England

The ICC Men’s Player of the Month shortlist includes the architects of two memorable Test victories away from home, plus a prolific pacer who celebrated another significant milestone in the longest format.

The orchestrator for what was perhaps one of the most dramatic Test victories in recent memory, Joseph’s month will be long remembered for his bowling efforts in the second innings of the second Test v Australia in Brisbane.

Defending a modest target of 216 for victory, Joseph unleashed a remarkable spell of fast bowling, taking seven for 68 to cue wild celebrations.

This, in addition to taking the wicket of Steve Smith with his first ball in international cricket in a five-wicket-haul in Adelaide, saw him named Player of the Series and nominated for ICC Men’s Player of the Month for the very first time.

Joseph will be vying for the award against Australian quick Josh Hazlewood and English batsman Ollie Pope.

The Australian pacer joined an elite club in January after taking his 250^th wicket in the longest format. Hazlewood played three Tests during the month, starting in fine fashion with four wickets in the second innings of their third matchup against Pakistan, to bowl the tourists out cheaply and contribute to an eight-wicket win in Sydney. The 33-year-old followed up by taking nine wickets in the first Test against West Indies and five in the second Test in Brisbane, clocking up 19 wickets at a sensational average of 11.63.

Facing a 190-run deficit in the first India v England Test in Hyderabad, Pope came to the crease at 45 for one. The 26-year-old then dug in and produced a batting masterclass to overturn the deficit, and set a challenging total which India fell short of. A blend of innovative stroke play and resilient defence characterised Pope’s innings in which he scored 196 in 278 balls, including 21 boundaries. The innings propelled England to a score of 420 before they bowled India out to secure a record-breaking victory.

The nominees for the Women’s award are Australia’s Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney as well as Ireland’s Amy Hunter.

The three nominees for either category are shortlisted based on performances from the first to the last day of each calendar month.

The shortlist is then voted on by the independent ICC Voting Academy* and fans around the world. The ICC Voting Academy comprises prominent members of the cricket fraternity including well-known journalists, former players, broadcasters and members of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The Voting Academy submit their votes by email and hold a 90 per cent share of the vote.

Fans registered with the ICC can vote via the ICC website, accounting for the remaining 10 per cent. Winners are announced every second Monday of the month on ICC’s digital channels. 

The 2019 champions turned in a meek, error-strewn performance with the bat, blown away for just 156 in Bengaluru, and barely fared any better with the ball as their opponents breezed home by eight wickets.

Jos Buttler’s side have now lost four of their five games by heavy margins – beaten by New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa and now Sri Lanka – and can start booking an early trip home despite having four fixtures still to play in a torturous group stage.

There was an extra layer to their latest humbling given Silverwood’s presence in blue and gold. He served as England’s bowling coach when they lifted the trophy four years ago and was handpicked to take over the top job from Trevor Bayliss soon after.

Silverwood was sacked after a dire Ashes campaign in 2021/22 and now, rather than guiding his country through this tournament as he once expected, he has effectively sealed their departure from it.

A scrappy 43 from Ben Stokes was the best England could muster and that was promptly put in perspective as Pathum Nissanka (77 not out) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65no) peeled off an effortless century stand in response.

In all England used just 33.2 overs in the first innings and 25.4 in the second, a damning indictment on all fronts.

The day started with the latest confusing selection from England, who dropped rising star Harry Brook and rookie seamer Gus Atkinson as they fielded a side comprised entirely of thirtysomethings for the first time ever in ODI cricket.

It proved a thoroughly misguided decision from a team long past its peak. With a dominant, table-topping India up next in Lucknow, it is hard to see what they do next.

Things began with a brief burst of positivity, openers Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow taming the new ball sufficiently to take 45 from the first 39 deliveries, with nine boundaries.

But the growing optimism was shattered by the introduction of old foe Angelo Mathews, called up as an injury replacement just a couple of days ago and embarking on his first ODI spell in three-and-a-half years.

It took the 36-year-old just three deliveries to get back in the groove, Malan caught behind for 28 chasing a cutter. Mathews, who starred when Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley in the 2019 group stages, was involved again in the crucial dismissal of Joe Root.

Root had just three to his name when he chopped to point and set off for a single, turning on his heels once Bairstow dug his in at the non-striker’s end. Mathews picked up and threw in one swift movement, leaving Kusal Mendis to obliterate the stumps as Root dived in vain.

The errors kept coming, Bairstow reaching 30 before a cross-batted swat at Kasun Rajitha plonked straight to mid-on. Stokes dug a trench as he tried to halt the Sri Lankan momentum, but his rearguard was undermined as Lahiru Kumara had Buttler flashing to slip and Liam Livingstone lbw.

With just 17 overs down they were 85 for five and circling the drain. Stokes went on the attack, muscling a handful of boundaries despite struggling for timing, but lost two more partners as Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes spoon-fed catches to backward point.

When Stokes dragged a pull down deep-midwicket’s throat, England’s hopes of an unlikely revival went with him, but there was another nadir still to come.

Adil Rashid was backing up at the bowler’s end when Mendis took a Maheesh Theekshana wide down the leg side, spotted the chance of an opportunistic dismissal and threw down the stumps from 25 yards.

It was an absurd way to go and entirely in keeping with England’s demeanour over the past month. Theekshana had Wood stumped to complete the job, putting Sri Lanka in complete control.

David Willey had hit England’s only six of the innings and finished not out on the ground he calls home with Royal Challengers Bangalore and he started gamely with the ball too.

The left-armer had Kusal Perera caught off a leading edge with his third ball and added the dangerous Mendis, who chipped a leg-stump delivery high in the sky towards Buttler.

At 23 for two there was a tiny opening, but Samarawickrama and Nissanka closed it emphatically. They knocked off the runs in a composed manner, even soaking up a rapid spell that touched 94mph from Wood.

The pair stroked the ball around with minimal fuss as the bowlers went through the motions, with Nissanka sealing victory in style by slamming the expensive Rashid for a big six over long-on to put England out of their misery.

They are now on course for a World Cup campaign even worse than their low ebb of 2015, a fate barely imaginable when Eoin Morgan lifted the trophy at Lord’s in heady scenes four years later.

An England victory appeared most likely when India resumed on 181-6, ahead by 154 in their second innings – and certainly when Ollie Robinson (2-45) removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant (22) and Ishant Sharma (16) with the lead still below 200.

But seamer Robinson found himself out in the middle with bat in hand in the final hour alongside Jos Buttler as England lurched to seven down.

The turning point came when Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) joined Mohammed Shami (56 not out) in an unlikely and unbroken ninth-wicket alliance of 89 before India declared on 298-8.

Shami crashed six fours and a huge six off Moeen Ali brought up his maiden Test fifty. Bumrah's 64-ball effort was also a career best and his very presence was arguably pivotal in England losing any semblance of composure.

The apparent desire for retribution after Bumrah gave James Anderson a working over appeared to outweigh to required cold-headed pursuit of the final two scalps of a tail that looked very inviting on paper.

Virat Kohli declared early in the second session and England's victory target of 272 became completely nominal after Rory Burns and Dom Sibley became their country's first openers to each fall for ducks in the same innings of a home Test.

Bumrah (3-33) had Burns caught off a leading edge in the first over and Shami (1-13) had Sibley caught behind. Haseeb Hameed at least occupied 45 deliveries for his nine but fell leg before to Ishant (2-13) and Jonny Bairstow perished in the same fashion on the stroke of tea.

England were staring down the barrel when captain Joe Root – again top scorer with 33 – edged Bumrah to Kohli at slip, The India skipper also pouched Moeen (13) before Mohammed Siraj (4-32) subjected Sam Curran to the first ever Test king pair at Lord's, although his drop when Buttler was on two looked like it might be key.

The white-ball master played with impeccable restraint for his 25 but lost Robinson lbw on review to Bumrah with 9.1 overs remaining and feathered a beauty behind three balls later from Siraj, who finished the job by emphatically bowling Anderson.

Familiar problems as Root fights a lone hand

Burns and Sibley's unwanted slice of history took them on to nine ducks between them in 2021 – the same amount suffered by Alastair Cook in his 161 Test career. The recalled Hameed also went for nought in the first innings and Bairstow's departure ensured Root was the only member of the top five to reach double figures. India's fast bowlers operated at a high level once again, but it is an utterly unacceptable return.

Pacemen give India a new dimension

India took a huge step towards a long-awaited series victory in England and should they finish the job over the next three Tests, their four-pronged pace attack will have had plenty to do with it. If the morning was about Bumrah and Shami's thrilling abandon, the conclusion was the story of four experts of their craft working in tandem to give an overmatched batting line-up no prospect of escape.

It is a defeat to rank among the ignominy of Adelaide 2006 and Trinidad 1994 for England and it feels virtually impossible to see Root's men plotting a recovery from here, having crumbled on the back of three days painstakingly working their way into the ascendency.

An England victory appeared most likely when India resumed on 181-6, ahead by 154 in their second innings – and certainly when Ollie Robinson (2-45) removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant (22) and Ishant Sharma (16) with the lead still below 200.

But seamer Robinson found himself out in the middle with bat in hand in the final hour alongside Jos Buttler as England lurched to seven down.

The turning point came when Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) joined Mohammed Shami (56 not out) in an unlikely and unbroken ninth-wicket alliance of 89 before India declared on 298-8.

Shami crashed six fours and a huge six off Moeen Ali brought up his maiden Test fifty. Bumrah's 64-ball effort was also a career best and his very presence was arguably pivotal in England losing any semblance of composure.

The apparent desire for retribution after Bumrah gave James Anderson a working over appeared to outweigh to required cold-headed pursuit of the final two scalps of a tail that looked very inviting on paper.

Virat Kohli declared early in the second session and England's victory target of 272 became completely nominal after Rory Burns and Dom Sibley became their country's first openers to each fall for ducks in the same innings of a home Test.

Bumrah (3-33) had Burns caught off a leading edge in the first over and Shami (1-13) had Sibley caught behind. Haseeb Hameed at least occupied 45 deliveries for his nine but fell leg before to Ishant (2-13) and Jonny Bairstow perished in the same fashion on the stroke of tea.

England were staring down the barrel when captain Joe Root – again top scorer with 33 – edged Bumrah to Kohli at slip, The India skipper also pouched Moeen (13) before Mohammed Siraj (4-32) subjected Sam Curran to the first ever Test king pair at Lord's, although his drop when Buttler was on two looked like it might be key.

The white-ball master played with impeccable restraint for his 25 but lost Robinson lbw on review to Bumrah with 9.1 overs remaining and feathered a beauty behind three balls later from Siraj, who finished the job by emphatically bowling Anderson.

Familiar problems as Root fights a lone hand

Burns and Sibley's unwanted slice of history took them on to nine ducks between them in 2021 – the same amount suffered by Alastair Cook in his 161 Test career. The recalled Hameed also went for nought in the first innings and Bairstow's departure ensured Root was the only member of the top five to reach double figures. India's fast bowlers operated at a high level once again, but it is an utterly unacceptable return.

Pacemen give India a new dimension

India took a huge step towards a long-awaited series victory in England and should they finish the job over the next three Tests, their four-pronged pace attack will have had plenty to do with it. If the morning was about Bumrah and Shami's thrilling abandon, the conclusion was the story of four experts of their craft working in tandem to give an overmatched batting line-up no prospect of escape.

It is a defeat to rank among the ignominy of Adelaide 2006 and Trinidad 1994 for England and it feels virtually impossible to see Root's men plotting a recovery from here, having crumbled on the back of three days painstakingly working their way into the ascendency.

Star batsman Babar Azam was removed by James Anderson without adding to his overnight 69 as England checked Pakistan's day-one momentum with impressive discipline during the morning session.

But the indefatigable Masood remained and found a willing ally in Shadab Khan (45) before the century-maker became the ninth man to fall, making 156 out of 326 all out.

New ball pair Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas then removed England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley cheaply, both lbw, before Abbas cleaned up Ben Stokes for a duck with a sensational delivery.

Captain Joe Root's 58-ball stay yielded 14 runs before he was out caught behind, cutting leg-spinner Yasir Shah, meaning the bulk of England's hopes rested with Ollie Pope (46 not out) as they closed on 92-4 – 234 in arrears.

After an underwhelming Wednesday outing on his home ground, Anderson (1-63) was bang on the money in the first over of the day and tempted Babar into a drive he edged to Root at first slip.

Broad (3-54) accounted for Asad Shafiq in similar fashion, with Stokes the catcher, and the similarly assured Chris Woakes (2-43) had Mohammad Rizwan caught behind by Jos Buttler, who endured an otherwise torrid innings with the gloves.

England had a sniff of Pakistan's vulnerable lower order but Shadab put on 105 for the sixth wicket with Shan, who reached a fourth Test century, and third in as many outings, off 251 deliveries.

Shadab slapped Dom Bess to Root at midwicket with 50 in sight, which was Shan's cue to put his foot down as Jofra Archer (3-59) and Broad split the tail between them – the latter having implored in inimitable fashion for the centurion's scalp.

Shaheen's pace and Abbas' wily precision got Pakistan quickly stuck into the England middle order, with Stokes losing his stumps when driving at a majestic delivery that decked away from him.

Pope found a fluency that eluded his captain, meeting the challenge of considerable speed and skill with a nicely judged counter-attack he must now build substantially upon.

The former Victoria and Hampshire player, widely regarded as one of the game's all-time greats, was found unresponsive at his villa in Thailand.

Across a 15-year Test career that stretched from 1992 to 2007, Warne cemented himself as the architect of a leg-spin revival.

His haul of 708 wickets across 145 Test matches is the second-highest number taken by any bowler and just one of several records set across his career. Here, Stats Perform looks at some of his finest feats.

708 -Only one bowler – Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) – has ever taken more Test wickets than Warne, who amassed 708.

195 -Warne's haul of 195 Ashes victims means he holds the record for most Test wickets against England.

199 -The spinner had 199 Test innings at the crease as a batsman, hitting 3,154 runs overall at an average of 17.32.

14 -Alec Stewart was Warne's favourite opponent to bowl to in Tests, with the Englishman dismissed 14 times.

99 -Warne's highest score in Test cricket was 99 runs, while his best effort in one-day internationals was 55.

130 -After England, Warne took the most Test wickets against South Africa, with 130 in total.

96 -Warne's most successful year for bowling, numbers-wise, was in 2005 when he took 96 Test wickets, although an Ashes defeat took some shine off that haul. In ODIs, he took a career-high 62 wickets in 1999.

291 -He took 291 wickets for Australia across 193 ODI appearances.

319 -A hefty proportion of Warne's Test wickets came on home turf, with 319 coming his way while playing in Australia, including 15 five-wicket hauls.

129 - In 22 Tests in England, Warne took 129 wickets.

Warne, who took 708 Test wickets - the second-highest total of all time - passed away in Thailand, with his management confirming the news to Stats Perform on Friday.

The leg-spinner, who moved into commentary following his international retirement in 2007, will go down as an all-time great of the sport.

Of his 708 Test wickets, 195 came against England, across 36 Ashes meetings. Against no other country did Warne take more wickets.

Following the news, England Cricket's official Twitter account posted: "One of the greatest of all-time. A legend. A genius.

"You changed Cricket. RIP Shane Warne."

Warne bowled one delivery short of 1,792 overs against England, with a remarkable 488 of those being maidens, while he took 11 five-wicket hauls against Australia's greatest rivals, and had 10 wickets across a match on four occasions.

He bowed out of international Test cricket, fittingly, against England in Sydney in 2007, having taken two wickets. Warne's first Ashes appearance came in 1993, when he took eight wickets in a 179-run victory for Australia in Manchester.

Warne has died at the age of 52, having been found unresponsive in his villa in Thailand on Friday.

Tributes have flooded in from across the cricketing world, with Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Botham and Ben Stokes among those to post their memories of the Australian superstar.

Warne ranks second for most Test dismissals, with his 708 wickets only bettered by fellow spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and he claimed 195 victims in Ashes outings alone. He was also a victor in seven such series.

Vaughan and Warne memorably faced off in the 2005 Ashes, with England getting the better of a star-studded line-up before Australia regained the urn in 2006-07.

While the pair were regularly embroiled in a battle on the pitch, Vaughan reflected on the friendship he developed with Warne after the two finished their playing days and moved into the commentary box.

"I can't tell you how hard it is to get this down in words," Vaughan wrote on Instagram. "It just doesn't feel real to be talking about someone who once was an enemy on the pitch to one who became a great friend off it.

"Shane was the greatest ever cricketer but more than that his character lit up every dressing room, comm box, bar, golf club and friendship group. His energy and positivity was beyond anyone I have ever known.

"He was loyal beyond loyal, at a time I needed support he was the first to pick up the phone and offer advice and help, and the utmost support.

"I will never ever forget the warmth he and his family gave me this winter when I was down under for Christmas alone. To say I spent Warney's last Xmas with him and his family is so sad but one I will cherish."

Vaughan fondly recalled how Warne tucked in to lasagne sandwiches while everyone else had a traditional Christmas lunch.

He added: "That's Warney. The superstar, the greatest, friends to world superstars, everyone wanted to be around him, but ultimately he was just a normal guy who could do incredible things.

"Leg spin is the hardest skill in our game and he mastered it. He became a great poker player as he loved gambling, but it was more the competition and trying to put the psych into his opponents that he loved. Just like when he bowled."

Vaughan said his thoughts went out to Warne's parents and his three children.

"We are all thinking of you. I am absolutely gutted to have lost a great friend," Vaughan added. "One thing is for sure heaven will be a lively place now the King has arrived. Love ya Shane."

The loss of Warne, at the age of 52, sent shock through the cricket world, with Gatting forever closely associated with the man from Victoria.

Former England skipper Gatting was dismissed in sensational style by Warne during the opening Ashes Test at Old Trafford on June 4, 1993, when a seemingly innocuous delivery turned sharply and bowled the bamboozled home batsman.

The delivery veered to pitch outside the line of the right-handed Gatting's leg stump, only to dip, rip and zip beyond his defensive prod, beating the outside edge of the bat before going on to hit off stump.

Warne had already played 11 Tests, but this was his first in England, and the hosts only had an inkling of his talent. His first delivery in an Ashes Test went down in history.

"We understood he was a very talented sportsperson. He liked his surfing, he was a typical sort of Aussie larrikin, as they called them, who could spin the cricket ball," Gatting told BBC 5 Live.

"We didn't know much more about him than that, and in the match before they told him to just bowl his leg-breaks and he didn't bowl his flippers, and topples [top-spinners], and googlies, but when he got down the other end there, I was just trying to watch the ball.

"I knew it was a leg-break and I knew it was going to spin, you could hear it coming through the air from down the other end, and then just at the last yard or so, as a good leg-spinner does, it just drifted in, and it drifted just outside leg stump and just turned out of nowhere, a long, long way.

"I'm quite a wide chap and it got past me as well as everything else and just clipped the off bail, and I was just as dumbfounded as I am now to hear that he's died."

Gatting, now 64, was in his final years as an international batsman. Even with the passing of time, he remains astonished by the way Warne got him out that day.

"I can't believe it, and I couldn't believe it then, and it was just one of those that sort of probably helped him," Gatting said.

"He was a pretty confident bloke already, but I'm sure that gave him a huge amount of confidence and took him to the next level, and he kept going up levels after that."

Reflecting on Warne's death, after a suspected heart attack, Gatting said: "It's been just devastating really, and unbelievable. When you think he's 52, and he's been an absolute legend in the game, and I don't use that word lightly either. It's just unreal.

"We've lost a great cricketer and a great guy. I'm very, very happy to have called him a great friend."

Current England captain Joe Root said his squad, currently on tour in the West Indies, were "shocked and really sad" to hear news of Warne's death.

"My experiences of Shane were of someone who absolutely loves the game of cricket, was always a joy to be around, gave so much energy to the sport," Root said.

"Growing up as a kid he was a massive idol of mine, someone you wanted to emulate. The way he could win a game on his own, his skill level was incredible. But to have the opportunity to spend some time with him and get to know him a little bit, albeit not a lot, it's deeply saddening to hear the news this morning."

Root said watching Warne in the 2005 Ashes, where he shone with 40 wickets despite Australia losing the series 2-1, was "the sort of thing that makes you want to get into the game and play at the highest level".

"You could see his joy and enthusiasm when he played was still there when you got to speak to him," Root said. "He just wanted to see the game played at the peak of its powers. It's just really sad."

Warne's death has left the sporting world in shock. He was a genius with the ball, taking 708 Test wickets across a 15-year career for Australia, and his place among the all-time sporting greats is secure.

He enjoyed a wonderful rivalry with Australia's old enemies, England.

As first impressions go, Warne's in Ashes cricket was about as eye-catching as you could possibly get.  

It was June 4, 1993 and the second day of the series opener between England and Australia at Old Trafford. Having taken five wickets for 45 runs in the morning session to dismiss their rivals for 289, the home side's reply was progressing steadily enough at 80-1. 

However, Warne's introduction into the attack produced one of cricket's most memorable moments and changed the dynamic of the rivalry for over the next decade.

Mike Gatting will certainly never forget it, as the leg-spinner unfurled a delivery that flummoxed the England batsman.

"We understood he was a very talented sportsperson. He liked his surfing, he was a typical sort of Aussie larrikin, as they called them, who could spin the cricket ball," Gatting told BBC 5 Live on Friday, following the confirmation of Warne's passing.

"We didn't know much more about him than that, and in the match before they told him to just bowl his leg-breaks and he didn't bowl his flippers, and topples [top-spinners], and googlies, but when he got down the other end there, I was just trying to watch the ball.

"I knew it was a leg-break and I knew it was going to spin, you could hear it coming through the air from down the other end, and then just at the last yard or so, as a good leg-spinner does, it just drifted in, and it drifted just outside leg stump and just turned out of nowhere, a long, long way.

"I'm quite a wide chap and it got past me as well as everything else and just clipped the off bail, and I was just as dumbfounded as I am now to hear that he's died."

'The Ball of the Century', as it became known, was poetry in slow (bowling) motion. The initial drift appeared to make it look innocuous enough as it veered to pitch outside the line of the right-handed Gatting's leg stump, only to dip, rip and zip beyond his defensive prod, beating the outside edge of the bat before going on to hit off stump. 

It was a stunning opening statement. As if he had cast a spell that day, Warne would go on to dominate against England for the rest of his career. 

Gatting will famously be remembered as the first but plenty more would be mesmerised by Warne, who ended his international career with 708 Test wickets at 25.41. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Sri Lanka's own spin king, has ever managed more. 

The variations – the wrong'uns, flippers, sliders and shooters, or whatever other name Warne came up with for the latest addition to his bowling repertoire – all helped add to his aura. So many batsmen were often done in the mind before he had even released the ball from his right hand.

England suffered more than any other nation. Warne claimed 195 wickets against Australia's greatest rivals at an average of 23.3. 

More than half of that tally came on English soil too (129 at 21.9 in 22 matches), with his numbers against them in Australia impacted by missing the majority of the 1998-99 series due to a right shoulder injury, as well as a further two Tests in 2002-03. In terms of wickets abroad, South Africa sit second on his hit list, Warne picking up 61 there in 12 Tests. 

The young, bright-blond bowler in 1993 went on to finish with 34 scalps during the six-match Ashes, though a strike-rate of a wicket every 77.6 balls was comfortably the highest for any of his four series on English soil.

He picked up four in each innings in Manchester – albeit none with such dramatic effect as the delivery that did for Gatting – then repeated the trick at Lord's in the next Test. While the returns dipped for the remainder of the trip, including just one wicket at Headingley, Australia eased to a 4-1 triumph to retain the urn. 

From that away success towards the end of Allan Border's reign through the captaincy eras of Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, the Australians would maintain their grip on the most famous prize in cricket until 2005, when Michael Vaughan's side worked out that attack was the best form of defence.

The competitive nature of that series – after a lop-sided opener at Lord’s that the tourists won, every other fixture provided sporting drama of the highest quality – seemingly inspired Warne to reach a personal Ashes peak.

No cause was lost when he had the ball that summer, as demonstrated when so nearly rescuing situations in eventual defeats at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, when his side's batting failures left them playing catch-up. In the end, though, his 40 wickets at 19.9 were not enough to spare Australia from slipping to a 2-1 defeat.  

Still, he became just the eighth bowler to take 40 wickets in a series – and the first since 1989 – while striking on average every 37.9 balls. England had managed to win the war despite coming out second best in their battles with Warne. 

His hugely successful English summer helped towards an overall haul of 96 wickets in 2005, comfortably the best return during a Test career that saw him take 70 or more in a calendar year on four occasions.

The last act was to help regain the urn at home in 2006-07, Andrew Flintoff becoming Warne's 195th Ashes scalp when stumped by Adam Gilchrist in Sydney.  The bowler who made the fading art of leg spin fashionable once again had bamboozled England for the final time.

Now, cricket mourns the loss of a rare talent and a true legend.

Warne was found unresponsive in his villa in Thailand on Friday after a suspected heart attack.

Thai police previously claimed Warne had complained of chest pains prior to his passing, and have since confirmed he died of natural causes.

Speaking at a news conference previewing England's Six Nations clash with Ireland on Saturday, Jones spoke warmly of Warne, saying: "Yes, terrible time, mate. Shane was an icon, wasn't he?

"He was a player that scaled the heights. He had his issues off the field, but he changed the game of cricket.

"There was someone on the radio I was listening to the other day who said that when he went to school, everyone was trying to bowl leg-spinners. They spent most of their time trying to get the balls off the top of the nets, because they couldn't bowl them.

"He did a trade that was physically the opposite of what you're supposed to do, for a long period of time, and became the top Test match wicket-taker.

"I was lucky enough to meet him on a couple of occasions. I remember we had a net session, with the Wallabies, against the Australian side, when they were right at the top, and Warne was at the top. We had a guy called Wendell Sailor – he was a larger-than-life character.

"He was batting against Stuart MacGill, who was the other leg-spinner. Wendell was coming in and smashing MacGill out of the nets.

"Warnie grabbed the ball and winked to the guys behind him, and said, 'Watch this'. He gave him two floated up and let Wendell smash him. The third one he bowled a bit shorter, a bit faster and he was bowled. Then he told Wendell to go where he needs to go, which I thought was a great little insight into such a wonderful sportsman."

Warne's body is due to be returned to Australia on Tuesday, where he is to receive a state funeral in Victoria.

It was June 4, 1993 and the second day of the series opener between England and Australia at Old Trafford. Having taken five wickets for 45 runs in the morning session to dismiss their rivals for 289, the home side's reply was progressing steadily enough at 80-1. 

However, Warne's introduction into the attack produced one of cricket's most memorable moments and changed the dynamic of the rivalry for over the next decade.

Mike Gatting will certainly never forget it, as the leg-spinner unfurled a delivery that flummoxed the England batsman.

'The Ball of the Century', as it became known, was poetry in slow (bowling) motion. The initial drift appeared to make it look innocuous enough as it veered to pitch outside the line of the right-handed Gatting's leg stump, only to dip, rip and zip beyond his defensive prod, beating the outside edge of the bat before going on to hit off stump. 

It was a stunning opening statement. As if he had cast a spell that day, Warne would go on to dominate against England for the rest of his career. 

Gatting will famously be remembered as the first but plenty more would be mesmerised by Warne, who ended his international career with 708 Test wickets at 25.41. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Sri Lanka's own spin king, has ever managed more. 

The variations - the wrong'uns, flippers, sliders and shooters, or whatever other name Warne came up with for the latest addition to his bowling repertoire - all helped add to his aura. So many batsmen were often done in the mind before he had even released the ball from his right hand.

England suffered more than any other nation. Warne claimed 195 wickets against Australia's greatest rivals – the most by any opposing bowler - at an average of 23.3. 

More than half of that tally came on English soil too (129 at 21.9 in 22 matches), with his numbers against them in Australia impacted by missing the majority of the 1998-99 series due to a right shoulder injury, as well as a further two Tests in 2002-03. In terms of wickets abroad, South Africa sit second on his hit list, Warne picking up 61 there in 12 Tests. 

The young, bright-blond bowler in 1993 went on to finish with 34 scalps during the six-match Ashes, though a strike-rate of a wicket every 77.6 balls was comfortably the highest for any of his four series on English soil.

He picked up four in each innings in Manchester – albeit none with such dramatic effect as the delivery that did for Gatting – then repeated the trick at Lord's in the next Test. While the returns dipped for the remainder of the trip, including just one wicket at Headingley, Australia eased to a 4-1 triumph to retain the urn. 

From that away success towards the end of Allan Border's reign through the captaincy eras of Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, the Australians would maintain their grip on the most famous prize in cricket until 2005, when Michael Vaughan's side worked out that attack was the best form of defence. 

The competitive nature of that series – after a lop-sided opener at Lord’s that the tourists won, every other fixture provided sporting drama of the highest quality – seemingly inspired Warne to reach a personal Ashes peak.  

No cause was lost when he had the ball that summer, as demonstrated when so nearly rescuing situations in eventual defeats at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, when his side's batting failures left them playing catch-up. In the end, though, his 40 wickets at 19.9 were not enough to spare Australia from slipping to a 2-1 defeat.  

Still, he became just the eighth bowler to take 40 wickets in a series – and the first since 1989 – while striking on average every 37.9 balls. England had managed to win the war despite coming out second best in their battles with Warne. 

His hugely successful English summer helped towards an overall haul of 96 wickets in 2005, comfortably the best return during a Test career that saw him take 70 or more in a calendar year on four occasions.

The last act was to help regain the urn at home in 2006-07, Andrew Flintoff becoming Warne's 195th Ashes scalp when stumped by Adam Gilchrist in Sydney.  The bowler who made the fading art of leg spin fashionable once again had bamboozled England for the final time.

Holder claimed an impressive 6 for 42 and Gabriel 4 for 62, as England were dismissed for 204, in the first innings.  Gabriel’s performance is all the more impressive with the series being the player’s first competitive match since recovering from ankle surgery last year.

In truth, concerns regarding Gabriel’s overall match fitness had quickly evaporated when he removed England opener Dom Sibley and provided plenty of deliveries that teased the edge of the batsmen in the first session.  He went on to account for, Rory Burns, Sibley's opening partner, Joe Denly, and James Anderson at the bottom of the order.

“Shannon was outstanding.  He came in after not playing cricket for a while, coming back off injury.  He is one of those players we try to manage as best as we possibly can,” Holder said following the end of the day’s play.

“He is a strike force for us, he is a weapon.  I think we were able to use him in short bursts where he can run in and express himself.  To me his consistency was good, and he looked good.”

In reply, the West Indies were 57 for 1 at the end of play, with John Campbell the batsman dismissed, on 28, by Anderson.

Sharma's team batted first and found themselves at 89-5 after Hardik Pandya was caught by Dawid Malan off the bowling of Chris Jordan.

This brought Ravindra Jadeja to the crease, and he smashed 46 runs off 26 deliveries to help India set England a total of 171 runs to win.

England's chase was quick to falter though, with Jason Roy getting out with the first ball of the innings after an impressive delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar was hit to slip by the opener.

The captain Jos Buttler was quick to follow after scoring only four runs, and the poor performance from England's top order was telling as they ended up all out for just 121.

Sharma was quick to praise his side after they claimed victory in the series ahead of the final game at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sharma commented: "We knew we were up for a challenge against them, but again we came out and were quite clinical in what we wanted to do.

"And clear-minded as well, with what we wanted to execute with the bat and with the ball as well.

"When you win games it's always nice, you feel confident. There's a lot of confidence amongst the group, which to me is quite important.

"I really wanted to see how we perform after a win, and we want to keep continuing to do that and see how we can challenge us more and more as a group."

Sharma gave particular acclaim to Jadeja after his crucial innings, adding "Jadeja with his experience, recently getting a 100 on this ground as well, he seems to be confident in what he wants to do.

"At no given point did we feel that he was panicking, given the experience that he has.

"It was good to finish off on a score which I thought was par on that pitch, and then we were quite clinical with the ball."

All-rounder Sundar misses out due to finger injury on his bowling hand that will take longer than expected to recover from.

Gill suffered a stress fracture of his shin during the World Test Championship final defeat to New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl and the opening batsman has returned to India.

Paceman Khan fractured his thumb during a warm-up game against a County Select XI last week.

Batsmen Shaw and Yadav - uncapped in the longest format - have been drafted in as replacements, while Prasidh Krishna and Arzan Nagwaswalla are on standby.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been reunited with his team-mates after recovering from coronavirus.

The five-match series starts at Trent Bridge next Wednesday.

India squad:  Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

After England were all out for 353 on the second morning, as Joe Root finished unbeaten on 122, Bashir was entrusted at one end following a short burst from the seamers and the decision paid rich dividends.

In his eighth first-class match and second Test, Bashir was solely responsible for India lurching from 86 for one to 161 for five, which included the wicket of the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The India opener has been a constant thorn in England’s side and top-scored with 73, but he was not the only member of his side to fall victim to variable bounce as the hosts went to stumps on 219 for seven, trailing by 134 runs.

Tom Hartley, curiously held back until the 32nd over, chipped in with two for 47 but this was Bashir’s day, as the 20-year-old vindicated his selection after being omitted for England’s defeat in Rajkot.

He came into this series with a first-class bowling average of 67 but is making sure England are not feeling the absence of senior spinner Jack Leach, who announced on Saturday he will undergo surgery on a knee injury which cut short his tour.

Bashir, who took four wickets in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, bowled 31 consecutive overs from one end and exploited helpful conditions as England, trailing 2-1 in the five-match series, put India under the pump.

Days after Ben Stokes admitted he would like to see umpire’s call abolished, England had three on-field decisions upheld as Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar and Ravichandran Ashwin reviewed their dismissals in vain.

There was no debating the breakthrough as James Anderson claimed Test wicket 697 after a flat-footed Rohit Sharma nicked through to Ben Foakes but Ollie Robinson was luckless, twice drawing the outside edge of Jaiswal either side of lunch.

The first dropped clearly short of Zak Crawley before disappearing for Jaiswal’s first four, but Foakes and England were convinced the second chance was taken cleanly and were momentarily stunned when third umpire Joel Wilson ruled against them, with Stokes cupping his hands to his mouth in shock.

Jaiswal earlier punished Anderson then Robinson for over-pitching with back-to-back fours and showed his range by shimmying down to Bashir and bludgeoning over long-on – his 23rd six of the series.

It was a rare misstep from Bashir, introduced as early as the ninth over just before lunch, as he settled into a mammoth spell, offering initial control and refusing to allow Jaiswal or Gill to dominate before ending an 82-run stand just as England looked to be running short of ideas.

Gill departed for 38 after being rapped on the front pad, beaten on the inside edge and playing down the wrong line, and a decent stride failed to save him on review as he was umpire’s call on impact.

It was just the second lbw of Bashir’s professional career and he did not have to wait long for his third as Patidar was out for 17, with a referral showing the ball would have clipped leg stump.

Ravindra Jadeja took successive sixes off fellow left-arm spinner Hartley, but these were his only scoring shots as he was deceived by extra bounce from Bashir’s top-spinner and plopped a simple bat-pad chance to Ollie Pope in the afternoon gloom.

Jaiswal launched a brief counteroffensive after tea with a late cut and inside-out drive over extra cover for fours off Bashir, who had his revenge and the wicket England prized most when one delivery stayed low and squirted off the toe-end of the opener’s bat before crashing into the stumps.

With the floodlights on, Hartley got into the act, drawing Sarfaraz Khan’s edge which was spectacularly caught by Root, diving to his left at slip, while Ashwin was lbw to a grubber and another India review went England’s way because of the on-field call.

Dhruv Jurel (30 not out) and Kuldeep Yadav (17no) put on an unbroken 42 but the momentum is firmly with the tourists on a tricky pitch.

England earlier added 49 to their overnight score, largely thanks to Robinson, who registered his maiden Test fifty and took his stand with Root to 102 before a reverse sweep brushed his glove en route to Jurel.

Robinson’s departure for 58 was the start of England losing their last three wickets for six runs in 17 balls, with Root left stranded having added just 16 to his day one total.

Joe Root (122 not out) and Ollie Robinson (58) helped England add 51 to an overnight 302 for seven but they lost their last three wickets for six runs in 17 balls on the second morning of the fourth Test.

James Anderson snared Rohit Sharma to move to within three of 700 Test wickets before the recalled Bashir trapped Shubman Gill and Rajat Patidar lbw and had Ravindra Jadeja caught bat-pad as India went to tea on 131 for four.

Jaiswal (54 not out) was immovable on a pitch which, despite the odd delivery keeping low, was devoid of the gremlins that had given England’s top-order major problems 24 hours earlier.

Robinson, in his first competitive appearance since July, twice drew the edge of Jaiswal but the ball bounced short of Zak Crawley then Ben Stokes, the latter much to England’s obvious chagrin.

Anderson made the breakthrough in his second over, getting one to hold its line and kiss Rohit’s outside edge on the way through to Ben Foakes, but while Robinson did likewise to Jaiswal, the ball dropped in front of a diving Crawley at second slip before scurrying away for the opener’s first four.

Robinson was memorably chided during the Ashes for bowling “124kph (77mph) nude nuts” by former Australia opener Matthew Hayden and the seamer did not do much to shed the tag as he operated in the mid-70mph range.

But he engaged in a fascinating tussle with Jaiswal, who pushed at a wider delivery after lunch and Foakes dived forward to take the edge, only for third umpire Joel Wilson to rule the ball had bounced.

England celebrated before the ‘not out’ verdict was returned on the two big screens and England were momentarily stunned, with captain Ben Stokes cupping his hands to his mouth in shock.

At the other end, Bashir was probing away and while he was dumped back over his head for six by Jaiswal, the off-spinner, in just his second Test, extracted some turn to beat both Gill (38) and Patidar (12) on the inside edge and gain leg-before verdicts.

Tom Hartley was not introduced until the 32nd over and was thumped for back-to-back sixes by Ravindra Jadeja, who was the undone by extra bounce from Bashir and popped a catch to Ollie Pope at short leg.

Earlier, India took the new ball after two deliveries but the hosts could not capitalise as Robinson collected three fours in an eventful over off Akash Deep, who beat the lower-order batter’s outside edge twice.

Robinson brought up a first Test half-century by slog-sweeping Jadeja for a ninth four, to go with one six, and stretched his stand with Root into three figures – England’s first century stand for the eighth wicket since August 2017.

But an attempted reverse sweep off Jadeja brushed Robinson’s glove on the way through to Dhruv Jurel and England’s innings unravelled quickly.

Shoaib Bashir clothed a skier to backward point while Jadeja had his and India’s third wicket of the morning when Anderson made a hash of a sweep and was lbw. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers with four for 67.

The uncapped 20-year-old, a British Muslim with Pakistani heritage, was unable to travel to India for the start of England’s upcoming five-Test series due to delays with his visa application.

He initially remained in Abu Dhabi after the team’s recent training camp but was later forced to return to the UK to complete the process.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the Somerset youngster had belatedly received the necessary stamp of approval in London and would now be able to fly out to India.

The news comes too late for him to be involved in the first Test in Hyderabad, which begins on Thursday, but he should be back with the team in the coming days.

An ECB spokesperson said: “Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend. We’re glad the situation has now been resolved.”

England captain Ben Stokes expressed his frustration over the episode, but said initial thoughts the team should not travel until the issue was resolved were quickly dispelled.

Stokes said: “When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn’t fly until Bash gets his visa, but that was a little bit tongue in cheek.

“I know it’s a way bigger thing, doing that. That was probably just (my) emotions around the whole thing. There was never a chance that we were not going to travel around this, but Bash knows he’s had our full support.

“I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this. As a leader, as a captain, when one of your team-mates is affected by something like that you do get a bit emotional.”

Bashir, who was called up for the tour after making just six first-class appearances, is not the first player to encounter difficulties receiving a visa for India.

Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood, whose parents hail from Pakistan, had to be withdrawn from an England Lions tour of India in 2019 after similar delays, while Australia opener Usman Khawaja was a late arrival on his country’s Test trip in 2023.

Last year the Pakistan Cricket Board also wrote to the International Cricket Council to express concerns over waiting times for World Cup visas.

England had called for assistance from counterparts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India for Bashir, with new operations manager Stuart Hooper leading negotiations in the United Arab Emirates, but were informed the player needed to present his passport in person at the Indian high commission in London.

On the same ground where England beat the Black Caps in an incredible ICC World Cup final two years ago, Kane Williamson's side were unable to force a final-day victory.

The tourists set Joe Root's home team 273 to win when they declared on 169-6 at lunch, but New Zealand could not take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series as Dom Sibley ground out an obdurate unbeaten 60.

Root (40) also frustrated New Zealand, with England showing no intention of chasing down their target and they were 170-3 when the two captains shook hands after 7pm in London, so both sides will head to Edgbaston next week in the hunt to win the series.

Nightwatchman Neil Wagner was removed by Ollie Robinson early in the day after the tourists resumed chasing quick runs on 62-2 and New Zealand were 105-4 when Stuart Broad trapped Tom Latham (36) leg before.

Ross Taylor made a brisk 33 from 35 balls, hitting Robinson and Mark Wood for six, before edging the latter behind, and Henry Nicholls was dismissed by Root for 23.

Williamson declared after lunch was taken slightly early due to a shower, but a breakthrough proved to be elusive at first when play resumed.

It was Wagner who came into the attack to end an opening stand of 49, Tim Southee holding on at second slip after the seamer drew an edge from Rory Burns (25).

England were 56-2 just before tea with Zak Crawley sent on his way by Southee for two, and the impressive Wagner ended a third-wicket stand of 80 by snaring Root lbw, but New Zealand could not see the back of Sibley or Ollie Pope (20 not out).

Broad ends long Test drought

There was relief for England paceman Broad when he ended a long wait for a Test wicket in the morning session.

Broad did not add to his impressive tally of Test scalps in the series defeat in India and his dismissal of Latham was his first in the longest format for 81.2 overs. Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews was his previous victim in January.

Positive Williamson declaration not rewarded as Sibley returns to form

The draw left New Zealand still with only one Test victory at Lord's, which came back in July 1999. Williamson's positive declaration did not pay dividends as England ground out what was ultimately a drab draw.

It was a welcome return to form for the stubborn Sibley, who faced 207 balls as he showed great application after falling for a duck in the first innings.

England were 264-3 at the end of a wicketless first session in which the hosts added 57 runs in 26 overs — the kind of rate that took Test cricket back to the old days.

Sibley beat Stokes in their painstaking crawls to the milestone, bringing up his second Test hundred with a straight drive for three runs about 10 minutes before lunch. The opener gave a big fist pump to celebrate his 312-ball century, England's fifth slowest since 1990.

Sibley would hole out to Roston Chase for 120 in the second session as he tried to push the scoring.

Stokes, in the meantime, had stepped on the accelerator after lunch when he went to three figures. By tea, Stokes was 172 and England were 378-5.

Again it was Chase who moved the needle for the West Indies, trapping Ollie Pope for just seven.

At the crease with Stokes is Jos Buttler on 12.

Chase now has figures of 4-106, while the West Indies had to do without Alzarri Joseph, the other wicket-taker, for part of the day after the pacer complained of tri-cep pain. Joseph has figures of 1-70.