the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter abused the Lucknow Super Giants pacer. Mishra even suggested that though everything seems normal between the two on social media, it would be difficult for Naveen to respect Kohli after after that IPL incident. Now, Naveen has responded to Mishra’s remarks.

“For social media, it all seemed to be over between them. But do you think Naveen will respect Kohli ever again? What about the youngsters who saw the incident where a big star was abusing others,” Mishra had said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast “Unplugged”.

Naveen, who is playing for the Texas Super Kings in USA’s Major League Cricket, reiterated that all is well between him and Virat, with the IPL clash only being a ‘heat of the moment’ incident.

“That was just the heat of the moment during the match and nothing personal. And I and Virat Kohli both have forgotten and in the ODI World Cup, we finished, hugged and we moved on from that. But social media nowadays keeps these things going on and on,” Naveen said in a video shared by the Texas Super Kings.

Naveen’s connect with the king kohli! #WhistleForTexas#AllYouNeedIsYellove#CognizantMajorLeagueCricket#MLC2024 pic.twitter.com/qshjxUpN5r

— Texas Super Kings (@TexasSuperKings) July 17, 2024

Mishra, who is one of the top wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League, had revealed that Virat abused many LSG players during the IPL 2023 clash, after supposedly getting triggered by Gautam Gambhir‘s ‘finger on lips’ gesture during the reverse fixture in Bengaluru.

“He started abusing our players (in the LSG vs RCB rematch in Lucknow). He didn’t have any grudges with Kyle Myers but he abused him as well. Naveen-ul-Haq was bowling, he would abuse him too. A lot of things would have been avoided but Kohli chose not to,” the former Indian leg-spinner had said.

Kohli himself hasn’t yet spoken on the matter.