File photo of England cricket team.© AFP

England all-rounder Ben Stokes on Thursday joined the company of West Indies great Garry Sobers and South Africa’s legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis to become the third player and first England player to secure a double of 6,000-plus runs and 200-plus wickets in Test cricket. Stokes accomplished this feat against West Indies in the first Test of the three-match series at Lord’s. Dismissing batter Kirk McKenzie in his first over, Stokes got his 200th Test wicket. In 103 Tests, he has taken 200 wickets so far. Also with the bat, he has scored 6,320 runs at an average of 35.30, with 13 centuries and 31 fifties. His best score is 258.

Meanwhile, Sobers has (8,032 runs and 235 wickets in 93 Tests) and Kallis has (13,289 runs and 292 wickets in 166 Tests).

Also, he is the sixth overall and first-ever England player to secure a double of 10,000 runs and 300 wickets in international cricket. In 260 international matches, Stokes has scored 10,368 runs at an average of 35.75, with 18 centuries and 56 fifties, with the best score of 258. He also has completed his 300 wickets in international cricket.

West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper, Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya, Kallis, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan are other players to have scored 10,000 runs and taken 300 or more wickets in Tests.

Coming to the match, England won the toss and elected to field first. West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals and never really got a breather. Mikyle Louis (27 in 58 balls), Kavem Hodge (24 in 48 balls) and Alick Athanaze (23 in 56 balls) did the bulk of scoring as Windies was skittled out for 121 runs in 41.4 overs.

In their first innings, England gained a 250-run lead and they were bundled out for 371 runs, with half-centuries coming from Zak Crawley (76 in 89 balls), debutant wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (70 in 119 balls), Joe Root (68 in 114 balls), Ollie Pope (57 in 74 balls) and Harry Brook (50 in 64 balls).

Jayden Seales (4/77) was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies. Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie also took two wickets.

Teams:

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva(w), Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.

If Lamine Yamal plays beyond 11 PM, the Spanish FA will be fined 30,000 euros.© AFP

James Anderson led the way in his farewell international match as England closed in on a crushing innings win over the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. The West Indies had slumped to 79-6 in their second innings at stumps on the second day, still a mammoth 171 runs behind England’s first-innings 371, with Anderson having taken a miserly 2-11 in 10 overs. England great Anderson came into his 188th and last Test before international retirement having already taken 700 wickets — the most by any fast bowler in the 147-year history of the format.

Yet the 41-year-old had to wait until dismissing last man Jayden Seales in the first innings to extend that tally to 701.

But it was a different story on Thursday as Anderson reduced the tourists to 12-1 by bowling West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with a ball that nipped back off the seam.

England captain Ben Stokes then had Kirk McKenzie lbw for a duck as he became only the third man, after West Indies great Garry Sobers and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, to take both 200 wickets and score 6,000 runs in Tests.

Mikyle Louis, who had already marked his Test debut by top-scoring with 27 in the West Indies’ meagre first-innings 121, was then caught behind off Stokes for 14 as England strengthened their grip on the first of this three-match series.

The cascade of wickets continued when Kavem Hodge played on to debutant fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who had done the damage in the first innings with a spectacular return of 7-45.

Alick Athanaze offered a measure of resistance while making 22 before he fell to a combination of England’s old and new, edging Anderson — 42 later this month — low to debutant wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Friday.

The West Indies were now 55-5, with England eyeing a repeat of their celebrated two-day win over the Caribbean side at Headingley back in 2000.

The tourists avoided that embarrassment but lost Jason Holder to what became the last ball of the day when the former captain was brilliantly caught at short leg by a diving Ollie Pope after fending at Atkinson.

Stylish Smith

Earlier Smith, averaging over fifty in the County Championship this season for title-holders Surrey, made an eye-catching 70 during an assured 119-ball innings that included eight fours and two sixes.

It was the fifth fifty of England’s innings, with Smith following Zak Crawley (76), Joe Root (68), Pope (57) and Harry Brook (50) to the landmark.

England resumed Thursday on 189-3, already 68 runs ahead and they again scored briskly against the wayward West Indies quicks before left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie briefly staunched the flow of runs by bowling both Stokes and former skipper Root with sharply turning deliveries

Smith had been chosen as England’s wicketkeeper ahead of Ben Foakes in part because the selectors felt he was better at batting aggressively with the tail than his Surrey team-mate.

He proved them right by going on the attack when pulling a six off Shamar Joseph — who later left the field with what appeared to be a hamstring injury — before launcing another off Seales over the stand.

After Shoaib Bashir was brilliantly run out by Louis’ direct hit from point, No 11 Anderson walked out to a standing ovation from MCC members in the Pavilion for what could well be his last Test innings.

Anderson was left on nought not out without facing a ball, however, when Smith holed out in the deep off fast bowler Seales, who took 4-77.

England’s progression to a first ever major tournament final on foreign soil at Euro 2024 is the fruit of a decade of work on a player development programme that has turned perennial underachievers into serial contenders. Ending a 58-year wait to win a major trophy at senior men’s international level is the final hurdle left to clear for Gareth Southgate’s men in Sunday’s final against Spain after serial success at youth level and in the women’s game. Just months after the Three Lions had crashed out of 2014 World Cup with one game to spare of the group stage, Southgate –- then in his role as under-21 boss –- appeared alongside the English Football Association’s technical director Dan Ashworth.

They presented a plan termed “England DNA” that had the goal of blending the passion English football was famous for with better technique and a stronger mentality to handle the pressures of major tournament football.

“One of the mantras we have is ‘The only thing that changes is the size of the shirt’,” said Ashworth, who was recently appointed Manchester United’s sporting director after successful spells at Brighton and Newcastle.

“So as they come through that player pathway, from an under-15 boy or girl, all the way through to the seniors, we have some consistent messages around them.

“If everyone is on the same page and everyone buys into and believes what you are trying to do it can become so much more powerful.”

The results since speak for themselves at every level.

Many of Southgate’s squad in Germany have already experienced winning tournaments at youth level.

Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer were part of the side that beat Spain in the final to win England’s first under-21 Euros for 39 years 12 months ago.

Ezri Konsa won the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, while the same year Phil Foden won player of the tournament alongside Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher in winning the under-17 World Cup.

England’s women won their first major tournament on home soil at the Euros in 2022 and followed that up by reaching the World Cup final last year.

“As a football nation we have long been characterised by our passion, fighting spirit and effort,” Ashworth said at the time.

“Although there are aspects of these characteristics we wish to retain, we do not wish to be solely defined by them.”

The blend of an old fashioned never-say-die attitude with players of a higher technical standard has carried England on a rollercoaster to the Euro 2024 final.

Hyped before the tournament as one of the favourites, Southgate admitted the expectation weighed heavy as his side stumbled through the group stage, scoring just two goals in three games.

They then needed late fightbacks and individual moments of brilliance from Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka to keep them alive in sneaking past lower ranked opposition in Slovakia and Switzerland to make the last four.

But in Dortmund against the Dutch, England’s decade of planning had its reward in a famous 2-1 semi-final win.

“It will be I would imagine a long time, if ever an English side had 60 percent possession of the ball against a side from the Netherlands. So it shows the more modern England way,” said a beaming Southgate afterwards.

The ultimate test lies ahead against a Spain side that have swept all before them, including Germany and France on the tougher side of the draw.

England have previously suffered a series of near misses under Southgate.

They defied expectations to reach the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup before missing out on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final on home soil.

More heartbreak came in Qatar two years ago when Harry Kane ballooned over a late penalty against France in a 2-1 quarter-final defeat.

But that experience has put them in a better place than ever before to become champions of Europe for the first time.

“We’re more calm going into the knockout games because the first time we did it in Russia, we hadn’t won a knockout game for 10 years,” added Southgate.

“We hadn’t been through the experience. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, we’ve managed a lot of those games now. 

“The last final was the first European Championship final I’ve ever managed. If I didn’t get anything right, apologies for that. I’m going to try and do better this week.”

England fast-bowling great James Anderson has admitted that legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar is the toughest opponent he has faced in his career. As Anderson draws the curtains on an illustrious career, he has revealed that Tendulkar would be the batsman to whom he would not know what to bowl. Anderson is one of only three bowlers to take more than 700 Test wickets (701* at the time of writing), but even he has admitted that he would not have a game plan against Tendulkar.

Speaking to Sky Sports in a fan Q&A, Anderson said: “The best batter I would have to say is Sachin Tendulkar.”

“I don’t remember having a specific game plan against Sachin Tendulkar,” Anderson said. “I would just think that I cannot bowl a bad ball here, he was that kind of player,” he added.

“If you get him out in India, the whole atmosphere in the ground changes. He was such a big wicket,” Anderson continued.

Despite this revelation, however, it must be noted that Anderson was fairly successful against Tendulkar. In fact, the seamer got him out on eight separate occasions.

“You just try on bowling your best ball, top of off-stump, the whole time and hope he misses a straight one. In England, he might knick the odd one, but generally, I’d try and get him out LBW early,” Anderson explained.

Tendulkar amassed nearly 16,000 Test runs in his career, and averaged over 50 against England, with a best score of 193.

Anderson calls time on his career

After 188 Test matches, James Anderson is playing the final Test of his career at Lord’s as West Indies tour England. However, after West Indies were put into bat, it was pace partner Gus Atkinson who stole the show, grabbing seven wickets to bundle out the opposition for just 121. Anderson picked up just the one wicket, of no. 11 batter Jayden Seales.

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher on Thursday opened up on his first impression of legendary pacer James Anderson, who is currently playing his final international match during the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s following over two decades of service to English cricket. Anderson is playing his final international gamer as England take on the West Indies in the series opener from July 10. With 701 wickets in 187 Test matches, Anderson currently stands third among the highest wicket-takers in the longest format and is the first among all fast bowlers.

Speaking about a young Anderson, who made his international debut back in 2002 and played his first Test against Zimbabwe in 2003 at Lord’s, Butcher, who also featured in Anderson’s debut Test, said during the Wisden Cricket Monthly podcast, that the youngster’s coloured, spiked hair were the only “loud thing” about him, otherwise, the pacer was very “quiet and shy”.

“The hair was kind of the only loud thing about him, really. Very, very quiet, very, very shy, kept himself to himself. And of course, he was incredibly young as well. So barring the hair, you would barely have noticed him,” recalled Butcher.

Recalling his bowling against Australia in an ODI at Adelaide early in his career, Butcher said that Anderson had “terrific control and movement”.

“The fact that 21 years later, he is still doing it is something that nobody would have been able to have predicted from back then,” he added.

Butcher said that Anderson was a lot quicker early in his career and he made up for any loss in his pace with his incredible skill with the ball.

“Going back to that Test match in 2003 (against Zimbabwe), he bowled some incredible deliveries, you know. Turning batters into an S, starting the ball on and outside the leg stump and hitting the top of off, that type of thing, all at a really good lick. We felt as though, wow, you have got a really talented kid here. But of course, he was stick thin and very, very young. And so the thought was perhaps that he is probably going to snap in two at some point and never to be seen again. That did happen, but the never to be seen again part did not,” he concluded.

He made his debut in the Test format against Zimbabwe at The Lord’s in 2003, and he will bid farewell to fans as a player at the same venue. His 6/17 against Pakistan in the first Test in 2010 at Trent Bridge still echoes the prowess of his remarkable career.

He has also taken 269 wickets in 194 ODIs for England and 18 wickets in 19 T20Is.

Coming to the match, England won the toss and elected to field first. West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals and never really got a breather. Mikyle Louis (27 in 58 balls), Kavem Hodge (24 in 48 balls) and Alick Athanaze (23 in 56 balls) did the bulk of scoring as Windies was skittled out for 121 runs in 41.4 overs.

Besides the seven-fer by Atkinson (7/45), James Anderson, skipper Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes also got a wicket each.

In their first innings, England has crossed the 300-run mark and have a 200-plus run-lead in the game, with Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes at the crease.

Teams:

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva(w), Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.

Virgil van Dijk in an interaction with the referee during Netherlands vs England Euro 2024 semi-final.© AFP

“Better late than never” said England talisman Jude Bellingham, on his latest Instagram post, after his team’s dramatic win over the Netherlands in the second Euro 2024 semi-final. Ollie Watkins scored a superb last-minute goal, to send the Dutch packing, and keep the dream of ‘bringing it home’ alive. Away from the goals and the celebrations, a certain teenager in the middle of the park is slyly running away with the headlines. Teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo has had a tremendous campaign at the base of midfield, carrying on from his terrific season with Manchester United.

England will face Spain in the final on Sunday. Both sides, on paper are incredibly well-rounded, with a wealth of experience and quality. But for both sides, the biggest talking points of the tournament have been their teenage superstars.

Soon to be 17-year-old livewire Lamine Yamal took the breathe away from millions watching the game, scoring an absolute scorcher in the semis against France. The Barcelona winger has been outstanding all throughout the tournament, becoming the youngest goalscorer ever in the semi finals of a major tournament. Yamal has racked up 4 goal involvements in the campaign so far, making a strong case for being named Player of the Tournament if Spain are to win Euro 2024.

Although Mainoo doesn’t fill the statsheet in the obvious ways, his impact on the team has arguably been as much as Yamal’s. The 19-year-old has completed more than 95% of his passes with a staggering dribble percentage of 98%. Incredibly composed on the ball, playing line-breaking passes and dribbling out of trouble, Mainoo has provided the England midfield a brand new dimension. In the semi final, Mainoo played more of a reserved role at the base of the midfield, winning 100% of his duels and tackles. Mainoo’s skillset has enabled Declan Rice to be more expansive with his game, bombing forward at every opportunity possible.

After a disappointing Finals loss in the last Euros, England will be determined to put in a big shift in Berlin. But on the other side, they face Spain, who have arguably been the best team to watch so far. And as mentioned above, all eyes will be on the battle of the teens, as Lamine Yamal and Kobbie Mainoo go head-to-head, vying to win their respective nations the big prize.

File image of Sunil Gavaskar.© X (Twitter)