England

Lyon sustained a significant calf tear on the second day and has been on crutches since, but defied the pain to walk out as last man during Australia’s second innings on Saturday afternoon.

Australia’s frontline spinner limped on to a standing ovation and bravely batted for 25 minutes in a 13-ball innings of four that saw the tourists move on from 264 for nine to 279 all out, which set England 371 to win.

“I have been absolutely shattered, I have been in tears, upset and I have been hurting, but this team means everything for me,” Lyon reflected after England closed on 114 for four, still requiring 257 runs for a series-levelling victory.

“Yes, I have been having conversations since it happened with our medical team and I knew the risk. But the way I look at it, I will do anything for this team and you never know how big a 15-run partnership can be in an Ashes series.

“So, yes I am proud of myself for going out there and doing that.

“If it was tomorrow, I would do it again and again and again because I love this team, I love playing for Australia.”

Lyon was on crutches at the start of day four but in an extraordinary sequence of events in the afternoon session, he started to make his way through the pavilion down to the pitch when Pat Cummins was out to leave the tourists on 261 for eight in the 96th over.

With the 35-year-old in major discomfort every time he walked, Lyon hopped down the stairs and waited in the long room at Lord’s until Josh Hazlewood’s dismissal brought him to the crease.

Before his courageous innings, Lyon encountered England veteran James Anderson, who was off the field at the time.

Lyon added: “I have played against Jimmy for a long period of time now and I have a lot of respect for him. He asked, ‘Am I stupid? And I said, ‘Yes, but I may have to do a you and go to 40.’

“He said, ‘if you keep loving the game and keep trying to get better there is no reason why you can’t,’ so that was a nice little moment with Jimmy.

“Regarding batting, I had to go down to the long room and wait because I would have been timed out otherwise. The lifts here are pretty slow so I had to go down the stairs, I didn’t know how long Josh would hang in there for.

“It was interesting being in the long room, rather than being in the pavilion. It felt like I was in the zoo. A lot of eyes on me, watching what I was doing, what we were saying but I will do anything for this team.”

Ahead of his surprise cameo, speculation had started about whether Lyon would pad up and to what benefit.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen was not alone among broadcast pundits in suggesting that Lyon taking a blow to the helmet may benefit Australia if it allowed them to bring in Todd Murphy as a concussion substitute.

Pietersen described the scenario as “food for thought” on Sky Sports, but Lyon was deeply unimpressed by the suggestion.

Lyon’s friend and team-mate Phil Hughes died in 2014 after being hit by a bouncer in the neck and the spinner vehemently shut down the notion.

He said: “I have heard comments that people thought I went out there to get hit on the head and I am really against that.

“I lost one of my mates due to being hit in the head so I think that is a really poor excuse or conversation to be had.”

While Lyon would not confirm his Ashes was over, he backed reserve spinner Murphy, 22, to leave his mark on the tour.

Australia’s chief spinner Lyon, who was playing his 100th consecutive Test, will have a meeting with the team’s medical staff on Sunday over the best course of action for his rehabilitation.

“This is just a little speed bump in the road, this is not career-defining or anything like that,” Lyon stated.

“I am sitting down with our medical team tomorrow and we will have a chat. Right now, it is pretty shattering, pretty gutting and I am pretty speechless if I am honest.”

England’s unabashed commitment to the attacking principles of ‘Bazball’ saw them lose a thrilling first Ashes Test to Australia at Edgbaston, with the hosts driving the game forward to a tense conclusion that ended in defeat by two wickets.

The England dressing room has not blinked over the risks that they took along the way, with Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum insisting they are on the right track.

Now Root has joined the chorus, insisting the only thing he would change if he had his time again is not bringing a similarly aggressive style during his own reign.

Root led his country in a record 64 Tests over five and a half years, walking away last April after overseeing a draining run of one win in 17.

As the team’s most accomplished batter he has let loose since returning to the ranks, scoring five centuries and averaging 67.31, but wishes he had taken Stokes’ bold approach when he was at the helm.

Asked if England would like to go back to day one at Edgbaston and reverse their declaration after just 78 overs, the fastest in Ashes history, he said: “That’s not what we’re about as a team. If I could go back in time, I’d go back and start my captaincy tenure the way Ben has and try to play in a similar manner to how he does it.

“It’s far more exciting, far more interesting and I think we are getting more out of our team and our individuals. We’re playing better cricket to watch and producing better results overall.

“A lot of times that would peter out to a draw. The wicket we had was very slow, it could have made for a long, mundane game, but the way we went about it we gave ourselves a great opportunity to win the Test match.

“If are going to grow as a team we can’t just look at a couple of moments going against us and say ‘we need to do things differently’. If anything we need to double down on how we do it, completely back ourselves and make sure we get those one per centers right at Lord’s.

“We feel like we’ve ran the game for five days and we might be on the wrong end of it but there’s still so much more to come in that dressing room. It’s a great spot to be in.”

Apart from sheer weight of runs, one of Root’s most significant contributions to the new era of English cricket is his frequent use of an unconventional reverse ramp shot against pace bowlers.

Root uses the stroke to take advantage of gaps in the field, turning accurate deliveries into boundary options, but also to make a statement of intent against quicks who are unused to being treated with such apparent disdain.

Even so, his decision to deploy it off the first ball of a finely poised fourth day against Australia captain Pat Cummins was a remarkable one. Root made no contact on that occasion, but was undeterred enough to use it twice more in the next over – hitting Scott Boland for six and four.

“I don’t feel like Superman, I’m absolutely bricking it when the bowler’s running in to bowl most of the time,” he said of his mindset.

“Coming out first ball of the day, it was more about being 28 for two and it was a chance to lay a marker down. To say to everyone in the ground – the dressing room, the crowd – we are not here to be bowled at, we’re here to push the game on.

“I think that’s how we all look at the game now, from any position we feel like we can get somewhere to go on and win.”

Root also enjoyed an unexpectedly central role with the ball as the first Test reached its conclusion, sending down 15 overs in the fourth innings as Moeen Ali struggled with a burst blister on his right index finger.

McCullum has said Moeen will play in Wednesday’s second Test if fit, but if concerns linger over the injury, England could go two ways. They could send for a replacement, such as Surrey’s Will Jacks, but they could also continue to rely on Root’s part-time off-spin and use the chance to bring in Mark Wood’s 90mph pace.

“I think Mo will be absolutely fine, I’m sure he will be, but it’s always great when you get a chance to contribute to any Test match,” said Root.

“You want to get involved and step up in those big moments. I’m always ready for a chance to take Test wickets.”

Hartley took 10 wickets in eight matches during England’s seminal triumph, including two for 58 in the final against India, the undoubted highlight of an international career spanning 28 ODIs and four T20s.

The slow left-armer has not featured for England since 2019 while she went on a brief hiatus in May after admitting she had been “struggling mentally”, having fallen out of love with the game.

She made her comeback earlier this month for Welsh Fire, who have guaranteed progress to at least the eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday and could even go directly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.

Whatever the outcome for the Fire in the knockout stages, Hartley, a popular broadcaster with the BBC’s Test Match Special, will retire from cricket this weekend.

“I’m hanging the boots up. I am officially retiring from cricket,” the 29-year-old said on her BBC ‘No Balls’ podcast. “I can’t believe it, I feel so good.

“I have been thinking about it for ages and ages. I’m going to really miss it, I’m going to be really sad but it’s so right. I’ve loved it, I’ve hated it but I am really proud of what I’ve achieved.

“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m gutted I didn’t play Test cricket but I’m one of those where if you’re not good enough then you’re not good enough.”

Hartley made her England debut in 2016 but estimated she has devoted 17 years to her playing career, and is now looking forward to having more free time, even if she will still work in the game.

“At the minute, it’s work, cricket, work, cricket. I don’t ever have any days off,” Hartley added. “I haven’t seen my school friends for about a year because I never have time.”

Hartley, who has represented North West Thunder on the domestic circuit since 2020, has taken two wickets in three matches for the Cardiff-based Fire, who are currently second in the table.

They will finish top – and thereby go straight into the Lord’s showpiece – if they beat Northern Superchargers on Tuesday and Southern Brave lose to Manchester Originals on Wednesday.

Mills’ express pace from a left-arm angle brought him to prominence, with a searing 93mph yorker which castled Chris Gayle in the 2016 Vitality Blast going viral. He made his England debut soon afterwards.

A congenital back problem diagnosed the previous year led to him becoming a T20 specialist as too much bowling can inflame his spinal cord and he has spent plenty of time since then on the treatment table.

However, he stayed fit throughout the English summer and was Sussex’s leading wicket-taker in the Blast before topping the dismissals charts in the men’s Hundred with Southern Brave.

While he was overlooked for a series against New Zealand before the World Cup, the 31-year-old remains very much on England’s radar and has been drafted into the squad for five T20s in the West Indies.

After a few months to savour, Mills admitted he may not be as fast as he once was but the trade-off is he makes up for it in other ways and has honed a devilishly deceptive slower ball.

“I probably don’t bowl quite as quickly as I did when I was 20 or 21 years old but I think I can still bowl quick enough,” said Mills, who has made 13 T20 appearances for England.

“Ultimately what’s most important is that I’m a much better bowler; I’m much more accurate, my nous and tactically I’m very astute – that’s something I take a lot of pride in.

“I’d rather be maybe a touch slower but playing a lot of games than being a tearaway and breaking down a lot. That was a subconscious sacrifice maybe I had to make over the years.

“I still feel in a good rhythm and in a good space, and I certainly still try and bowl my quickest every time I’m bowling a pace-on delivery. Naturally things change as you get a little bit older.

“I am only 31, I have to keep reminding people of that, everyone thinks I’m 40 the way people look at me sometimes. Hopefully I’ve still got a good few more years left to play cricket at a high level.”

These five fixtures against the Windies double up as a reconnaissance mission for England ahead of their T20 World Cup title defence in the Caribbean and the United States in June 2024.

Mills was an unused squad member when England clinched the crown in Australia 13 months ago and he is determined to do everything he can to put his name in the hat for the middle of next year.

“With the T20 World Cup next summer, it’s a really important series for myself to try and get my name in and around that squad,” he added. “The first step to that is getting picked.

“Hopefully everybody will be in a great place to come back out here and use this little bit of knowledge we’re going to gain from this trip to stand us in good stead to defend it next summer.”

Introduced to help bring context to 50-over cricket at the highest level, the Super League will be used as a qualification system for the next ICC World Cup, scheduled for 2023 in India.

There will be 13 teams involved – the 12 full members, as well as the Netherlands – and the top seven in the final table will automatically secure their place at the global tournament, the ICC confirmed in a statement.

All sides will play four series at home and away, with each consisting of three matches.

"The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake," Geoff Allardice, ICC general manager for cricket operations, said.

"The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.

"The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important."

Reigning world champions England will kick things off this week when they start their series against Ireland, the first of three matches between the teams taking place at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

"We're looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men's World Cup Super League," England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said.

"Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord's, but it's nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament. 

"I'm sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Earlier this week, former West Indies captain Darren Sammy called on the body to make its voice heard in standing up for racial injustice as protests continued to spread across the United States.  The unrest follows the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by a white police officer.

The Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, was recorded kneeling on the neck of Floyd while he was pinned to the floor for several minutes during an arrest.  He went unconscious and later died at the hospital.  Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder.  The protests have, however, ballooned into an international call for an end to racial prejudice with several athletes and federations lending their voices to the cause.

On Friday, the ICC posted a 90-second video clip of the final moments of victory for England with Barbados-born Jofra Archer bowling the thrilling Super Over against New Zealand.  "Without diversity, cricket is nothing. Without diversity, you don't get the full picture," read the message above the video, posted on social media platform Twitter.

The England team that won the competition, in addition to Archer, featured players that had connections to several countries.  Eoin Morgan an Irishman was captain. The best performer was New Zealand born all-rounder Ben Stokes, with the spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid of Pakistani origin.

Buttler experienced a resurgence in his Test match form in England's recent series win over Pakistan and contributed 44 in the first T20I against Australia, which saw the tourists experience a batting collapse and lose by two runs.

He was in imperious form as England cruised home in their pursuit of 158 on Sunday, hitting an unbeaten 77 in a chase completed with seven balls to spare.

Man of the match in the first game, Dawid Malan hit 42 off 32 balls and Moeen Ali (13 not out) provided the finishing touches to ensure Australia's recovery from a start that saw them 30-3 after five overs was in vain.

Jofra Archer's (1-32) blistering start accounted for David Warner in the first over, his third delivery nipping back and glancing the glove of the Australia opener as he went for a duck.

Mark Wood (1-31) then had Alex Carey caught behind for two eight balls later before Steve Smith (10) was run out with a brilliant direct hit throw from England captain Eoin Morgan. 

Australia skipper Aaron Finch (40) and Marcus Stoinis (35) counter-attacked for a partnership of 49 to steady the ship.

However, Finch dragged a short ball from Chris Jordan (2-40) onto his stumps and Stoinis steered Adil Rashid (1-25) to slip, leaving Glenn Maxwell (26 off 18) and Ashton Agar (23 off 20) to guide Australia to a defendable total.

Pat Cummins (13 off five) also provided valuable runs but Buttler was in ominous form early on when he struck Cummins through the covers in the second over.

Though Jonny Bairstow (9) was out hit wicket six balls later, Buttler and Malan put England in command with a second-wicket stand of 87 as both again excelled at finding the gaps.

Malan hit seven fours before sending Agar (2-27) to deep midwicket and Tom Banton (2) and Morgan (7) were each unable to provide the support to get England over the line.

That assistance came from Moeen in the penultimate over, which saw him hammer Adam Zampa (1-42) over long-off for six and then smash the spinner over cover for four before Buttler struck the winning runs with a colossal maximum.

The great Wally Hammond remains the only Englishman in history to have passed 200 in consecutive matches, although Root looked certain to join him as he took the fight to the hosts in majestic fashion

Root is now fourth in England's list of all-time Test runs scorers, having surpassed Geoffrey Boycott, Kevin Pietersen and David Gower over the course of a truly magnificent knock, which accounts for the bulk of England's 339-9 – a first-innings deficit of 42.

Before Oshada Fernando collected sharply at short leg to catch the visiting skipper out of his ground, this was another England innings that pitted two supreme performers at the top of their game against one another, with Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya taking 7-132 in a near lone response to Root's brilliance.

Embuldeniya's wide angle on the crease and ability to find biting turn accounted for openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley on day two, and he saw off Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence in similar fashion on Sunday.

Bairstow could only add four to his overnight 24 after a review showed a faint inside edge onto pad that was pouched by Oshada, while Lawrence nicked a beauty to Lahiru Thirimanne at first slip.

Root's immaculate sweep shot meant he was able to largely avoid such problems, even punishing the excellent Embuldeniya with his audacious switch hit.

Substantial support for the captain finally arrived in the form of Jos Buttler, whose crunching off-side drive and reverse sweep were in good order during a fifth-wicket partnership of 97.

Somewhat unfortunately, the latter shot would prove Buttler's downfall after lunch when, on 55, he struck a delivery from debutant Ramesh Mendis (1-48) into his boot and it looped up for the ever-alert Osada to catch.

The Thirimanne-Embuldeniya combination accounted for Sam Curran, Dom Bess and Mark Wood, although Bess played tidily for an important 32 in a stand of 81 as Root motored on despite beginning to struggle with cramps and back pain.

It was a monumental effort over the course of 309 deliveries that did not deserve its cruel sting in the tail.

England's prospects looked bleak on day two when they were reduced to 23-2, but Root led England to the close with just one further wicket lost and turned the game around in style on Saturday with his 11th score of 150 or more in his Test career, taking his average over 50 in the process.

The England captain, who scored 64 and 109 in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, held the England innings together with supreme poise, playing all around the wicket imperiously and laying the platform through his 121-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow (57).

Jos Buttler (23) and Moeen Ali (27) were not quite able to match Bairstow's obduracy and Sam Curran went for a duck but the prized wicket of Root did not arrive for India.

Root finished unbeaten on 180, Jimmy Anderson the last man out for England as they were bowled out for 391, a lead of 27.

Bairstow's fifty was his first in the longest format since the drawn Ashes series of 2019 but he was gone when he misjudged a pull shot from Mohammed Siraj, meaning Buttler was at the other end when Root made it to three figures once more.

Root rarely looked troubled as India toiled without reward until the excellent Ishant Sharma bowled Buttler and dismissed Moeen and Curran in near-identical fashion - caught in the slips from successive balls.

That left Root, who earlier guided a four through gully to reach 150, to fend off his second hat-trick ball of the innings. He was then forced to protect Anderson after Ollie Robinson fell to Siraj and Mark Wood was run out, but the number 11 was bowled by Mohammed Shami with the final ball of another glorious day for Root.

Root frustrates India again

England's star man with the bat in this series, Root already has a double century against India this year, scoring 218 in Chennai back in February after one in Sri Lanka the previous month.

Barring something truly remarkable in the second innings, he will have to wait until the third Test to have the chance to record another, but his job in turning a perilous situation into a positive one for England is done, with India's frustration encapsulated by the exasperated expressions of Siraj and Virat Kohli after Root survived a review when the verdict was umpire's call in the final session.

Siraj stands out

Siraj had every reason to be irritated as that unsuccessful review denied him a five-wicket haul. Though Ishant could rival him for impact, no India bowler could match Siraj for work rate.

He ended the innings having got through 30 overs, bowling seven maidens with an economy rate of 3.13. His dismissal of Robinson was a lesson in persistence as it came after three deliveries that yielded lbw appeals were deemed to be going down leg side. He deserved a place on the Honours Board, but will now need to replicate that performance in the second innings to etch his name into Lord's history.

Root resumed on 128 at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday and the captain went on to make a magnificent 218, putting on 124 for the fourth wicket with the brilliant Ben Stokes (82).

The tourists were in a commanding position on 555-8 at stumps on a day which saw the imperious Root take centre stage once again.

Yorkshireman Root moved above Alec Stewart to go third on the list of England's leading Test run-scorers with another masterclass, taking his staggering tally of runs to 644 in his last three Tests.

Having made 228 in the first innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka and a century in the second match in Galle, where England sealed a 2-0 whitewash, Root registered his fifth double century in the longest format as India bowlers were made to suffer in the heat.

Jasprit Bumrah removed Dom Sibley for 87 in the final over on day one, but Virat Kohli's side failed to make a breakthrough in the morning session on the second day.

Root was 156 not out at lunch and Stokes on 63 with England in command at 355-3 and Stokes was the only man to fall before tea, caught by a juggling Cheteshwar Pujara off Shahbaz Nadeem in the deep.

Ollie Pope made 34 on his return from a shoulder injury before he fell to Ravichandran Ashwin and Root's marathon knock was finally ended when he was trapped leg before by Nadeem, with England 477-6.

Ishant Sharma bowled Jos Buttler (30) and Jofra Archer first ball, but Dom Bess and Jack Leach were still there at the close. Rohit Sharma inexplicably dropped Bess at midwicket on 18, which just about summed up India's day.

Relentless Root leaves India in double trouble

After becoming the ninth player to make a hundred in his 100th Test on day one of the series, Root went on to etch his name in the record books.

The 30-year-old put on another exhibition of how to bat against spin, using his feet superbly, sweeping impeccably and showing incredible powers of concentration.

Root spent almost nine hours at the crease before he was trapped in front by Ashwin, hitting two sixes and 19 boundaries. Kohli offered a handshake as he made his way back to the pavilion after one of the great Test knocks.

Stokes hits the ground running, Ishant on the brink of landmark

Stokes missed the 2-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka last month, as he was given a hard-earned rest.

There was no rest for India in the field as the all-rounder hit the ground running in his first match of the year, clearing the rope three times and hitting 10 fours.

Paceman Ishant was impressively economical on a flat track. He was on a hat-trick after cleaning up Buttler and Jofra Archer, but Jack Leach denied him that feat.

Opener Salt plundered 87 not out in 47 balls to set the defending champions on their way to hitting their target of 181 with 15 balls to spare.

Brandon King made a promising start for West Indies, hitting 23 in the powerplay, but retired hurt, potentially ending his tournament early.

Though Johnson Charles (38), Nicolas Pooran and Rovman Powell (both 36) kept the hosts moving steadily, England were able to limit them to 180-4.

Salt hit his 50 at the start of the 16th, in which he hit three sixes and as many fours in a 30-run over against Romario Shepherd.

Jonny Bairstow also added an unbeaten 48 to take them to 181-2 after Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali were dismissed, as England finally found their footing in the tournament.

Data Debrief: Worth his Salt

Salt's 30-run over firmly swung the momentum in England's favour, and it is the joint-most expensive over for a West Indies bowler at the T20 World Cup.

Before this match, Salt had scored just 60 runs in total in England's previous three outings at the tournament but beat that in a dominant display against West Indies.

Pant did not feature in India's three-match series against Australia last year but has been in supreme form in the longest form of the game.

The 23-year-old has hit half-centuries in each of his last four Tests – two against Australia and two against England – with a high score of 97.

Those performances have seen him return to India's T20 squad and Pant could win his first caps in the short format since January 2020 when Virat Kohli's team take on England over five matches in Ahmedabad, with the series starting on March 12.

Meanwhile, three IPL stars have earned their first call-ups – Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, who hit 173 for Jharkhand on Saturday, and Rahul Tewatia.

Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakarvarthy are also included, though Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah are not involved in the 19-man selection.

India T20 squad in full:

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav.

Australia and India will play two five-match series in the 2023-2027 FTP cycle, with the last time they have contested that many matches in a series being back in 1992.

There will be 777 internationals during the next cycle - 173 Tests, 281 ODIs and 323 T20Is - compared to 694 in the current one.

England, Australia and India will play the greatest number of Tests, featuring in 22, 21 and 20 respectively.

The next cycle will include five major ICC events, starting with the Cricket World Cup in India next year.

ICC general manager of cricket Wasim Khan said: "I'd like to thank our members for the effort that has gone into creating this FTP for the next four years.

"We are incredibly lucky to have three vibrant formats of the game, with an outstanding programme of ICC global events and strong bilateral and domestic cricket and this FTP is designed to allow all cricket to flourish."

The indefatigable seamer will surpass his former team-mate and close friend Alastair Cook's tally of 161 appearances in the longest format when he faces New Zealand in the second and decisive final Test of the series.

Anderson, who turns 39 next month and is seventh on the list of most capped players from any country, will break the record 18 years after making his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord's.

Stats Perform looks at some of the astonishing numbers the evergreen Lancastrian has racked up, including a staggering 30 five-wicket hauls and at least 10 wickets in a match on three occasions.

Record-breaking seamer closing in on Kumble

Anderson surpassed the record held by Australia great Glenn McGrath for the most wickets taken by a Test seamer when he dismissed India's Mohammed Shami in 2018.

McGrath claimed 563 scalps in an outstanding career but Anderson's haul now stands at 616.

England's record Test wicket-taker is only three wickets shy of matching Anil Kumble's total and will go third on the all-time list when he betters the former India spinner's haul.

A menace against India

Anderson's ability to generate deadly swing and seam has caused many India batsmen problems over the years.

He has taken more Test wickets against India than any other side, with 118 from 30 matches at an average of 25.29 - including four five-wicket hauls.

Fierce rivals Australia are next on the list of teams Anderson has taken the most wickets against, with 104 in 32 Ashes contests at 34.56 apiece.

Lethal at Lord's

Anderson announced himself on the Test stage by taking 5-73 on debut at Lord's in Zimbabwe's first innings back in May 2003.

He has thrived on playing at the Home of Cricket, taking 105 wickets in 24 Tests at the world-famous London ground at an average of 24.64

Only Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan has claimed more on a single venue, doing so at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo (166), Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy (117) and Galle International Stadium (111).

Living on the edge

Anderson has had more batsmen caught behind than any bowler in Test history.

As many as 168 of Anderson's dismissals have been taken by the wicketkeeper, which is 27.27 per cent of his wickets.

McGrath is next on the list with 152, while team-mate Stuart Broad has got batsmen to nick off on 124 occasions.
 

Record a batsman would be proud of

Anderson is certainly not known for his ability with the bat, despite being dubbed 'The Burnley Lara'.

Yet he went 54 Tests innings before being out for a duck, finally departing without troubling with scorers against Australia in August 2009.

AB de Villiers (78), Aravinda de Silva (75), Clive Lloyd and Ross Taylor (both 58) are the only men to have had more knocks without departing for nought.

Fans can now start to look forward to planning for home fixtures and away tours over the next five years, starting with India’s all-format tour in 2023 which will feature two Test matches as West Indies’ first home fixture in the new 2025 World Test Championship (WTC). India will also play three One-Day Internationals (ODIS) and five T20 Internationals (T20Is).

England will return to the West Indies in late 2023 for an eight-match white-ball series with three ODIs and five T20Is with a second white-ball tour of the Caribbean in 2024.

The new FTP features an ICC World tournament every year including the ICC T20 World Cup for the West Indies and USA in 2024 and two World Test Championships. West Indies will be playing India, South Africa and Bangladesh at home, and Australia, England and Pakistan away as part of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship. The full West Indies FTP can be found here https://bit.ly/3QSaIXi

The ICC FTP is a result of a collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s coordination and support. The FTP ensures a level of certainty of bilateral cricket fixtures across the three cricket formats. The exact dates and venues for each Series will be announced in due course by Cricket West Indies (CWI) following consultation with each ICC Member nation.

The West Indies have home fixtures against India, England (twice), South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan before the end of 2025 with an enticing schedule away fixtures around the world including defending the Richards-Botham Trophy in England in the summer of 2024.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, and CEO Johnny Grave welcomed the announcement of the new FTP.

“Cricket West Indies (CWI) is pleased that the new Men’s (2023-2027) and Women’s (2023-2025) FTP have been finally agreed. They provide some operational and financial certainty of our medium-term bilateral tours and matches across all formats, against all other Full Member nations. I want to thank our CEO Johnny Grave, and those several other Executives and Chairmen representing the various other Boards, who put many valuable hours into these negotiations,” Skerritt said.

“The major highlight during the period will be our joint hosting of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024, where we will partner with the USA to deliver an event of the highest quality on and off the field. The hosting of the Men’s T20 World Cup should help to inspire the next generation of young West Indians and re-ignite the cricketing passion of our fans in the Caribbean and around the world. Hopefully it will also provide a legacy and catalyst for growth of the sport within the USA. We are also pleased that we have once again been able to secure full windows for the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League for our players as we try to find a balance between our international commitments and the significant earning opportunities for our players from Domestic Leagues,” Grave said.

Although the capacity will be halved due to coronavirus restrictions amid the pandemic, there will still be up to 55,000 allowed into the biggest cricket venue in the world for the third Test in Ahmedabad.  

Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the show on his home ground in Chennai as India levelled the series at 1-1, the all-rounder taking match figures of 8-96 and scoring a sublime second-innings century on a pitch that turned sharply from day one. 

The seamers will be hoping playing under floodlights with a pink ball will give them more of a chance to make an impact when the third Test starts on Wednesday, though spin will still be expected to play a major part in proceedings. 

India paceman Ishant Sharma is poised to make his 100th appearance in the longest format, while Ashwin is closing in on 400 Test scalps. 

James Anderson and Jofra Archer are set to return to the England side, with Chris Woakes pushing for a place along with Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood - the latter two are back in the squad after being given a break following the tour of Sri Lanka. 

England all-rounder Moeen Ali will not feature after heading home and India have brought fast bowler Umesh Yadav into the squad, releasing Shardul Thakur. 

Captain Joe Root gave nothing away when asked about selection on the eve of the match. 

He said: "We are going to take our time with the limited information we have on this ground, on pink-ball cricket. We are going to make sure we give ourselves as much information as possible before we make that decision."

Century up for Ishant, Ashwin closing in on 400

Ishant is set to become only the 11th player for India to reach 100 Tests, having already marked this series with a milestone after taking his 300th wicket in the longest format. 

The pace bowler has taken 76 Test scalps at an average of just 19.3 since 2018 and could thrive in the conditions. 

Ashwin, the hero of the second Test, is just six wickets short of the 400 landmark - a feat only Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh have achieved for India. 

The off-spinner has taken 17 wickets in the series at 17.82 apiece with a strike rate of 40.4. Jack Leach is the second-highest wicket-taker with 12.

Anderson ready to shine under the lights

After playing a big hand in England's victory in the first Test in Chennai, Anderson was understandably frustrated to be omitted for the second match at the same venue.

The seamer said he understands the tourists' rotation policy in such a demanding year, though, and is raring to go with the pink ball.

England's leading Test wicket-taker has claimed 14 scalps at an average of 17.85 in three day-night Tests and should pose a massive threat to the India batsmen.

He said: "All the seam bowlers want really is a bit of carry, which we haven't really had throughout the series. We're keeping our fingers crossed there's a bit more in it for the seamers."

Key match facts

- India were bowled out for only 36 in their last day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide in December. England also endured a pink-ball nightmare when they were skittled out for just 58 by New Zealand in March 2018. 

- India have managed one win and a defeat in their two day-night Tests. England have been beaten in two of the three day-night contests they have played in the longest format.  

- This will be the third Test encounter between India and England at Motera Stadium. India have won once there, with Cheteshwar Pujara making a Test-best 206 not out in November 2012. The other meeting ended in a draw. 

- Only Niroshan Dickwella (seven in 19 games) has claimed more Test stumpings than Ben Foakes since November 2018 (five). The England wicketkeeper has only played six Tests in that time. 

- Rory Burns has been dismissed by Ashwin in three of his four innings in the series, scoring just 33 runs. 

India were routine winners in the series opener at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday and their score of 170-8 on Saturday proved far too much for England, whose star-studded batting line-up wilted to 121 all out.

The tourists played with the aggression of a team sensing their chance to claim an unassailable lead in the three-match series, captain Rohit Sharma (31) and Rishabh Pant (26) putting on 49 in under five overs for the opening wicket.

Rohit was removed by 34-year-old debutant Richard Gleeson as Buttler took a stunning diving catch, and the Lancashire bowler then claimed a memorable double-wicket maiden by dismissing Virat Kohli and Pant in successive deliveries.

Hardik Pandya denied Gleeson a hat-trick but he was one of four batters to fall to the excellent Chris Jordan, Hardik departing in the subsequent delivery after Jordan had removed Suryakumar Yadav in a superb 11th over.

India were wobbling on 89-5 at that stage but Ravindra Jadeja counter-attacked with an unbeaten 46 in 29 deliveries to give them something to defend.

They took the task of doing so immediately, Jason Roy edging Bhuvneshwar Kumar behind for a first-ball duck before Buttler was given out to the same bowler on review for just four.

Liam Livingstone (15) also departed cheaply at the hands of Jasprit Bumrah, England continuing to lose wickets in an innings that lacked impetus until Moeen Ali (35 off 21) offered some.

His exit, and those of Jordan and Gleeson, left David Willey (33 not out) protecting the final wicket, which fell when Harshal Patel uprooted Matt Parkinson's stumps.

Bhuvi gets Buttler (again), and then some

Bhuvneshwar dismissed Buttler for a duck in the first game at Southampton and he proved a thorn in the dangerous skipper's side again, the seamer the pick of the bowlers as his 3-15 turned the match firmly in India's favour.

Rohit's streak continues

Rohit has now captained India's T20I side to victory in 14 successive matches. His run of 13 was already a record and with India claiming back-to-back emphatic victories over one of the world's best white-ball sides, they look in excellent shape for the T20 World Cup later in the year.

Opener Rahul built on his overnight half-century to top score with 84 and he and all-rounder Jadeja (56) combined in a vital 60-run stand for the sixth wicket that took Virat Kohli's side past the tourists' 183 all out.

Ollie Robinson continued his impressive start to life on the field in Test cricket with 5-85, while James Anderson's 4-54 moved him above Anil Kumble and up to third on the all-time wickets list in the longest format.

Jaspit Bumrah swung merrily for 28 but he and his fellow India seamers were unable to make inroads as Rory Burns (11 not out) and Dom Sibley (9 not out) reached 25-0 before the weather heralded an early close.

Rishabh Pant's curious 20-ball 25 came to an end when he skewed an ugly shot to Jonny Bairstow at cover off Robinson, immediately after a slashed four through the slips and a top-edged six.

Rahul's knock was far from chanceless, with some slapdash running and Anderson having him dropped by Sibley and skipper Joe Root in the cordon.

The veteran paceman had his man when Rahul edged a full one through to Jos Buttler with the score on 205 and Root atoned by clinging on to remove Shardul Thakur for nought in Anderson's next over.

Jadeja started to put his foot down, clouting Anderson for six and sending Robinson twice to the fence through the offside as he passed 50, only to give Stuart Broad a spiralling catch from the final ball of the 75th over.

Bumrah produced an old-fashioned cavalier tailend knock, going four, six, four from consecutive Sam Curran deliveries before being the last man out on 278 – Broad again the catcher as Robinson claimed his maiden five-for with India's lead 95.

If the Sussex seamer looks easily at home at this level, the same cannot often be said for England's top order, but Burns and Sibley negotiated 11.1 overs unscathed. Then the rain, perhaps the most significant threat to an India victory in Nottingham, returned.

Pant pulled down

If the Australian tour version of Rishabh Pant - whose bravura 89 not out secured a sensational series win and the man-of-the-match award at the Gabba in January - had turned up in Nottingham, India could really have made England suffer. In reality, they got a man playing several shots at every ball who seemed to have limited interest in the serious business of Test batting.

Having been lucky to survive an examination from Anderson on day two, Pant decided to plough merrily on. "That's just the way he plays" is no defence for such nonsense from a man so talented. Pant has superstar billing and is much, much better than this.

Robinson lets his cricket to the talking

Historic racist and sexist tweets understandably took all the focus off Robinson's efforts on the field during his Test debut against New Zealand in June and a ban duly followed. Back in the fold and suitably contrite, the rangy seamer struck up a master and apprentice partnership with Anderson of the highest quality on Friday.

It will understandably take Robinson some time to be embraced as any kind of fans' favourite after his misdemeanours but he looks born to play Test cricket – perhaps especially on the bouncy tracks that await England in Australia at the end of the year.

The India captain had been taking part in his team's warm-up game against Leicestershire, scoring 25 in the first innings but not batting in the second.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Saturday that Rohit had tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation.

"Team India captain Mr Rohit Sharma has tested positive for COVID-19 following a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday," a statement read. 

"He is currently in isolation at the team hotel and is under the care of the BCCI Medical Team."

Rohit has averaged 30.00 from three Test innings in 2022, having averaged 47.68 from 21 innings last year.

The Test match with England, which gets underway at Edgbaston on Friday, is the rescheduled fifth Test from September 2021.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement ahead of play on the fourth day of the game confirming Shastri will remain in the team hotel after undergoing further tests following the initial lateral flow result.  

Bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physio Nitin Patel are also isolating as a precautionary measure, having been identified as close contacts.  

"They have undergone RT-PCR testing and shall remain in the team hotel and not travel with team India until confirmation from the medical team," a BCCI statement read.  

"The remaining members of the team India contingent underwent two lateral flow tests – one last night and another this morning. The members upon returning negative COVID reports were allowed to proceed for day four of the ongoing fourth Test at The Oval." 

India resumed on Sunday on 270-3 in their second innings, Rohit Sharma’s first Test century overseas helping them establish a 171-run lead over their hosts. 

The series is level at 1-1 after England won by an innings at Headingley last time out. The fifth and final Test begins at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday.