After the opening day of The Oval Test between England and Sri Lanka was frustrated by bad light, the second day afternoon also faced darkness. On the second day of the Test match, English pacer Chris Woakes forcefully turned into an off-spinner. 

After bowling out the hosts for 325 runs, Sri Lankan openers provided a quick start before the run out of Dimuth Karunaratne (9) in the seventh over. It was the second ball of the seventh over, where England took the first wicket from a run out. 

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Chris Woakes delivered four balls as an off-spinner

New Lankan batter Kusal Mendis just came to the crease, but the on-field umpires weren’t happy with the light. Umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney felt that it was too dark for fast bowling. It ultimately resulted in Woakes becoming a spinner to complete that over.

Woakes delivered the remaining four balls of that seventh over as an off-spinner. After a single to get off the mark for Mendis, Woakes delivered a widish dot ball before conceding a four to the opener Pathum Nissanka. His final ball as a spinner conceded one more run. 

Chris Woakes had to bowl four balls of offspin to complete an over because the umpires decided it was too dark for pace 😳

(via @englandcricket) #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/jYvnB3aLd6

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 7, 2024

After that over, the on-field umpires took another reading and felt brighter to utilise the fast bowling. So, the hosts continued with the fast bowler Gus Atkinson. 

England lost last six wickets for only 35 runs

Starting day two of the third or final Test of the series on 221/3, England were bowled out for 325 runs. The hosts lost their last six wickets for only 35 runs. Before the batting collapse, stand-in captain Ollie Pope scored 154 runs off 156 balls with the help of 19 fours and two sixes. 

In reply, Sri Lanka scored 142/5 at the tea. 

England already secured the home series by winning the first two Tests of the series. After winning the Manchester Test by five wickets, England won the Lord’s Test by 190 runs. 

England captain Ben Stokes has backed senior pace bowler Chris Woakes to lead England’s bowling attack without the veteran speedster James Anderson. With Anderson’ retiring’s retirement from international cricket after England’s convincing victory over the West Indies in the first Test at Lord’s, Woakes is all set to become the new leader for England’s bowling unit. However, despite the absence of veteran pacers, Stokes is optimistic about Woakes’ ability to fill the void as well.

“I see it (James Anderson’s retirement) as an opportunity for someone like Chris Woakes to take up the leadership role in the bowling unit,” Stokes stated on Wednesday. “Woaksy is a very experienced bowler, a very experienced player. We have been so used to Jimmy and Broady doing that. But we don’t have them now. I see that as an opportunity for Woaksy. (Woakes has been) A phenomenal performer, especially in England and great for him now to lead the attack.”

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James Anderson remains with the squad as part of the support staff

Although James Anderson has retired from the game, he remains with the squad as part of the support staff as well. Stokes added that the positive impact Anderson’s presence has had on the team, especially in providing valuable guidance to the bowlers as well.

“The last few days have been really good,” Stokes noted. “You can see that the lads are really desperate to pick his brains. Obviously before that it was a bit different. Jimmy has always been preparing for his games, so it’s about letting him do his stuff and pick his brains as much as you can, that felt appropriate. But now obviously he’s just standing there and you can see lads drawn towards him wanting to pick his brains about what he thinks, how he holds certain deliveries.”

“I think it has been a very, very smooth transition. But there is no doubt that there have been emotions with Jimmy. But with him still being around the team, I think he still knows that he has so much more to offer to the game with the ball. Couldn’t think of a better bloke to be able to pass on the knowledge of fast bowling to the guys we have with us at the moment,” Ben Stokes concluded.

The league stage of IPL 2024 has come to an exciting close with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) emerging as the top four teams. One of these teams will lift the championship trophy this Sunday, May 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The league round comprised 70 matches, featuring intense competition among the ten teams. Despite their efforts, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings ended up in the bottom six positions, missing out on the playoffs.

Overseas players have been instrumental in the success of the top four teams. SRH and RCB have been led by overseas captains Pat Cummins and Faf du Plessis, respectively. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine and Jos Buttler have played pivotal roles in KKR and RR’s journey to the playoffs. These players have been regular fixtures in their teams’ match squads whenever available, demonstrating their immense value.

While many overseas stars shone brightly, some highly talented foreign players did not get an opportunity to showcase their skills during the league stage of IPL 2024. Here are three notable players who remained on the bench throughout the season:

1. Kyle Mayers – Lucknow Super Giants

Kyle Mayers, who impressed as a first-choice opener for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023, was surprisingly not given a single game this season. The Caribbean all-rounder had accumulated 379 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 144.11 last year, with a top score of 73.

Mayers also contributed with the ball, delivering seven overs of medium pace at a respectable economy rate of 8.43. Despite his strong performance in the previous season, Lucknow opted to stick with Quinton de Kock, who struggled with form. Mayers was only seen during pre-match practice sessions and post-match discussions, leaving fans and analysts puzzled over his exclusion.

2. Chris Woakes – Punjab Kings

Chris Woakes, who was acquired by Punjab Kings for a hefty sum of 14.2 crores, was another notable absentee from the playing XI throughout the league stage. Woakes is a proven match-winner in international cricket, capable of making significant contributions with both bat and ball.

It was anticipated that he would share the new ball with Sam Curran or Arshdeep Singh. However, PBKS chose not to utilize Woakes, except for the final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he was unavailable. The decision to keep such a valuable player on the bench has been widely criticized.

3. Glenn Phillips – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Glenn Phillips, regarded as one of the most versatile players in world cricket, did not get a chance to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. Known for his aggressive batting, effective spin bowling, exceptional fielding, and wicket-keeping skills, Phillips remained on the sidelines.

SRH’s reliance on Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen, who have been in superb form, along with captain Pat Cummins occupying one of the overseas slots, left no room for Phillips. The fourth overseas spot was rotated between Marco Jansen and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, further limiting Phillips’ opportunities.

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As the league stage concludes, all eyes are now on the playoffs. Fans eagerly await to see which team will emerge victorious at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on May 26. With the top four teams featuring a blend of domestic talent and overseas prowess, the final showdown promises to be a thrilling culmination to another memorable IPL season.

England is on the brink of another Ashes defeat. They last made contact with the urn back in 2015, and haven’t won a Test since the 2010-2011 Ashes. Going by form, and potential, England look like they will continue to remain winless. They have some nice names in the squad, but very few have performed. The batting, in the first to games, depended too much on Joe Root, and Dawid Malan, while the bowling remains hit and miss. With England in a must-win situation, they could bring in some changes ahead at Melbourne.

See Also: 2021: South Africa’s Starting XI as they Begin a New Era – Cricket Winner

Zak Crawley in for Haseeb Hameed

Haseeb Hameed’s technique was good for the India tour back in 2016, when he made his debut, but the technique that worked then is failing him now. Playing with low hands, Hameed struggles against the balls that bounce higher. While Rory Burns has been under greater scrutiny, Hameed’s technique puts him further under the scanner. Rory Burns himself hasn’t looked comfortable at all, with a first-ball duck at Brisbane set the tone for England.

Burns though will likely get another chance, while Zak Crawley steps in for Haseeb Hameed. At 6’5”, Crawley’s height will make him feel less uncomfortable against the bounce. He is a free-flowing batter, with a nice range of strokes, which may help England set the tone early in the innings. Zak Crawley has a career-best of 267, but his form has also been an issue over the last year, which makes the opening puzzle all the more difficult.

Jonny Bairstow in for Ollie Pope

Ollie Pope is a batter with loads of potential, and a nice technique, but his batting hasn’t been good enough so far. With a long career ahead of him, England may want to give Pope some time off before he loses confidence, after a tough series. His approach has been a little puzzling as Pope didn’t look to comfortable against the likes of Starc or Lyon during his brief visits to the crease.

With very few options in the squad, England will have to go back to Jonny Bairstow yet again. Bairstow has been in and out of the side, and has struggled through the year in the longer format. He was in top-form back in 2016, and did a decent job at Australia on their last visit, but Bairstow struggled to kick off from a few good seasons. He is second on the list of ducks this year among England batters.

Chris Woakes out, Mark Wood in

Mark Wood was in great touch in the first Test, reaching a high pace and using the Australian conditions nicely. Being the only express pace bowler in the England squad, and one with injury issues, England was wary of overworking him, and rested him at Adelaide. His pace has put the likes of David Warner in some discomfort, and after a game off, Wood could be back at Melbourne.

England initially planned to have a wide range of express pace options for the Ashes. They groomed Jofra Archer, and Olly Stone only to see both suffering injuries, ending their Ashes hunt. Injuries to them left Mark Wood as the only bowler who could reach high speeds.

With Wood returning, Woakes seems the most likely to go out. He hasn’t been at his best, and is still struggling to crack the code on Australian pitches. He is in the firing line among the Australian batters, leaving Woakes in some trouble. His batting has been good, and it’s fair to say that he has been their best batter after Root, and Malan, but his batting alone may not be enough to keep him in the side.

Jonny Bairstow Chris Woakes and Dawid Malan are set to join Jos Buttler among the high-profile England withdrawals when this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League resumes next week. A bulging winter schedule is on the horizon for the quartet, who have been selected in England’s provisional squad for the Twenty20 World Cup which begins next month in the United Arab Emirates while they are all in contention for Ashes berths.

Rajasthan Royals have already announced Buttler will be absent for the remainder of the IPL, which restarts on September 19 in the UAE after being suspended in May amid an exponential rise in Covid-19 cases in India. Fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, seam-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes and Malan, the world’s number one ranked T20 batsman, are understood to have pulled out as well.

Bairstow is the leading run-scorer for Sunrisers Hyderabad but they sit bottom of the standings at the halfway point and seem unlikely to reach the knockout phases while Woakes and Malan have only had bit-part roles with Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings respectively. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer are unavailable for the Royals but there could still be 10 English representatives on the show with 2019 50-over World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan heading the pack as he skippers Kolkata Knight Riders.

Jason Roy, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Sam and Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings, and George Garton are also due to participate in the highly lucrative T20 competition. While all England players will fly commercial, Mumbai Indians announced captain Rohit Sharma, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batsman Suryakumar Yadav arrived in Abu Dhabi on a private charter flight on Saturday morning. The trio could have been involved in India’s fifth and final Test against England at Emirates Old Trafford, which was dramatically called off on Friday, just a couple of hours before play on day one due to Covid-19 concerns in the tourists’ camp.

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England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison was alarmed at suggestions the IPL had been prioritized over a prestigious Test match, rejecting the idea the fear of missing out on the T20 tournament had caused the disquiet among India’s squad. “Let me be super clear, I don’t think the IPL has anything to do with this,” he said on Friday afternoon. “This is not a situation which has been created by the rescheduled IPL, I fundamentally do not believe that for a second. This Indian cricket team is as passionate about Test cricket as fans in our country are.”

There will still be 10 England players who will take part in the IPL 2021.

Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings) and Sam Curran (CSK) are set to leave for Dubai soon and will be joined by Tom Curran (DC), George Garton (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Chris Jordan (PBKS), Adil Rashid (PBKS), Liam Livingstone (RR), Sam Billings (DC) and Jason Roy (SRH).

IPL 2021 was initially postponed indefinitely after just 29 matches in May due to the second wave of Covid-19 in India. But the Indian cricket board (BCCI) was able to find out a window to slot in the remaining 31 games to complete the season and thus, decided to take the tournament to the UAE where it will be played from September 19 to October 15 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Oman.

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“All members had returned negative RT PCR results before departure. A new RT PCR test was undertaken upon arrival at Abu Dhabi, which came out negative as well.” Malan, meanwhile, has been included in Yorkshire’s squad for their upcoming County Championship clash with Warwickshire which is due to start on Sunday.

England reduced India to 122 for six on the first afternoon of the fourth LV= Insurance Test, with the returning Chris Woakes leading the way alongside Ollie Robinson. Woakes, back in the side after a year blighted by Covid complications and injury, needed just six deliveries to put his frustrations behind him with the wicket of Rohit Sharma and returned to see off Ravindra Jadeja in a fine spell after lunch.

He also had Virat Kohli dropped in the slips as he reminded England what they have been missing, leaving Robinson to pick up the India captain for the third time in the series. Kohli had made a determined, dynamic 50 but was once again unable to produce a match-defining knock before nicking off.

England had chosen to send the tourists in, with Joe Root persuaded by clouds overhead and a tinge of green underfoot. Doubts may have started to creep in during a sedate first half-hour, with James Anderson unable to generate his usual menace despite getting the fresh Duke’s ball swinging handily. He was pulled from the attack after conceding 20 from his first four overs, allowing Woakes an early look at the Indian openers.

After 11 matches and 12 months of waiting he was instantly on point, foxing Rohit with one that hooped away from his attempted cover drive and then thumping the shoulder of the bat after getting one to kick off the pitch. Jonny Bairstow, donning the gloves again in Jos Buttler’s absence, did the rest as Woakes enjoyed a long-awaited celebration. Having made the breakthrough on 28, England kept India locked on that score for seven overs as Woakes and Robinson stitched together a long sequence of 42 dot balls.

Must Read: India vs England, 4th Test: England captain Joe Root has plenty to ponder ahead of the Oval Test.

India need to learn from there past mistakes if they want to win this test.

Each one-upped the pressure and Robinson cashed it in when he pushed his natural length a fraction fuller and nipped it back into Rahul’s front pad. A close lbw call went in the bowler’s favor, full and fair reward for a wonderful spell of 8-6-8-1. Anderson returned with the express intention of reopening his decade-long battle with Kohli but instead had to content himself with the scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara. He managed a solitary scoring shot in 31 deliveries and there was an air of inevitability when he was caught behind to one that nipped off the seam.

India resumed on 54 for three at lunch, with Kohli getting started in the afternoon with a sweet cover drive for four to reach 22. That was almost his last act, with Woakes finding the edge only for a misunderstanding between Rory Burns and Root in the cordon to offer him a reprieve. With Woakes nagging away at the Pavilion End, Root soon had the chance to make amends and he held on to Ravindra Jadeja at ankle height. The all-rounder had surprisingly been promoted to number five, but a nervy 10 hardly represented a success.

Woakes’ first over in more than a year after replacing Sam Curran bagged Sharma on 11. Sharma fended and gave an edge behind Jonny Bairstow, who was wicketkeeping for the first time since 2019 while Jos Buttler was by the side of his wife, who is due to give birth. Rahul was then out for 17, rapped on his back pad by Robinson. Kohli ended the scoring drought and got off the mark with a boundary through mid-on-off Anderson, whose second spell earned him the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara. Pujara was looking to block but edged behind after scoring 4.

Kohli was beginning to impress now, rediscovering his strut in the middle and unfurling a handful of crisp blows through cover and point. He also encouraged Ajinkya Rahane to overturn an lbw verdict against Woakes but shortly after raising his bat for a half-century, he was on his way back. After watching Robinson hang a handful of deliveries outside off stump, he was tempted in by a tighter line and edged through to Bairstow as he aimed for mid-wicket. Rahane was close behind, a thoroughly timid inning of 14 endings when he fenced Craig Overton to gully where new vice-captain Moeen Ali took a diving catch.

England captain Joe Root is debating whether to stick or twist with his bowling attack in the fourth LV= Insurance Test against India, with concerns over the workloads of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson. Both players were instrumental to the series-leveling win at Headingley and would comfortably form part of England’s best XI for Thursday’s clash at the Kia Oval.

But they have also shouldered a big burden over the past three games, each bowling more than 116 overs, and two more back-to-back Tests in the next fortnight could be too much to ask. With long-term injuries to Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, and Olly Stone, the idea of rest and rotation had been temporarily put on ice though that could be about to change. With Chris Woakes back in the squad and pushing for a long-awaited return to the red-ball side, not to mention positive signs around Markwood’s shoulder problem, there is a selection headache brewing.

One temptation must be to stand down 39-year-old Anderson, preserving him for the series decider at his home ground of Emirates Old Trafford, but going in without the most prolific paceman in history is not a decision to be taken lightly. “I think it’s really important we see where everyone is at over the next couple of days, physically. It’s such a tricky balancing act at the minute,” said Root. “Trying to manage workloads alongside performance is something in the current climate, with the games coming thick, that is always going to be tricky.

You come off a win like last week and there’s continuity of confidence and trying to replicate a similar performance, but you’re trying to balance that and make sure you don’t blow someone out and injure someone.“It’s really tricky and something we’ll have to weigh up really well and get right.” Should the ever-reliable Woakes make the XI it would mark his first appearance since being named England’s Test player of the 2020 season? Since then he has endured a sequence of unfortunate setbacks and is raring to go.

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England to have extra edge to win next test with Woakes back in team.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare for Woakesy,” said Root. “Whether it’s Covid that’s kept him out – being a close contact – or a freak injury coming down the stairs, it feels like he’s not played a huge amount of cricket. But when he has played he’s been as good as ever. He was our best player last year. The white-ball stuff that’s he’s played has been exceptional, getting it to move all over the place, so to have him back around things is great.”

England will make one enforced change to their winning formula, with Jos Buttler having left the squad in preparation for the birth of his second child. Jonny Bairstow will take over as wicketkeeper, with vacant batting spot going to Ollie Pope or Dan Lawrence. Pope is light on meaningful practice after Surrey’s championship fixture with Durham was canceled due to coronavirus, but the familiar environment of the Kia Oval may be seen as the perfect place to reintegrate the 23-year-old.

“It’s an interesting one. They are two wonderful players who offer a huge amount to English cricket,” said Root. “It will be something we look to consider over the coming days. With Dan coming out of a first-class game and Ollie at his home ground, there’s a number of things to consider.”

India’s main selection issue revolves around whether or not to change their blueprint and recall senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Leaving out a player with 413 Test wickets and five centuries is a luxury they may no longer feel able to indulge. “I think his record speaks for itself, he’s a world-class player,” said Root.

“We’ve seen him score runs and take wickets against us and we know what he is capable of in the Test arena. Ultimately you can get wrapped up in playing the player but it’s important that you just play the delivery, play the situation you find yourself in. Whoever it is that we face up against this week, just play what’s right in front of you, not the reputation. It will be exactly the same if it is him we come up against.”