England

Sussex bowler Robinson took 7-101 as well as contributing 42 runs in his Test debut as England drew with New Zealand last week.

Shortly after the conclusion of the match at Lord's, it was confirmed by the ECB he had been "suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013".

The messages, posted when Robinson was 18 and 19, were brought to light over the course of his international bow. The player said he was "ashamed".

Although Robinson could yet return to the England fold following the conclusion of the investigation, his suspension has provoked debate.

Dowden, the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, suggested on Monday it was an excessive punishment.

"Ollie Robinson's tweets were offensive and wrong," Dowden wrote on his own Twitter page.

"They are also a decade old and written by a teenager. The teenager is now a man and has rightly apologised.

"The ECB has gone over the top by suspending him and should think again."

The England team, including Robinson, had worn anti-discrimination T-shirts carrying messages regarding racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia and ageism ahead of play starting in the first Test last Wednesday.

Robinson said later that day: "On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public.

"I want to make it clear that I'm not racist and I'm not sexist. I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks.

"I was thoughtless and irresponsible, and regardless of my state of mind at the time, my actions were inexcusable. Since that period, I have matured as a person and fully regret the tweets."

The explosive player's declaration followed his much-anticipated return to action for the West Indies on Tuesday, when he produced an inspiring performance with both bat and ball to lead the Caribbean side to a four-wicket win over England in the first of five T20s.

Russell took a format-best three for 19 in his first international since the 2021 T20 World Cup, which induced an England collapse from 117 for two in the 11th over to 171 all out, with three balls unused.

He later smashed a 14-ball 29, in an unbroken 49-run partnership with captain Rovman Powell, who made a 15-ball 31, to see West Indies to their highest successful run chase at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The 35-year-old Jamaican, who expressed delight at being back in the fold, pointed out that the World Cup, to be hosted in the West Indies and United States, will be his last, but in the same breath, said he would be happy to return, if needed.

"It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me for me. To be honest, I still have a lot in the tank but based on discussion with the coach [Darren Sammy], I told him that after World Cup I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement," Russell said with sweat still trickling down his face after his player of the match performance.

"So that's the plan that I have; there are so many young talents here, all-rounders that are similar to myself, so sometimes you realize you're going into 36, so just give the youngsters the opportunity and if West Indies still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them to be honest," he added.

With questions surrounding his decision to comeback after a two-year absence, Russell explained that it was always on the cards, provided he performed well in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) a few months back.

"Sammy mentioned that once I did what I had to in CPL he would definitely enter my name for selection, and I had my fingers crossed because I always want to play for West Indies. Sometimes people might think otherwise and think we just want to play leagues, but I try to make sure that I look after my body to ensure that when I am called up, I am ready. So, I was ready and excited for this call up," he shared.

For Russell, the performance in which he removed dangerous opener Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed in his four overs, was almost as if scripted, as he revealed that he had dreamed of the outcome.

“Since I got the call up, I have been dreaming that my first match back, I would be player of the match. I loved the start that I got, picking up an important wicket, and then start to pull it back in the middle,” Russell said.

“I was excited to see all the guys there, trying to make sure that the plan that we discussed in the huddle came out and you know it was good to pull it back from a high scoring game to 170. We know how good of a quality spinners England have, so it was good to actually restrict them, and we could have some push and comfort to get the score,” he noted.

Finally, Russell, like the professional he is, dodged a bouncer when asked about the pending departure of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers, who all rejected the Cricket West Indies central contract.

“I was just scrolling on Google, and I saw that, I don't know what's going on really, but I won't get into that to be honest. I'm here to play cricket and I'm just happy that I can wear this crest on my chest. So, with off the field stuff like that, they must know why they turned down the retainer,” Russell said.

The second contest is scheduled for Grenada on Thursday.

Ten years after hitting 375 to claim the world record for an individual innings against England at the same venue, Lara exceeded that effort by becoming the first player in history to score 400.

By doing so, he became the first player to hold the individual Test innings record twice.

Lara reclaimed his record from Australian Matthew Hayden, who only six months earlier had broken the record with 380 in Perth in October 2003.

Lara’s mammoth innings steered the West Indies to a total of 751 for five before declaring and reflecting on his achievement, he said: “When I scored it before I didn’t know what to expect – this time it was very tiring, but I’m here again.

“Matthew Hayden must have batted very well against Zimbabwe because it doesn’t matter who you are playing against, it’s very hard.

“It’s a great feeling, but it’s dampened by the series result. Ten years ago the match ended in a draw, but this time we’re looking for a result.”

Upon achieving the record, Lara was greeted in the middle by Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua, while England captain Michael Vaughan hailed Lara as “one of the all-time great players”.

“We all set out to achieve greatness, but he is a gifted, gifted player – throughout his innings we tested him with a few things but he was much better than us for those two days,” Vaughan said.

“He is one of the all-time great players, he has achieved something that has never been achieved before even with the amount of pressure he had on him before the start of this Test.

“He will go down as one of the greats of the game and it will take some player and some performance to beat his 400.”

Mahela Jayawardene went close with 374 for Sri Lanka against South Africa two years later but Lara remains first and third on the list two decades on.

A damaging spell saw Harmison almost single-handedly knock over West Indies at Sabina Park on their way to a 10-wicket victory in the first Test.

It took just 11.3 overs for the then 25-year-old to pick up his seven wickets, conceding only 12 runs in the process and setting up an emphatic victory for England, who were on their way to a first Test series win in the Caribbean since 1968.

Before the series, 6ft 4in right-armer Harmison had shown lots of potential with his combination of pace and swing but struggled for consistency, while a back injury during the winter had also affected him.

The first innings of the match offered no sign of what was to come as the West Indies racked up 311, but everything changed on the fourth day.

England captain Michael Vaughan lined up eight fielders in the slips and Harmison did the rest as a young West Indies side wilted under a fearsome assault.

“To be honest, I’m absolutely speechless,” said Harmison afterwards.

“If you bowl the ball consistently in a good area, you often get a bit of luck. It’s just one of those days and I’m pleased for myself, but I’m not going to get too carried away by it.”

Harmison’s form continued into the rest of the series, with the Durham man achieving figures of six for 61 in the second Test.

It was the beginning of the best spell of Harmison’s career. A year later he played a key role in England’s famous Ashes triumph over Australia, but injuries limited his impact thereafter and his international career ended in 2009.

The Australia leg-spinner went into the fourth Test of the Ashes at his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground on 699 wickets, having revealed in the build-up that he would be retiring from international cricket at the end of the series.

Warne fittingly reached yet another milestone in front of a Boxing Day crowd of 89,155 with a sharply turning leg-break which spun into the stumps of England opener Strauss.

He went on to dismiss another four batters that day, claiming what would be the 37th and final five-wicket haul of his illustrious Test career, as the tourists collapsed to 159 all out.

“As it turned out, whoever writes my scripts is doing an unbelievable job,” said Warne.

“I’ve just been sitting there since we started batting just shaking my head – I can’t believe it happened to be honest. It was a pretty amazing day.”

Warne would go on to finish with 708 wickets in 145 Tests as Australia sealed a 5-0 whitewash over England.

He died aged 52 in March last year from a suspected heart attack in Thailand.

The then 30-year-old Middlesex opener missed out on the three-match series just one month after he was given a year-long central contract by England.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney noticed Strauss’ dip in form but backed the batter to fight for his place, saying: “Andrew hasn’t performed to the level he can do in terms of play.

“He’s extremely disappointed, understandably, and it would be strange if he wasn’t.

“But he’s a fighter and we believe he will come back into the frame very quickly.”

Strauss made an impressive start to his international career, making scores of 112 and 83 against New Zealand on his Test debut in 2004 after he replaced the injured England captain Michael Vaughan, becoming only the fourth man to score a century at Lord’s on debut.

Strauss scored 126 in South Africa the following winter, becoming only the seventh Test player to record a hundred in his first match at home and away.

He went on to captain both England’s Test and limited-overs teams, but his form dipped through 2007 and he was dropped from the Test team after playing 43 matches.

Strauss earned a recall to the side for the 2008 tour of New Zealand and worked his way back with a career-best 177 at Napier.

Following Kevin Pietersen’s resignation, Strauss was appointed captain on a permanent basis for the 2008–09 tour of the West Indies and led England to a 2-1 Ashes victory over Australia the following summer.

The win saw Strauss join Mike Brearley and Len Hutton as the only England captains to win the Ashes both home and away, and he led England to a 4-0 win over India in 2011 to climb to the top of the Test world rankings.

Strauss announced his retirement from cricket in August 2012 following his 100th Test, at the age of 35, making 7,037 Test runs at an average of 40.91. He was knighted in September 2019.

The England and Wales Cricket Board took the decision to put Strauss in total charge following a week of turmoil, which saw predecessor Kevin Pietersen resign and coach Peter Moores sacked.

Strauss was not a member of the original party to stay on after the four-Test series, having fallen out of favour.

He had last played a one-day game for England in April 2007, against West Indies, in what was Duncan Fletcher’s last match in charge.

But the tumultuous events left the selection panel no straightforward alternative candidates.

The only three men from within the original squad established enough in the side were Pietersen and fellow former captains Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood – both of whom had issues of their own and relinquished the role.

“I am delighted to lead the team in the one-day internationals and Twenty20s,” said Strauss at the time.

“I know I haven’t played an ODI since the end of the World Cup in 2007 but I do feel that I have something to offer in that form of the game.

“Now this situation has been resolved we can now all unite and get about the business of winning cricket matches for England and winning them consistently.”

Strauss announced his retirement from cricket in August 2012 following 100 Test appearances.

He became the ECB’s director of cricket in 2015 – leaving the post after three-and-a-half years – and was knighted in 2019.

In April 2023, it was announced Strauss, who stood in as interim managing director of England men’s cricket between February and May 2022, would leave his roles as strategic adviser to the ECB and chair of the performance cricket committee the following May.

The tailenders survived the final 69 deliveries in a tense rearguard action at Sophia Gardens to deny the tourists first blood and spark wild celebrations in the stands.

England had resumed on day five at 20 for two, 219 runs behind after Australia had overhauled their first innings total of 435 and established a platform for victory with a mammoth 674 for six declared in which Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting, Marcus North and Brad Haddin had all reached three figures.

The hosts looked to be heading for an innings defeat as Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior went by the time the score had reached 70, although Paul Collingwood’s resolute 74 steadied the ship with support from spinner Graeme Swann, who made 31.

However, the Durham all-rounder’s stubborn resistance ended after a 245-ball, 344-minute stay at the crease when he edged Peter Siddle to Michael Hussey at gully.

England had been reduced to 233 for nine and the writing was on the wall.

As Panesar walked out to join Anderson in the middle with his side still six runs behind, a minimum of 11.3 overs remained and few gave two men hardly renowned for their expertise with the bat any real chance of resisting.

But to huge popular acclaim resist they did, at times uncertain over whether to take runs when they presented themselves, but growing in confidence once successive Anderson boundaries had ensured the Australians would have to bat again.

Anderson ended up finishing unbeaten on 21 while Panesar contributed seven runs to a total of 252 for nine to secure a draw, the significance of which only became apparent as the summer progressed.

England went on to win at Lord’s and the Oval either side of a draw at Edgbaston and an Australian victory at Headingley, taking the series 2-1 and in the process regaining the Ashes they had surrendered so tamely Down Under during the winter of 2006-07.

It had seemed a formality since the end of day three in Sydney that they would wrap up a series win – and so it proved when an innings-and-83-run triumph was confirmed just before noon.

Their success on the final day – as in many of those previous against an outplayed Australia in the 2010/11 series – came on the back of a mountain of runs from Alastair Cook and a supreme bowling collective led by James Anderson.

The series’ leading wicket-taker’s seven in the match took him up to 24 for the campaign, and Cook’s 189 in England’s mammoth 644 all out carried him above all but Wally Hammond among his country’s highest run-scorers in an Ashes series.

But there were several other significant contributors at the SCG, and elsewhere, as Andrew Strauss’ team achieved their long-held ambition – to become the first from England to win the Ashes outright in Australia for 24 years.

Such was their ultimate dominance – three innings victories, against one equally resounding defeat in Perth – that it was tempting to conclude it had all been a little bit more straightforward than expected.

However, captain Strauss said: “It hasn’t felt easy, there’s no doubt about that.
“There is always a feeling you don’t know what is round the corner, what’s going to be sprung on you.

“Thankfully, as the series has gone on, I think we have become more dominant – and certainly those last two Test matches were as well as an England side I’ve played in has performed.”

It remains the last time an England side won the Ashes on Australian soil.

Jennings (112) made the most of some early fortune in Mumbai, being dropped on nought by Karun Nair and also surviving a close umpire’s call for lbw against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on his way to a 186-ball hundred.

It was a contribution which looked to have put England ahead of the game as they reached 288 for five at stumps after Alastair Cook won a crucial toss.

However, after making exactly 400 in their first innings, England ultimately lost by an innings and 36 runs as they were bowled out for 195 on their second attempt after the home side made a mammoth 631 in their first innings.

That meant England became only the third team in Test history to lose a match by an innings after making 400 or more first time round.

Jennings was assured after his early scrapes and hit 13 boundaries in stands of 99 with Cook and 94 with Moeen Ali (50) as England negotiated the wiles of spinner Ravi Ashwin (four for 75).

Jennings completed his hundred with a reverse-swept four off Jayant Yadav as he put England in a position of promise as they sought to battle back from 2-0 down with two Tests to play.

The South Africa-born batter went on to play a total of 17 Tests for England, the last of which came against West Indies in February 2019.

Jennings was appointed Lancashire captain in all three formats for the 2023 season.

England were strong favourites to lift the crown heading into the final over, with the Windies needing 19 off the last six balls of the match.

But Brathwaite launched an audacious assault on Stokes, heaving him over the ropes four times in a row to seal a four-wicket success.

Joe Root’s 56 off 36 balls helped England to 155 for nine in their 20 overs at Eden Gardens and that looked like being enough to earn a second T20 World Cup.

Despite Marlon Samuels’ impressive half-century, West Indies were set to fall short going into the final six balls of the match.

But Braithwaite had other ideas and sent four huge hits over the rope to win it in style and follow up their 2012 success.

England went on to thrive in the white-ball game, lifting the 50-over World Cup two years later and winning the T20 World Cup in 2022.

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s half-century helped the hosts post 228 for seven from their 50 overs in front of a bumper crowd at the home of cricket.

Opener Punam Raut looked set to lead India home as they reached 191 for three, but Anya Shrubsole dismissed her 14 runs short of a century and went on to finish with figures of six for 46 to bowl England to victory.

The final had been a repeat of the second match of the tournament, which India won by 35 runs, but Heather Knight’s team went on to win their remaining six group fixtures to top the standings and progress into the last four of the competition.

It set up a semi-final meeting with South Africa and England chased down 219 thanks a run-a-ball 27 not out from Jenny Gunn.

Knight won the toss and decided to bat first in the final, with Lauren Winfield-Hill (24) and Tammy Beaumont (23) helping England make a strong start before Sarah Taylor joined forces with Sciver-Brunt in a vital 83-run partnership for the third wicket.

Taylor was dismissed for 45 and Sciver-Brunt went for 51, but Katherine Sciver-Brunt smashed 34 down the order alongside Gunn’s important unbeaten 25 to set India 229 for victory.

India opener Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, who was out for 51, moved their nation into a position of strength, but Shrubsole sparked a dramatic finale with a sensational spell of bowling.

Raunt was pinned in front lbw for 86 to leave India on 191 for four with 38 more runs required from 43 balls.

The pressure proved too much with Shrubsole dismissing Veda Krishnamurthy, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma and finally Rajeshwari Gayakwad to earn England home success in the 11th World Cup.

Joe Root described himself as “privileged, humbled and very excited” after being confirmed as England’s new Test captain on this day in 2017.

The then-26-year-old Yorkshire batter was handed the reins in the wake of Alastair Cook’s resignation after a 59-game tenure.

Root, who was averaging a little under 53 over 53 Tests at the time, was appointed ahead of home summer series against South Africa and the West Indies with an Ashes tour looming, on the recommendation of the selectors and the ECB’s director of England cricket Andrew Strauss.

With Ben Stokes as his vice-captain, vastly-experienced bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad at his disposal and coaches Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace behind the scenes, he set out on his mission with some optimism.

Root said at the time: “We have a very good group of players, and I’m looking forward to leading them out in the summer – building on Alastair’s achievements and making the most of our talents in the years ahead.”

The new captain was appointed with England in a state of flux, having lost a match for the first time to Bangladesh and suffered at the hands of India as Cook’s reign, which had taken his side to within a win of the top of the Test rankings, drew to a close.

In all, Root led his country out onto the field in 64 Tests and collected 27 wins before he eventually stood down from the role in April 2022.

His tenure included two depressing 4-0 Ashes defeats Down Under either side of a 2-2 draw at home, but also more encouraging series wins over India and in Sri Lanka before the coronavirus pandemic intervened.

However, he called it a day in April 2022 after a decisive 10-wicket defeat in the West Indies, with the pressure of the job weighing heavily on his shoulders.

He said: “I have loved leading my country, but recently it’s hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game.”

Cook’s 59 Tests in charge made him the nation’s longest-serving skipper, until he was overtaken by his successor Joe Root, with his spell at the helm beginning in 2013.

Throughout that period Cook won eight of his 17 series in charge, including a 2-1 win in India in 2012 – their first series victory there since 1985 – as well as a win in South Africa in 2015-16.

Cook also led the team to two home triumphs in the Ashes, in 2013 and 2015, with a Test record that totalled 24 wins and 22 defeats.

The opener cited a loss of energy as the reasoning behind his resignation, concluding that the team would benefit from new leadership and deciding to devote his full focus to his batting.

Cook, whose last series as captain was a 4-0 defeat to India, said: “It’s been a huge honour to be England captain and to lead the Test team over the past five years.

“Stepping down has been an incredibly hard decision but I know this is the correct decision for me and at the right time for the team. We’ve kind of stagnated if we are being brutally honest.

“There is a lot of work to be done and I felt I just didn’t have that energy to do it. That’s part and the parcel of being captain, you are responsible.”

Cook remained part of the squad under new captain Root until 2018, when he announced his retirement from international cricket after 12 years, signing off with a century against India in his final innings in his 161st Test.

Cook, who was the recipient of a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours in 2019, retired from cricket last October.

The pace bowler, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer three years previously, played 90 Tests for England and had been a popular figure in broadcasting following his retirement in 1984.

Willis’ family said in a statement: “We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly.”

Willis’ most famous moment as a player came in the 1981 Ashes series as his eight for 43 fired England to a remarkable win in the third Test at Headingley.

He is England’s fourth highest Test wicket-taker of all time with 325 wickets.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement that cricket had lost “a dear friend”.

“The ECB is deeply saddened to say farewell to Bob Willis, a legend of English cricket,” the statement read.

“He will always be remembered for his outstanding cricket career. In later years as a broadcaster Bob was a perceptive and respected voice at the microphone. We are forever thankful for everything he has done for the game.

“Everyone at the ECB sends sincere condolences to his family. Cricket has lost a dear friend.”

Willis’ former team-mate Paul Allott told Sky Sports News: “I was there when Bob passed away with Lauren, his wife, and daughter in Wimbledon. It was a peaceful passing but it was obviously a hugely emotional moment.

“We’ve known each other for more than 40 years. Beneath that quite stern exterior that he portrayed on Sky Sports there was a heart of gold.

“He was an extremely kind and gentle individual and we became the very best of friends.”

The Bob Willis Trophy was contested in 2020 and 2021 in his honour and is now presented to England’s player of the year at the Cricket Writers’ Club awards.

England held on despite Yadav scoring a terrific 117 off 55 balls, falling just one run short of matching India's best ever showing in the format – Rohit Sharma's 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017 – as Buttler's men clawed back some pride at the end of a 2-1 series defeat.

They were indebted to Dawid Malan's 77 as they racked up 215-7 for their highest ever T20I score against India and a first win since Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

While Buttler was delighted with England's response with the bat after they were bowled out for just 148 and 121 in the first two matches of the series, he reserved his highest praise for India star Yadav.

"It was good fun, a fantastic game of cricket, much more like we're used to seeing from our side," Buttler told Sky Sports. "I was really pleased with the response with the bat especially.

"It was an incredible knock from Suryakumar, one of the best hundreds I've seen, and he put us under a lot of pressure.

"The guys bowled really well at the end there. I was pleased to see [Richard] Gleeson back up another performance, CJ [Chris Jordan]'s been excellent all series, so I'm delighted for those guys."

England's Reece Topley was named player of the match after claiming three wickets but was also keen to lavish praise on India's best performer.

"I was speechless at some of the shots, they were unbelievable. He looks a hell of a player," Topley said.

"I've not come across him too much, so I was just in awe most of the time, to be honest."

After watching Yadav come agonisingly close to matching his own record T20I total, Rohit was delighted with the 31-year-old's performance in a thrilling chase.

"It was a fantastic chase, and we are proud of our fight," Rohit said.

"Suryakumar Yadav was magnificent to watch. I have been watching him for a while, and he loves this format, he is unorthodox and has a wide range of shots. 

"He never lets the tempo go. He has grown as player and is going from strength to strength."

Matthew Mott stepped down from the role earlier this week with immediate effect, having first taken charge of the one-day set-up in 2022 before leading England to T20 World Cup glory.

However, they endured a difficult 2023 Cricket World Cup, finishing seventh in the group, and failed to defend their T20 title earlier this year, scraping out of the groups before losing to eventual winners India.

Former England international Marcus Trescothick will take over as interim head coach, leading the team for the Australia series in September.

However, Morgan believes England have a ready replacement in McCullum if they can find a way to balance this job with his role as head coach at Test level.

"In my eyes at the moment, you would go to Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum," Morgan told Sky Sports.

"I say that because I believe he [McCullum] is one of the best coaches in the world. You can see what he did with the England Test team.

"Yes, the big question will be how he makes it fit over the course of the 12 months, but from Rob Key's point of view, he needs to make the job attractive.

"The option is not to have someone come in and let them grow in the job. You're talking about winning World Cups and winning Champions trophies.

"This is not an opportunity for a young guy to come in. You want the best person on the planet to come in and help Jos Buttler and the England cricket team get better."

McCullum has enjoyed an impressive two years alongside captain Ben Stokes at Test level, winning 17 of their 25 games, losing only eight and drawing one.

Most recently, they cruised to a 3-0 series win over West Indies, which saw debutants Gus Atkinson, who took a five-for in his first game, and Jamie Smith star in the comprehensive victory.

"I'm not sure McCullum has been given a lot of thought and if anything, he should," Morgan added.

"Key should have that conversation because we've seen a dramatic turnaround in the England Test team and the foil that he's made with Stokes.

"I've played under Brendon as a coach. We've seen what he's done in New Zealand cricket over the years and the success that he's had.

"He's a very versatile, more than capable coach who is highly, highly regarded, who ultimately has made the England Test team a better side, which is what you want from your head coach."

Stump cameras showed Smith apparently scuffing up Rishabh Pant's guard in between deliveries as the India wicketkeeper struck a brilliant counter-attacking 97 in Sydney, helping the visitors to a draw in the third Test.

Smith was forced to stand down as Australia skipper and served a ban for his part in the 2018 ball tampering scandal.

His successor Tim Paine also found himself at the centre of controversy after a foul-mouthed exchange with Ravichandran Ashwin, which compounded a dreadful display behind the stumps.

Speaking ahead of England's Test series in Sri Lanka, Woakes looked to remain above the fray when it came to Smith - perhaps mindful of having just entered an Ashes year.

"I'm sure people have got their opinions on it. It's not the first time that I've seen something like that happen," he said.

"The fact it's such a big series, a big player in a big moment probably means it's been blown up a little bit.

"There's only one person who knows whether he was doing it to affect the opposition batsman or not and that's Steve himself.

"You can look at it a few different ways. You can say he was shadow batting, doing what he'd normally do and it's a bit of a habit. Or you could say that he was trying to distract Rishabh. It's one of those things."

Asked whether Australia had been shown to be "up to old tricks again", a smiling Woakes replied: "It's hard for me to say, watching from a million miles away, that he was doing it to get into the Indian batsmen's minds.

"Potentially, but as I said, there's only one person who knows exactly what he was trying to do.

"I know Tim Paine came out and backed him as you'd expect him to do. That's all I can say on the matter."

Woakes was forced to quarantine for the first week of England's tour after travelling to the airport with team-mate Moeen Ali, who subsequently tested positive for coronavirus.

Despite establishing himself as an increasingly pivotal member of Joe Root's side, the 31-year-old acknowledges Thursday's first Test might come too soon for him.

"I'm certainly up against it in terms of time," Woakes said, having revealed his fitness regime over the past week amounted to workouts with fit bands and a medicine ball on his hotel balcony.

"I only had my first bowl yesterday. The other guys have been bowling for nearly a week. The chances of me playing are probably quite slim."

Nevertheless, some unexpected rainfall in Galle might persuade Root to call upon Woakes' mastery of seam and swing on a surface still expected to take plenty of turn.

"The pitch, as you'd expect, does look quite dry. But it has rained quite a bit here in the last few days and the pitch earlier this morning was a bit tacky and spikes went into the surface," he added.

"Whether that plays a part, I don't know."

While the Test leg of the trip was won convincingly by the hosts, the two nations played out a high-quality Twenty20 battle that saw India rally from 2-1 down to prevail 3-2 in a decider.

Virat Kohli opened the innings in Saturday's fifth and final T20 fixture, but the India captain has confirmed he will be moving back down the order now the focus switches over quickly to the 50-over format.

"As far as the opening combination is concerned, Shikhar (Dhawan) and Rohit (Sharma) will definitely start. They have been amazing for us in the past few years," Kohli said ahead of the series. 

England used only 12 players during the T20 games, a decision taken with the focus on gaining experience in Indian conditions ahead of the World Cup in the same country later this year. 

However, white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan revealed the tourists will use the one-day fixtures to take a look at those players who have not featured too much on the trip so far. 

"Throughout the one-day series, we will see guys given opportunities, more so than we did in the T20 series," Morgan told the media. 

"It's going to be exciting, playing three games at the same ground against a very, very strong India side is a huge opportunity for everybody to go out there and get back into the frame of mind and the pace of 50-over cricket, but also for guys who haven't had an opportunity to really put their case forward. 

"Given there is a (T20) World Cup around the corner, playing any international cricket at all is a huge opportunity for guys who have been here, on the fringes, and not made selection so far."

Jofra Archer will not be involved after returning home for treatment on a persistent elbow injury, while Joe Root and Chris Woakes – two key players in the side that secured World Cup glory on home soil in 2019 – are not involved, England choosing to rest and rotate amid a hectic schedule while staying in bio-secure bubbles. 

Moeen Ali, Sam Billings and Liam Livingstone provide options to come into a batting order that will see Root missing from his usual position at number three. As for the bowling, leg-spinner Matt Parkinson will hope for a chance to impress, while Reece Topley could be the one to benefit the most from Archer's absence.

Jasprit Bumrah is a notable absentee from an India squad that does include Suryakumar Yadav - an exciting batsman yet to make his ODI debut - and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.  

Kohli close to matching Tendulkar

Having finished as leading run-scorer in the T20 series, Kohli is one away from equalling the record for most centuries for India in one-day cricket, the great Sachin Tendulkar sitting top of the pile with 20. The India captain is also one three-figure score shy of posting the joint-most hundreds for India in 50-games against England, as he stands on the brink of matching Yuvraj Singh's tally of four.

England aim to keep streak alive

England have put together a run of three successive victories versus India in the one-day format; another triumph in the opener on Tuesday would see them equal their longest winning streak against their opponents in the format (four in a row was achieved in games between 1974 and 1981).

Key series facts

- India are set to face off against England for the first time in an ODI since losing a Cricket World Cup group game by a margin of 31 runs against the eventual champions, back in June 2019.

- The hosts have been involved in only one completed ODI against England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, beating them by three wickets there in January 2017.

- Both sides have only managed to win 50 per cent of their completed one-day games since the end of the Cricket World Cup. India have recorded seven victories, while their opponents have four wins across the same time period.

- Virat Kohli has registered 30 ODI knocks versus England, with his highest score against them in the format coming in Pune, posting 122 off 105 balls there in January 2017.

- Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to get Jos Buttler out on three occasions during the T20 series, the most instances of any bowler dismissing a batsman across those five fixtures (conceding just 26 runs).

Three England players and four members of the management team returned positive tests in Bristol on Monday, resulting in the entire initial party being forced into isolation.

A new group of players - including Ben Stokes as stand-in captain - were called up just two days before the first match in Cardiff, where the tourists will also start the series short of preparation.

While the England players who beat Sri Lanka 2-0 kick their heels, a squad including nine uncapped players have a chance to grasp an unexpected chance.

Test duo Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence were drafted in along with fellow batsmen Will Jacks, Phil Salt and all-rounder Lewis Gregory.

Brydon Carse, Tom Helm, John Simpson and David Payne could also make their ODI debuts.

Dawid Malan and James Vince will bring experienced to the group, with Chris Silverwood resuming head coach duties after assistants Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe were due to take charge of both the Sri Lanka and Pakistan ODI series.

Pakistan have played a couple of intra-squad games since arriving in England on June 25, but have been frustrated by poor weather and may have do without Haris Sohail due to a leg injury

Babar Azam's side know a series victory will see them replace their opponents at the top of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. 

STOKES READY TO STEP UP AGAIN

Stokes had been easing his way back playing for Durham after he suffered a broken finger while featuring in the Indian Premier League.

The all-rounder answered the call to step up and fill in for Eoin Morgan and he is relishing the challenge.

"I've captained because Joe [Root] was having a baby, and I've captained because of a COVID outbreak. They are obviously strange situations to be involved in, but it's a huge honour to lead your country out onto a sporting field and I'm looking forward to it."

FAKHAR CAN SET THE TONE FOR TOURISTS

Pakistan secured a 2-1 away victory over South Africa in their most recent ODI series.

Fakhar Zaman was named player of the series and could have a big part to play at the top of the order against a different attack that he was expecting.

He scored 193 and 101 in his previous two knocks versus the Proteas and averages a hugely impressive 49.17 from 50 innings in the 50-over format at international level.

KEY OPTA FACTS

- England have won 10 of their past 11 multi-game bilateral ODI series at home (L1); their only loss in that span came against Australia (2-1) in September 2020.
- Pakistan have won each of their past three multi-game bilateral men’s ODI series, the last time they enjoyed a longer winning run in such series was a span of six in 2011.
- England have won eight of their 11 completed ODIs at Sophia Gardens (L3), although, they are yet to defeat Pakistan at the venue in this format (L2).
- Pakistan's Hasan Ali has scored 76 per cent of his runs from boundaries in ODIs since the beginning of 2019, the highest rate of any player from a Test playing country in that time (minimum 50 runs scored).
- England have lost only one of their past eight multi-game bilateral ODI series against Pakistan (W6, D1) and have won each of the past five in that span – their longest winning run against Pakistan in the format.