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England batters are making merry on "pretty flat" pitches at home but the Ashes series later this year will throw an altogether different challenge when Ben Stokes-led side visits Australia, warns batting stalwart Steve Smith. The ease of batting in the ongoing India-England has become a topic of debate and Smith believes the British batters shouldn't get too used to batting-friendly pitches. The two teams have managed to score more than 500 runs in an innings at least once and have consistently put on board runs in excess of 400. "Their (England) batters are going to be challenged a little bit differently to the wickets they have had over in England for a while, which have looked pretty flat and good for batting," Smith was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "The wickets in Australia in the last three or four years have been very tricky for top order batters. It is going to be a good challenge for them. But it's going to be a wonderful series." As part of preparation for the Ashes, S
England great Kevin Pietersen has stirred a fresh debate by claiming that batting in the current era is "way easier" than it was 20-25 years ago, suggesting a decline in the quality of bowling across Test-playing nations. Pietersen's comments on his social media handle came a day after fellow England batter Joe Root overtook Australia great Ricky Ponting to climb to second place in the all-time list of Test run scorers. "Don't shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then!, Pietersen wrote on X on Saturday. Pietersen, who played 104 Tests, 136 ODIs and 37 T20Is for England between 2005 and 2013, has been as flamboyant with his views as he was in the middle with the bat. The former right-handed batter, who made 8,181 runs at 47.28 with 23 tons and 35 fifties in Test cricket, said batting was twice as hard back then. Pietersen named a host of bowlers from the past eras and challenged his readers to name 10 contemporary bowler
Virat Kohli had a laugh at his own expense while talking about his Test retirement at Yuvraj Singh's fundraiser in London. Kohli, who now resides in the British capital, made a quick dash to the YouWeCan cancer fundraiser after being spotted at Wimbledon, where he looked suave and stylish in a brown suit. With the Indian team also in the house, the event presenter made a reference to Kohli not being part of the squad, having announced his retirement ahead of the England tour. "We miss you on the field man," said presenter Gaurav Kapur. With Ravi Shastri, Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen and Yuvraj himself standing next to Kohli, the Indian superstar took a pause before responding: "I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it's time when you are colouring your beard every four days, it's time to relax." Kohli came in the middle of the fundraiser and was clearly the showstopper. He also spoke about his bond with Shastri, who was the head coach when Kohli took the Test team to ne
Former England player Mark Ramprakash has hailed Shubman Gill for his stamina, skill and hunger, saying the young India batter and captain has shown he is capable of filling the boots of the 'Fab Four' of world cricket whose era is nearing an end. Gill scored 269 and 161 in the two innings of the Birmingham Test, adding to his 147 and 8 in the series opener at Leeds. He has totalled 585 runs in two Tests of the five-match series. "We have to pay testament to his stamina, his skill and his hunger not just for runs, but to set an example as the new captain of a young team," Ramprakash wrote 'The Guardian'. "We are coming to the end of a period that has been dominated by the so-called Fab Four Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson and the search has been on for players who can take over. "Gill has shown he can fill those boots and in a wonderfully orthodox style: he plays all formats and is brilliantly adaptable, but with a foundation of classic technique." The ..
Rishabh Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side after nearly 20 months as India announced their 16-man squad for the opening match of the two-Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19. Virat Kohli also made a comeback having missed the five-Test series against England at home earlier this year for having taken a break for the birth of his second child. While fast bowler Mohammed Shami remains on a comeback trail and was not included in the squad, uncapped left-arm Uttar Pradesh fast bowler Yash Dayal received his maiden Test call-up. India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was last seen in national colours during the T20 World Cup, returned to the squad and he is expected to play a couple of more Tests against New Zealand in October-November, before the team flies out to Australia for a five-Test series. Bumrah is perhaps the only player apart from Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma to have been given freedom to choose as per the workload requirement and how his body ..
Pakistan fast bowler Khurram Shahzad took three wickets in five balls and left Bangladesh tottering at 75-6 on Day 3 of the second and final test on Sunday. Bangladesh, which registered a historic 10-wicket win in the first test, still needs 49 runs to avoid the follow-on as Pakistan's inexperienced pacers exploited lively conditions on a green-top wicket before lunch. Shahzad (4-15) capped the session for Pakistan when he had Shakib Al Hasan leg before wicket while Mir Hamza took 2-29 after he replaced Naseem Shah in the playing XI for the second test. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who took five wickets in the first innings, was batting on 33 and Litton Das was not out on 13 as both batters survived for over an hour before lunch with an unbeaten 49-run stand. Mehidy showed aggression in the latter half of the session and smashed seven boundaries, and Das survived after he required treatment after Shahzad's short ball struck him on the rib-cage. Bangladesh's top-order stumbled .