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A gripping series comes to a close at The Oval, with everything still on the line

Andrew Miller30-Jul-20251:31

What should India’s pace attack look like for The Oval?

Big picture: Nice and spicyWho doesn’t love a bit of rancour with their Test cricket? Admit it. You’re every bit as hooked as the players themselves. Emotional over-investment has been the theme of the week, from England’s graceless antics at the fag-end of the Manchester Test to Gautam Gambhir’s foul-mouthed altercation with the Oval groundsman. The stakes, and the tempers, are on a knife-edge as the series finale looms, and no matter what else one might think of the behaviour on display, one thing is for sure: there will be no going through the motions for the coming five days. This contest has developed a context all of its own.It is also shaping up as an extraordinary opportunity for India to turn the tables in a series that looked done and dusted when Chris Woakes reduced them to 0 for 2 in their second innings at Old Trafford. If it wasn’t clear by the end of that game, it seems more obvious now; England’s grumpy attitude towards India’s milestone-hunting stemmed from their own frustration and exhaustion after laying everything on the line for 143 overs. They had gone into that final innings expecting to win the series with a game to spare, and maybe coast into this fifth Test with a chance to relax and experiment. Instead, they arrived at that controversial final hour with a very real sense of vulnerability in the air. Sure enough, here they are now, starting again from scratch just four days later, with a rejigged bowling attack and, as it turns out, without the one man whose efforts had hauled them into that winning position in the first place.Ben Stokes clearly knew, even as he was imploring Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to shake his hand, that his shoulder injury was a very significant concern. His absence now transforms the agenda for both teams. At Old Trafford, England’s captain reprised the peak of his all-round powers, with a superb first-innings five-for, followed by his first Test century for more than two years. Now, however, he’s reprising a more familiar recent theme – the unavoidable fragility of a competitor whose body is struggling to keep up with his gut-busting desire.Related

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He’ll be back – of course he will – in good time for the Ashes, but another six-seven weeks of rehab is not how Stokes hoped to finish his most prolific series as a Test bowler. Even so, Brendon McCullum’s concerns about his workload – as telegraphed from the Lord’s balcony two Tests ago – suggests that the England dressing room always feared this could be the upshot.Talking of the Ashes (as of course we must, it’s English cricket’s version of Godwin’s Law) it is fascinating how different the feel is around this fifth Test, compared to the last time a drawn Test at Old Trafford was the prelude to a series decider at The Oval. In the 2023 Ashes, England were the team on the rampage – high on their own supply, as has been standard for the past three years – but as convinced of their direction of travel as they seem a little spooked by it right now.Even though England lead the series, India’s batters make up the top four run-scorers so far, with 11 centuries to England’s seven. Notwithstanding the Bazball belief in bowling long and backing their batters to match any given innings in double time, there is bound to be a cumulative effect to those long and fruitless hours in the field on the psyche of the attack, let alone their stamina. The pitches, ever a talking point even before Lee Fortis got involved in the discussions, have been flat and unforgiving with only session’s worth of exceptions, while Woakes’ returns – 10 wickets at 52.80, compared to his home average of 21.59 from 34 previous Tests – have epitomised the underlying toothlessness of England’s attack.0:35

Watch – Gambhir’s heated exchange with Surrey groundsman

India aren’t without concerns on that front too, of course. They need 20 wickets to secure a share of this series, but their own attack was utterly devoid of ideas in England’s only innings at Old Trafford, where Joe Root and Stokes controlled the agenda after a flying start from Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Jasprit Bumrah will not play, which puts the onus squarely on the returning Akash Deep and Mohammad Siraj – who claimed 17 wickets between them in that memorable win at Edgbaston.Glib though it is to say it, however, desire may be the deciding factor in this fascinating series. To claim that the series is descending into foul-tempered anarchy would be doing a disservice to the genuine respect that emerged after England’s agonisingly tight victory at Lord’s earlier this month. But, there’s also no doubt – to channel each side’s inner Kevin Keegan – that each would “love it” if they beat the other this week. It may require the straining of several sinews for either side to get over that finishing line, especially if the forecast for the back-end of the Test is correct. But unfortunately for England, their key piece of sinew has already been sidelined by prior exertion. It’s up for grabs now.Form guideEngland: DWLWW
India: DLWLLIn the spotlight: Jacob Bethell and Washington SundarFor most of the summer – especially after Ollie Pope quietened his doubters with a century in the first Test – it looked as though Jacob Bethell would remain on the outside looking in, his reputation growing given the instant impact he had made as an emergency No. 3 in New Zealand last year. Now, not unlike the last man in this set-up who was forced to wait his turn, Harry Brook in 2022, Bethell’s chance has come in the final Test of the summer, and the rewards for seizing it could be immense. For it’s not just his precocious batting that will come into the spotlight this week. Bethell’s potential as a spin option will be explored in the absence of Shoaib Bashir and Liam Dawson, which – in certain circumstances during the Ashes – might offer him another route into England’s XI. For the time being, though, his primary task will be to hit the ground running in a series that has been dominated by the bat.2:33

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Washington Sundar’s stock has risen immensely in the course of this campaign. His inclusion for the second Test at Edgbaston looked at first like a conservative choice, with the connoisseur’s preference being the more dramatic wristspin option of Kuldeep Yadav. But then Washington chipped in with a vital 42 from No. 8 that set up a winning total, before his four-wicket onslaught at Lord’s brought his primary suit back into focus. Now he’s a Test centurion, having been a focus of England’s ire in those fraught final overs at Old Trafford. And, in the absence of Rishabh Pant, that resolve could be vital to India’s hopes of squaring the series, with Pant’s No. 5 berth up for grabs once more.Team news: Stokes ruled out with grade three tear”Pain is just an emotion,” Stokes said after the fourth Test. Grade Three tears of the shoulder, on the other hand, are a more significant problem. The captain’s absence from this contest is a shattering blow to England’s hopes of closing out the campaign, not least because he has been their best and most penetrative bowler all summer long. Bethell slots in for his first Test of the summer, and given that he and Root form a passable spin partnership, Dawson is the fall guy. His absence also reflects England’s need to shore up their seam attack in Stokes’ absence. Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer were off-colour at Old Trafford; Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue complete a significantly changed line-up.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Jamie Overton, 11 Josh Tongue2:08

How do India’s five regulars cope with the quick turnaround?

Bumrah is set to be rested by India’s medical team after a tough outing in Manchester, where he bowled 33 overs and was taken for more than 100 runs in an innings for the first time. Akash Deep, unavailable last week, is the likely candidate to replace him. Anshul Kamboj, uninspiring on debut, is expected to make way too – potentially for Prasidh Krishna, who was expensive at the start of the series – while Arshdeep Singh, who split his webbing between the third and fourth Tests, is fit again too. A decision needs to be taken on Shardul Thakur, who was neither one thing nor the other at Old Trafford. With India facing a must-win game, is it time at last to unleash the wiles of Kuldeep? Dhruv Jurel, a familiar face after his substitute keeping in the last two Tests, is this time officially included, with Pant ruled out with that broken foot.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Shubman Gill (capt), 5 Washington Sundar, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 8 Shardul Thakur/Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed SirajPitch and conditions: Grass left on the pitchWho dares to get close enough to the pitch to analyse it fully, in light of the furore that kicked off on Monday? The surface on match eve still had a green tinge, although plenty can change in 24 hours. The weather, for the most part, looks warm, although showers are forecast for Thursday afternoon, while the back end of the match could see further downpours.Ollie Pope has won three and lost one of his four previous Tests as captain•Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Stats and trivia: Seamers’ paradise India have won twice in 15 previous visits to The Oval, in 1971 and 2021, which was also their most recent match against England at the venue. They lost their last visit there, against Australia in the World Test Championship final in 2023. With 722 runs in the series so far, including four centuries, and a maximum of two innings to come, Shubman Gill has a range of batting records in his sights. Only one man, Clyde Walcott in 1955, has previously made five hundreds in a single series, while no player has passed 800 in a series since Mark Taylor in the 1989 Ashes. Don Bradman did it three times: his all-time record of 974 runs in the 1930 Ashes remains 252 runs away, which is less than Gill’s highest score of the series so far. Pope has won three and lost one of his four previous Tests as captain, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan between August and October last year. In a microcosm of his career, he has a top-score of 154, on this ground against Sri Lanka, and 37 runs in six remaining innings. Since the start of 2023, there have been 22 first-class matches at The Oval, in which seamers have taken 617 wickets and spinners have taken 79. This season alone, seamers have accounted for 131 wickets out of 150. For 21 consecutive first-class matches, dating back to April 2023, teams winning the toss at The Oval have chosen to bowl first – including India against Australia in the WTC final.Quotes”Decisions like this are not straightforward. You have to let the emotion settle before you make a clear, firm decision. I did turn up to training to see if I could go as a batter, but it wouldn’t be a sensible call to make, considering how much worse it could be by going out there.”
Ben Stokes explains why he’s not risking his fitness for this match“We have played four matches already in this series, and nobody had stopped us from watching the pitch. All of us have played so much cricket, [and] we have gone to the pitches so many times – including the coaches and captain. I don’t know what the fuss was about.”
Shubman Gill, India’s captain, is bemused by the row with the Oval groundsman

Former England batter dies at home in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-20252:30

Remembering Robin Smith

Robin Smith, the former England batter who went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest fast bowlers of the 1980s and 90s, has died at his home in Australia at the age of 62.Smith played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at 43.67 with nine centuries, including three against West Indies – the team that so often brought out his pugnacious best.Smith’s signature shot was a front-foot square cut that was, by many estimations, one of the fiercest strokes in the world game, and it enabled him to thrive in cricket’s adrenalin-fuelled fast lane. This was especially true on England’s memorable tour of the Caribbean in 1990, when Smith was instrumental in England’s victory in the first Test in Jamaica, and again on home soil in consecutive 2-2 drawn series against West Indies in 1991 and 1995.At Edgbaston in 1993, Smith produced a remarkable innings of 167 not out in an ODI against Australia, a score which would remain England’s highest in the format for 23 years, until surpassed by Alex Hales in 2016.However, his perceived weakness against spin counted against him at key moments of his career, in particular with the emergence of Australia’s Shane Warne, whose success in his maiden Ashes tour in 1993 persuaded the selectors to omit Smith from England’s subsequent visit to Australia 18 months later.Ironically, Smith and Warne became lifelong friends – a relationship that was central to Warne’s decision to sign for Hampshire in the latter years of his career.Born in South Africa in 1963, Smith was brought up to be a professional cricketer, and would spend hours honing his technique in the bespoke cricket net that his father built at the family home in Durban, and in which Barry Richards and Mike Procter counted among his practice partners.Richards’ own connections with Hampshire had, in turn, persuaded the club to take a punt on his two young neighbours. Smith’s elder brother Chris would also go on to play for England after emigrating from South Africa in the early 1980s, but Robin’s debut – against West Indies at Headingley in 1988 – was the more eagerly anticipated of the two.Robin Smith on his way to 90 against West Indies at Lord’s, 1995•Getty ImagesIn a sign of things to come, his maiden innings comprised a century stand with his fellow South African import, Allan Lamb – another great player of West Indian fast bowling – only for England to collapse to a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh.Smith was still arguably in his pomp at the age of 32 when he played his final Test, against his former countrymen South Africa at Cape Town, at the end of a disappointing 1-0 series loss in January 1996. With England’s supremo, Ray Illingworth, keen to usher in a new generation, Smith was bracketed with England’s older guard and cast aside, despite boasting a batting average that – of the players with whom his career overlapped – only David Gower and Graham Thorpe could better.Post-career, Smith’s struggles with alcoholism were poignantly addressed in his 2019 autobiography, The Judge: More Than Just A Game. However, only last week, he attended the first Ashes Test in Perth, and spoke widely to the media about his ongoing recovery. He also attended an England Lions training session at Lilac Hill at the invitation of Andrew Flintoff.A statement from his family confirmed that Smith had died unexpectedly in his South Perth apartment on Monday, and that the cause of death is unknown.”Since his retirement from the game in 2004 [Robin’s] battles with alcohol and mental health have been well-documented but these should not form the basis of speculation about the cause of death which will be determined at postmortem investigation,” the statement added.”This is an immensely difficult period for us all whilst we try to come to terms with our bereavement, and we would therefore much appreciate consideration for our privacy by media and cricket followers alike.”ECB Chair Richard Thompson said: “Robin Smith was a player who stood toe to toe with some of the quickest bowlers in the world, meeting spells of hostile fast bowling with a defiant smile and an incredible resilience. He did so in a way that gave England fans enormous pride, and no shortage of entertainment.”He was a batter ahead of his time which was typified in that unforgettable unbeaten 167 from 163 balls in an ODI against Australia at Edgbaston in 1993.”His record at Hampshire is exemplary, and he’ll be remembered rightly as a great of Hampshire CCC. We’re desperately sad to learn of his passing, and the thoughts of all of us in cricket are with his friends, family and loved ones.”

And how rare is it for a batter to be dismissed for 99 and 0 as Harry Brook was?

Steven Lynch01-Jul-2025India lost the first Test against England despite having five individual centurions. Has this ever happened before? asked Krishna Saha from Bangladesh, and many others
India’s feat of losing the first Test against England at Headingley last week is not only unique in Test cricket, it has never happened before in more than 63,000 matches in all first-class cricket.There was only one previous case of a team scoring four centuries in a Test but losing. This was by Australia in a timeless match against England in Melbourne in 1928-29. That included 112 from Don Bradman, his maiden century, in his second Test.There have been 11 further instances of a team scoring three individual hundreds in a Test but losing.Rishabh Pant scored two centuries in the first Test in England. How many wicketkeepers have done this in Tests? asked Mark McKenzie from Scotland
That stunning double of 134 and 118 by Rishabh Pant in the first Test against England at Headingley last week was only the second time anyone has scored twin centuries in a Test match in which he was also the designated wicketkeeper.The other one was Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower, with 142 and 199 not out against South Africa in Harare in 2001.Pant was the seventh man to score two centuries in a Test for India (Sunil Gavaskar achieved the feat three times, and Rahul Dravid twice), but the first to do it against England. The only other player to score two centuries in a Test at Headingley was Shai Hope of West Indies in 2017. Jonny Bairstow (against India at Edgbaston in 2022) and Kumar Sangakkara (twice) also achieved the feat, but not in matches in which they kept wicket.Harry Brook scored 99 and 0 in the first Test. How rare is this? asked Orlando Coelho from India
The England batter Harry Brook followed up his 99 in the first innings at Headingley last week with a first-ball duck in the second. He’s only the fifth man to be out for 99 and 0 in the same Test, following Pankaj Roy (India against Australia in Delhi in 1959), Mushtaq Mohammad (Pakistan vs England in Karachi in 1973), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan vs West Indies in Bridgetown in 2017) and Babar Azam (Pakistan vs Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2018).Two other men have made 0 and 99 not out in the same Test: Geoffrey Boycott for England against Australia in Perth in 1979, and Andrew Hall for South Africa vs England at Headingley in 2003.Only four other batters before Harry Brook have been dismissed for 99 and 0 in the same Test•Getty ImagesIndia’s first-innings 471 at Headingley included three individual centurions. Was this the lowest total to include three hundreds (and three ducks!)? asked Sandeep Koparde from India
You’re right that India’s 471 at Headingley last week was the lowest completed Test innings to contain three individual centuries. The previous mark was South Africa’s 475 against England in Centurion in 2016 (Stephen Cook 115 on debut, Hashim Amla 109 and Quinton de Kock 129 not out). Australia’s 494 all out against England at Headingley in 1926 also contained three individual centuries, as did West Indies’ 497 against India in Kolkata late in 2002.Leaving aside the all-out stipulation, the lowest Test total to include three hundreds is South Africa’s 393 for 3 declared against England at Lord’s in 2008.The highest Test total to include three dismissals for ducks is Afghanistan’s 699 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2024. There were also three individual centuries (two of them over 200).I heard that Dilip Doshi once had figures of 8-7-1-1 in a one-day game in England but was dropped for the next match. Is this correct? asked Rahman Ashwini from India
Remarkably, it is true. Dilip Doshi, the left-arm spinner who sadly died last week aged 77, was playing for Nottinghamshire in 1977. He conceded only a single in his eight overs as Northamptonshire were skittled for 43 in their Sunday League game at Wantage Road in June.Their next match in the competition was against Kent at Canterbury a fortnight later. Doshi recounted in his entertaining autobiography Spin Punch: “I changed at around 12.30 for the two o’clock start, but was informed ‘Thank you, but Kenny Watson is playing in this one.’ I was aghast. After all, I had won them the last match. Kent players such as Derek Underwood could hardly believe this.”The explanation seems to be that Nottinghamshire had three overseas players on their books – Doshi, the South African allrounder Clive Rice, and Watson, another seamer from South Africa – and only two could play in any game. According to Doshi, “Rice felt there was no place for the slow bowler in limited-overs cricket, and he sold this idea to the cricket committee.”Doshi was a late starter in Test cricket, mainly because the left-arm spinner role in the Indian team was held down for many years by Bishan Singh Bedi. Doshi finally got a chance in 1979-80, when he was nearly 32. He still finished with 114 Test wickets: at the time he was only the second bowler (after Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett) to make it to 100 after making his debut when over 30. They have since been joined by Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Ryan Harris (Australia), Mohammad Rafique (Bangladesh) and Bruce Yardley (Australia).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Steven Smith issued an ominous warning to England ahead of the Ashes, slamming 118 for New South Wales in his first game of cricket in more than two months.Fresh off a six-week stint in New York where he didn’t pick up a bat, Smith looked in imperious touch as he helped NSW to 349 for 5 in the Sheffield Shield against Queensland.Related

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After the opening day’s play at the Gabba was washed out through rain, Kurtis Patterson also hit 122 while youngster Will Salzmann impressed with 65 while opening.The only sour point for NSW was Sam Konstas being bowled middle stump for 10, leaving a ball from left-armer Hayden Kerr that angled straight into his wickets.Konstas is now essentially no chance of retaining his spot as Australia’s opener, and could benefit from a summer out of the spotlight in the Shield.But there is no question mark over Smith’s form heading into the first Test in Perth on November 21, where he will captain Australia in place of the injured Pat Cummins.Smith played out 21 dot balls to start his innings on Wednesday, but from the moment he on-drove Sam Skelly to the boundary to get off the mark, the right-hander looked on.A flurry of drives and pull shots followed, with the 36-year-old treating the Gabba as his playground and looking every bit at his best three weeks out from the first Test.Sam Konstas was bowled by Hayden Kerr•Getty Images

Some 86 of his runs came in boundaries, including a big six down the ground of Mitchell Swepson when he charged the legspinner and took him on.Three boundaries came in three balls at one stage off quick James Bazley, with the first two crunches through the covers and the last a classic straight drive.Once renowned for being a cricket nuffy who perhaps trained too much, Smith insisted last week he now needed only two hits in the nets to prepare for a summer.And by the time he drove Tom Straker to bring up his century off 158 balls on Wednesday, the proof of that was clear and England had been put on notice.Smith was eventually well caught by Matt Renshaw at gully, but by then he looked well placed to set himself up for a big Ashes summer.Arguably Australia’s best-performing batter in Ashes history aside from Don Bradman, Smith has hit 12 career centuries against England and averages 56.01.His runs on Wednesday came as England’s ODI side collapsed on Wednesday across the Tasman, all out for 175 in a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand.Smith’s century also overshadowed the superb innings of Patterson. The former Test batter found form following a lean start to the Shield season, after his late-career revival last summer was one of the best stories of Australian cricket.Patterson cover-drove superbly and hit 14 boundaries in total, before being caught behind trying to drive Marnus Labuschagne late in the day.For NSW to win this match they will likely need to score big and only bat once, while Queensland’s hopes are effectively gone through Smith and Patterson’s 202-run third-wicket stand.