Test Series

Louis, the 23-year-old, comes into the team on the back of a brilliant season for the Leeward Islands in the 2024 West Indies Championship where he scored 682 runs in 14 innings at an average of 49.

He is coming off a first innings half-century in their warm-up game against the County Select XI last week.

Retaining their places in the order are Kirk McKenzie at three, Alick Athanaze at four and Kavem Hodge at five.

McKenzie and Athanaze scored three half-centuries between them in the warm-up fixture last week while Hodge scored a brilliant hundred so all three are coming into the first Test in some good form.

Also making their return to the West Indies test team after missing the Australia series in December are former Captain Jason Holder and young pacer Jayden Seales.

Both Holder and Seales recently enjoyed successful County Championship stints for Worcestershire and Sussex, respectively.

Gudakesh Motie will be the lone spinner in the XI while Holder and Seales will be joined in the pace attack by Alzarri and Shamar Joseph.

Josh a Da Silva also retains his place behind the stumps.

The full XI is as follows: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph

The Windies toiled in the field for 117.4 overs, eventually ending South Africa's first innings just 20 minutes into the opening session as Kagiso Rabada fell on 21 before Lungi Ngidi's four-ball duck.

That same pair of Rabada and Ngidi asked questions of Mikyle Louis and Kraigg Braithwaite with the new ball, yet the Windies openers reached an unbeaten half-century stand with little trouble.

The visiting Proteas turned to Maharaj's spin as early as the 13th over, reaping the rewards as the left-arm spinner ripped through Louis' defence to remove the opener on 35 with the last ball before lunch.

Rain caused a lengthy delay to follow but that stoppage proved fruitful as Wiaan Mulder ran out Braithwaite, on 35, before Maharaj removed Keacy Carty for 42 and Alick Athanaze on just three.

Maharaj bowled 28 straight overs throughout a battling day and hopes South Africa can capitalise with the West Indies on 145-5, some 212 runs behind the visitors' first-innings total of 357.

"When the ball goes in the outfield, it becomes a bit soft and doesn't react much," Maharaj said at stumps. "We have been trying to keep it as dry as possible.

"There is not much off the wicket. I have been trying to use different paces, and various trajectories but only the odd ball is reacting.

"But when you bowl in the right channel for a long time in Test cricket, it does pay dividends."

Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder will hope to provide further resistance when play begins on Saturday in Port of Spain.

On Wednesday, that dream could become reality for Trinidadian off-spinner Bryan Charles.

The 29-year-old is a part of the West Indies squad to face South Africa in three Test matches, with the first beginning on Wednesday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

“It would be an extremely proud moment for me, especially if I am lucky enough to receive my cap at home,” Charles said in an interview with CWI’s John Phillips at the end of a training session on Monday.

Charles’ first call-up to the West Indies test squad comes after 44 First-Class games since his debut against Guyana at Providence in 2015.

In those 44 games, Charles has taken 150 wickets at an average of 26.56 including seven five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul.

This past West Indies Championship season, Charles led the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force with 31 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.

“I was obviously pretty elated to hear the news. It was a very proud moment for me. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said of receiving the call-up before thanking his father for introducing him to the game at a young age.

“Obviously, I’d like to thank my dad. He introduced me to most sports but I stuck with cricket from my younger days and made a career out of it from playing for the national team from Under-13 straight up to the senior team,” he added.

This won’t be Charles’ first time representing the West Indies on the international stage, however, as he represented the West Indies Under-19s at the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As far as inspirations in international cricket go, Charles singled out Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, specifically mentioning his fondness of his action.

If given a chance to play on Wednesday, there’s no doubt Charles would love to emulate what Lyon did on test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010 when he dismissed the great Kumar Sangakkara wit the first ball of his career.

Wood was part of the side that slumped to a seventh-place finish at the tournament a matter of weeks ago, with the defending champions ruthlessly exposed during a handful of stinging defeats.

Fresh from playing a crucial role in England’s Ashes comeback over the summer, Wood was unable to lift the 50-over side in the same way, chipping in with just six wickets in seven matches and going at 6.46 runs an over.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s first Test in Hyderabad, where he is expected to provide the pace in spin-friendly conditions, Wood is eager to put those 50-over struggles firmly behind him.

“I didn’t perform well in the World Cup and that was my last involvement so I feel like I’ve got a point to prove a little bit here,” he said.

“I was very disappointed with that whole campaign, personally and as a team. Conditions might not be favourable for me but I’ll be trying to put a better show than I did at the World Cup. We came here with big expectations and we didn’t live up to it, nowhere near up to it.

“I was really upset with it. For about a week once I got home I was thinking, ‘Why did I do that?’ or ‘Why was this happening?’, ‘What did we do that for?’.

“It really hurt for a while but that’s why there is a hunger to come back into this environment. I’m ready to try to prove that was just a one-off.”

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While England’s status as defending champions meant they had been well fancied heading into the World Cup, the odds place them as distant second favourites ahead of the five-match series.

India have not been turned over at home since 2012, when Sir Alastair Cook’s England scored a famous win, losing only three of their 46 subsequent Tests.

The widespread belief that India will prevail again on the kind of turning surfaces that undermined England’s efforts in 2021 is liberating to Wood, who is focusing on the chance to do something special.

“We’ve created history in the past, (winning last year) in Pakistan. It’s a free hit, to be honest,” he said.

“Not many teams come here and win. If we give it a good go, we could go down in flames, but if we give it a go, it’s no different to any other time.”

The majority of England’s XI seems to be locked in, with Harry Brook’s return home for personal reasons opening the way for Ben Foakes to return to the team and reclaim the wicketkeeping gloves from Jonny Bairstow.

Wood and James Anderson are favoured to take seam bowling duties, with Jack Leach likely to be joined by one of Tom Hartley or Rehan Ahmed in the spin ranks.

The squad’s fourth spinner, 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir, missed a second training session on Tuesday after visa complications kept him grounded in Abu Dhabi.

All-rounder Raymon Reifer has been ruled out of the tour with a groin injury and Kyle Mayers can no longer bowl in the series after suffering a strain to his right teres major. Nkrumah Bonner has been ruled out of further participation in the current first Test Match due to concussion protocols after being struck on the helmet when batting in West Indies first innings. Shamarh Brooks replaced him as the concussion substitute. 

Mindley, 27, has so far played 42 first-class matches with 103 wickets at an average of 24.25 runs per wickets. His last first-class assignment was in August for the West Indies “A” Team against Bangladesh “A” in Saint Lucia where he had impressive figures of 5-59 in the first four-day match.

The first Test is being played at the Perth Stadium and enters the fifth and final day on Sunday, 4 December. The second Test will be a day/night contest featuring the pink cricket ball at the Adelaide Oval, from Thursday 8 December to Monday 12 December. The two teams are competing for the Frank Worrell trophy, named in honor of the former West Indies captain and icon.

FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)

Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)

Nkrumah Bonner

Shamarh Brooks

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Roston Chase

Joshua Da Silva

Jason Holder

Alzarri Joseph

Kyle Mayers

Marquino. Mindley

Anderson Phillip

Kemar Roach

Jayden Seales

Devon Thomas

The Panel named 13 squad members and two traveling reserve players for the match which will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica from 12 to 16 July.

There is a first-time call-up for left-handed batter Kirk McKenzie, while fellow left-hander Alick Athanaze is the other uncapped player in the squad. There are recalls for allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who played his last Test in November 2021, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican who was in the squad which toured Zimbabwe but missed the last tour of South Africa in February.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is unavailable for selection as he is undergoing rehabilitation from injury.

“We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh. These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity,” said Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes.

“We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin bowling department. They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job.”

Haynes added: “We had Jayden Seales here in the camp and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery. However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we don’t want to risk him at this stage. Kyle Mayers was also considered but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigors of a five-day match at this stage.

“Looking ahead to the series we know it will be a challenging one as we start the new cycle of the ICC Test Match Championship. We want to build and improve and strive to move up the ladder.”

West Indies squad will travel to Dominica on Sunday following their ongoing pre-series camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. They will have training sessions on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in the build-up to the match.

The Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by Yes Bank will be the first fixtures for both West Indies and India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first match bowls off on Wednesday at 10am (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India). The second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will be historic – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.

Fans can purchase tickets in their preferred viewing locations from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, at tickets.windiescricket.com – where they will be able to download tickets securely to their mobile device, or print out their ticket to present for scanning at the entrance point.

FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)

Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)

Alick Athanaze

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Rahkeem Cornwall

Joshua Da Silva

Shannon Gabriel

Jason Holder

Alzarri Joseph

Kirk McKenzie

Raymon Reifer

Kemar Roach

Jomel Warrican

Traveling Reserves:

Tevin Imlach

Akeem Jordan

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE:

Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by Yes Bank

12-16 July: 1st Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica

20-24 July: 2nd Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

• start at 10am local time (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India)

CG United ODI Series powered by Yes Bank

27 July: 1st CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

29 July: 2nd CG United ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

1 August: 3rd CG United ODI, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

• start time at 9:30am (8:30am Jamaica/7pm India)

T20 Internationals

3 August: 1st T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

6 August: 2nd T20I, National Stadium, Guyana

8 August: 3rd T20I, National Stadium Guyana

12 August: 4th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida

13 August: 5th T20I, Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida

• start time at: 10:30am (9:30am Jamaica/8pm India)

In fact, Lara who has never been shy about expressing his views, pointed out that the onus is on Cricket West Indies (CWI) to take the necessary steps to resolve the slippage, as the Caribbean side –ranked eighth in the ICC Test rankings –suffered a crushing innings and 114-run defeat to England inside three days in the first of their three-match series, at Lord’s.  

“If you put 100 million, 200 million dollars into the West Indies’ bank account, is it going to change the way we play the game? I’m not sure. We are not harnessing the talent that we have,” Lara told BBC World Service’s Stumped podcast.

Though the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope possess enough ability to play crucial roles in Test, both have opted to play just white-ball cricket internationally, which enables them to play in franchise leagues across the world.

That along with the fact that other sports, such as athletics, are vying for the sponsorship dollars across the Caribbean, Lara believes has pushed cricket on the outside.

“Obviously, cricket has been diluted by the number of different sports and different opportunities for kids, but I still believe that corporate West Indies have got to get involved,” Lara said.

“The West Indies Cricket Board hasn’t done the right job in attracting these sponsors to ensure that at least grassroots, but also the academy, all the different things, the facilities, are up to standard. I think these things are very, very important,” he added.

On that note, Lara also stressed the need for more to be done to revive public interest in the longer format.

“We don’t have anybody coming through the gate. I walked in Lord’s about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday and outside there were people waiting. That was something I was accustomed to as a kid, getting to the Queens Park Oval at 5:30 and waiting for the gate to be open.

“That’s not happening. You get there at 11 o’clock and there is an empty stadium. You could pick a seat wherever you want. We have to try to get the crowd back,” Lara shared.

“That will breathe the life back into the people of the Caribbean and let them understand what Test cricket is all about and you can get the world of money. You still need to sort of get the crowd more passionate about it and we haven’t been able to do that,” he noted.

Day three started with the West Indies 290-8 off 90.4 overs with Motie (11) and Holder (3) the not out batsmen.

The pair were able to add only two runs as the tourists were bowled out for 292 in 92.3 overs, leaving Zimbabwe needing 177 runs to make the West Indians have to bat again.

Victor Nyauchi took a career-best 5-56 off 17.3 overs while Brandon Mavuta took 3-73 from 24 overs for Zimbabwe.

In their second innings, only captain Craig Ervine and opener Innocent Kaia were able to provide any resistance as Motie ripped through the Zimbabwean batting line-up, just as he did in the first innings.

Ervine made 72 off 105 balls including four fours while Kaia had earlier made a 57-ball 43 including seven boundaries.

Motie, who was later named man of the match and man of the series, bowled 17.3 overs for his 6-62. He picked up 19 wickets in the series.

The regional side will now turn their attention to two Tests against South Africa from February 28-March 4 and March 8-12. 

Scores: Zimbabwe 115 off 40.5 overs (Innocent Kaia 38, Gudakesh Motie 7-37, Jason Holder 2-18) and 173 off 47.3 overs (Craig Ervine 72, Innocent Kaia 43, Gudakesh Motie 6-62)

West Indies 292 off 92.3 overs (Roston Chase 70, Raymon Reifer 53, Joshua Da Silva 44, Victor Nyauchi 5-56, Brandon Mavuta 3-73)

Mushfiqur scored 191 before he was dismissed in the third session on Saturday, as Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 565.

After declaring on 448-6, Pakistan had been hoping to make inroads with the ball, but the day belonged to Bangladesh, with Shadman Islam (93), Mominul Haque (50), Litton Das (56) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (77) helping Mushfiqur along the way as the tourists mounted a huge total in Rawalpindi.

Naseem Shah was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers with 3-93, while Mohammad Ali (2-88) eventually ended Mushfiqur's momentous stand.

Bangladesh still had time to do some damage with the ball late on, with Shoriful Islam (1-13) dismissing Saim Ayub in the third over of Pakistan's second innings.

The hosts trail by 94 runs ahead of the final day, with a draw almost certainly the best Pakistan can hope for.

Data Debrief: Mushfiqur makes his mark in style

This was Mushfiqur's 11th Test ton, but his first against Pakistan in the format, and he did it in fantastic fashion, falling just short of a double-century.

Mushfiqur had not been in great form on the road before this match, either. Indeed, he had scored fewer than 10 runs in four of his last five innings away from home, but he is now clear of Tamim Iqbal in second place on the list of the most Test hundreds for Bangladesh.

After being bowled out for 246, the tourists opted to open the bowling with their Lancastrian newcomer.

The left-arm spinner is used to fronting up with the new ball in limited-overs cricket but had never done so in his first-class career before he went head-to-head with Yashavi Jaiswal in front of 30,000 fans in Hyderabad.

It was not a bad loosener but disappeared all the way over the ropes as Jaiswal threw everything into a slog sweep that set the tone for India’s aggressive response of 119 for one.

The blow meant the 24-year-old joined a short list of players who have endured such a start, with Zimbabwe’s Sohag Gazi and South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis thought to be the only others, and another six followed just four balls later.

More conservative captains might have ended the experiment early but, although the runs continued to flow, Ben Stokes gave his new team-mate an uninterrupted nine-over spell costing 63 runs.

He came close to repaying some of that faith with a close lbw shout against Shubman Gill and Duckett says Hartley was guaranteed resounding support.

“We all back Tommy,” said the opener. “You know what Stokesy is like, he will throw him the ball and back him all day.

“He gives him however many overs to bowl, where other captains might take you off after two overs and then you’re then hiding away for the rest of the game.

“That’s Stokesy: he keeps bowling him and Tom nearly gets Shubman at the end. I’m not quite sure how that is going over the stumps, but he came back really well. I wouldn’t say I appreciated it but he (Jaiswal) played well too.”

Duckett earlier shared a bright opening stand of 55 with Zak Crawley, a partnership which proved something of a false dawn as regular wickets followed them for the rest of their innings.

Stokes was the pick of the batters with a battling 70 from number six, including three sixes and six fours.

It was his first action of note since surgery on his left knee at the end of November and the skipper looked fighting fit as he worked hard to build a competitive total.

There was plenty of turn on offer throughout the day and if, as expected, there is more where that came from, Duckett feels England may be in a better position than they seem.

“I think we were over par to be honest. It was a tricky day one pitch with consistent spin from early on,” he said.

“Stokesy, to get us to where we are, was fantastic. Come day three, day four that could be a match-winning knock if the pitch keeps getting harder to bat on.

“Pay credit to India, they played well tonight and were really attacking. They don’t always go about it like that, so it shows they think the pitch is going to get quite a bit worse. That’s good signs for us.”

Pope starred in a remarkable first Test win in Hyderabad with a sparkling 196, but failed to go beyond 39 in his next eight innings and was out for a pair in Ranchi.

It was a similar story for a number of his team-mates with India able to win the final four Tests comprehensively to inflict the first series defeat of the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum reign.

The series marked Pope’s return to action after he dislocated his right shoulder during the Ashes last summer.

While the 26-year-old spent most of the winter on the road, he was back training for Surrey on Monday and is eyeing plenty of Vitality County Championship runs before the home Test series with West Indies in July.

“Straight back into it – our choice. I feel pretty fresh,” Pope said at a sponsors event for Swiss watch brand Rado, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s official timing partner.

“Obviously I had that seven months out and leaving that India tour, if I had scored another three 70s or something, I might be feeling slightly differently but I almost feel frustrated.

“I feel like I’m in really good nick without putting together those scores, so hopefully I can go and find that rhythm of putting together big scores… at three, unless Stewie (Alec Stewart, Surrey director of cricket) drops me!

“I might miss one in that first seven or eight games, but yes, I’m itching to get back and just scoring runs and representing Surrey.”

Faced with the unenviable task of overturning a 190-run first-innings deficit, the vice-captain dug deep to make an unbeaten 148 as his side found their way to 316 for six at stumps on day three.

While the tourists still have plenty of work ahead of them to turn the pressure fully back on India, they showed admirable steel to build a lead of 126 with four wickets still in hand.

Pope’s fifth Test hundred was the mainstay, marking a welcome return after six months out following surgery on a dislocated shoulder.

The Surrey batter had not played since the second Ashes Test last summer and, without any warm-up games to find his feet, looked short of rhythm when he was dismissed for just one on the first day.

He started sketchily again, aiming an errant reverse sweep at his second ball as he searched for scoring shots, but grew in stature as he put together an innings of real substance.

Having bounded along to his half-century in just 54 deliveries, he took 100 more to reach three figures.

The longer Pope took, the more controlled he appeared, and this was a knock that reinvigorated a contest that seemed destined to slip away from England in a hurry.

The scoreboard looked ominous when skipper Ben Stokes fell at 163 for five, India still 27 ahead, but Pope and Ben Foakes, with 34, gritted their teeth in a partnership worth 112.

India began the day on 421 for seven and were mopped up efficiently for the addition of just 15 runs.

Joe Root, continuing his unexpected emergence as his side’s most threatening bowler, snapped up two in two balls, Ravindra Jadeja lbw for 87 and Jasprit Bumrah for a golden duck. Rehan Ahmed provided the finishing touch when he zipped one low through Axar Patel.

If India losing three wickets without a run caused jitters in the away dressing room they were not evident in a dashing opening stand of 45 between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.

Crawley reverse swept with authority and lifted Patel down the ground for six, but was gone for 31 before the end of the 10th over, nicking Ravichandran Ashwin to slip.

Pope’s presence was not immediately reassuring, hitting fresh air almost immediately as he attempted to get off the mark with a reverse sweep of his own, but Duckett’s arsenal of sweeps proved a reliable source of runs.

England took lunch at 89 for one and were up to 113 when a masterful spell of reverse swing from Bumrah cut their fightback down.

He should have had Duckett lbw but saw his appeal wrongly shrugged away by the on-field umpire and his captain.

Undeterred he came again, shaping the ball through the air, through the gap that Duckett’s lavish drive left and sent his off stump flying for 47.

Root followed after just six balls, trapped in front by another that tailed in and thudded his front pad. On a pitch that had rendered the pace bowlers an afterthought for so long, it was an exceptional intervention from Bumrah.

It was credit to Pope that he not only survived it but also kept his score moving, picking off boundaries and topping them up with hard running between the wickets.

He needed a partner to help but lost Jonny Bairstow for 10, offering no shot to Jadeja’s arm ball, and then saw Ashwin snake one past Stokes’ outside edge and into the top of off.

England were still 18 behind at the start of the evening session but Pope and Foakes knuckled down to turn that into a workable lead.

Foakes watched the ball on to his bat and took minimal risks, while Pope showed real poise as he built his score with a new sense of calm.

By now the reverse sweep that had left him looking vulnerable earlier was coming out of the middle of the bat and providing a vital supply of boundaries.

He gradually became more inventive as he sought gaps in the field, leaving India scratching their heads as they tried to pin him down.

He scrambled three off Jadeja to reach a hard-won hundred, his first in the second innings and third overseas, and marked it in under-stated fashion.

Foakes’ stay was ended by a grubber from Patel, who blotted his copy book by dropping Pope on 110.

That allowed Pope to walk off unbeaten at the close with Ahmed at his side, dreaming of further heroics on day four.

Pope smashed 22 boundaries and three sixes in a sparkling knock of 205 from 208 balls and shared a 252-run partnership for the second wicket with opener Ben Duckett, who hit a superb 182 on day two at Lord’s.

Pope’s double century was the quickest ever registered in a Test match in England but his dismissal after tea brought about an early declaration from Ben Stokes with England on 524 for four, holding a lead of 352.

Ireland look destined to suffer an innings defeat in this one-off Test despite closing on 97 for three, meaning Harry Brook, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow would go into the Ashes opener on June 16 with minimal time at the crease.

But Pope countered: “What we’re about as a side is entertaining so we wanted to let the crowd watch us have a whack for a few overs and then watch us with the new ball.

“That’s what a full crowd at Lord’s probably wants to see as well so that was partially why we did that (declaration). I guess Jonny didn’t bat but he’s played a lot of county cricket.

“The way cricket is now, there is not always that feeling of you need a load of innings before a series.

“Jonny is in a really good place, his batting is in a really good place and you want to just be as fresh and confident as you can. Hopefully all the boys are feeling like that.”

Pope was more than happy to get some time in the middle himself before the battle with Australia begins at Edgbaston and especially at Lords, where he had only passed 50 once in seven previous Test innings.

Reflecting on going on the honours board, he admitted: “It’s very special.

“Lord’s is not somewhere I’ve done that well over the years, I think I got 70-odd against South Africa but other than that I’ve hardly scored a run here.

“So, it’s nice to get that one off my back, especially leading into a big summer.

“There’s no denying that Australia’s attack is stronger than Ireland’s but scoring runs at Lord’s and scoring runs in Test matches is a habit, a good habit to get into early.”

After Pope, who had struggled during the first hour, hit his fourth Test hundred, England debutant Josh Tongue stole the show in the evening session.

The Worcestershire seamer impressed in the enforcer role on day one and clocked 91mph, but had Peter Moor lbw and bounced out Paul Stirling on his way to three for 27 from a fine eight-over spell.

“For him to dive into that role he did this evening…the way he did that was perfect,” Pope admitted.

“He has been awesome this week, he looks the part and has been great around the changing room too. I don’t think you would know it’s his debut.”

Meanwhile, Duckett’s extraordinary new lease of life in Test cricket shows no signs of slowing.

In his first Test innings on home soil, the Nottinghamshire batter breezed to 150 off the same number of balls to snatch the record for quickest Test 150 at Lord’s off Australian great Don Bradman before his fun ended on 182, which came at a strike rate of 102.84.

Duckett, recalled this winter six years after his last appearance, told BBC Today at the Test: “It’s been a crazy six months and to start the summer like that and make a century at Lord’s was something I dreamt of as a kid.

“Even 12 months ago I thought I’d never play Test cricket for England again.

“With other captains I probably wouldn’t have, but Stokesy and Baz (Brendon McCullum) wanted me to open the batting and play the way I’ve played throughout my career and a lot of thanks to them.”

Ireland face an uphill battle to take only their seventh Test into a fourth day and batting coach Gary Wilson was unsure if opener James McCollum would bat again after he twisted his ankle and retired hurt on Friday evening.

Wilson said: “He has gone to hospital for scans and we don’t have a further update.

“I went to see him in the ambulance and he was very keen to go on, felt like he was in good touch, so he’s very disappointed, but he might be back tomorrow. We don’t know yet.”

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.

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 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.

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.

Captain Smith and vice-captain Warner were both handed 12-month suspensions while Bancroft, the batsman who was caught on camera attempting to change the condition of the ball using sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa, was banned for nine months.

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever said: “The CA board understands and shares the anger of fans and the broader Australian community about these events.

“They go to the integrity and reputation of Australian Cricket and Australian sport and the penalties must reflect that.

“These are significant penalties for professional players and the board does not impose them lightly. It is hoped that following a period of suspension, the players will be able to return to playing the game they love and eventually rebuild their careers.”

Smith and Bancroft gave a press conference after the third day’s play where they admitted a premeditated attempt to tamper with the ball.

Smith spoke of a “leadership group” making the decision to tamper with the ball and, in announcing the severe punishments, CA revealed Warner, 31, was charged with devising the plan, instructing a junior player – Bancroft – to carry it out and demonstrating how to do it.

Smith gave a tearful press conference on his return to Australia, saying: “I know I’ll regret this for the rest of my life, I’m absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness.

“I’ve been so privileged and honoured to represent my country and captain Australia. Cricket is the greatest game in the world and it’s been my life – I hope it can be again. I’m absolutely devastated.”

Smith and Warner both returned to the Australia side at the Cricket World Cup in 2019, with the former made vice-captain of the Test side in 2021, while Bancroft played for his country again in the Ashes series the same summer.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has named Butt as one of three consultants to new chief selector Wahab Riaz.

In 2011, Butt was jailed for 30 months for his part in a conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Test against England at Lord’s the previous summer.

Butt, 39, was also handed a 10-year ban by the International Cricket Council, with five years suspended, for his role in the controversy, which also involved team-mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

Along with former Pakistan internationals Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar, Butt, who returned to play domestic cricket in 2016, will take up his role on the selection panel with immediate effect ahead of the T20 series against New Zealand in January, which follows the conclusion of the Test tour to Australia.

All three players were part of Pakistan’s successful T20 World Cup in 2009 and look set to bring some of their experience to the current squad.

The PCB added in a statement: “When not engaged in selection duties, the consultant members may be assigned additional tasks such as conducting skills camps.”

The move follows an overhaul of Pakistan’s set-up following an early exit from the 2023 World Cup in India.

As well as new chief selector, Mohammad Hafeez has come in as team director.

Babar Azam stepped down as captain, with Shan Masood confirmed as Pakistan’s new Test skipper and Shaheen Afridi set to lead the T20 side.

England sealed a series victory over the Windies in last week's second Test at Trent Bridge, scoring over 400 in both innings of a Test match for the first time as they made totals of 416 and 425.

Vice-captain Pope managed a superb first-innings knock of 121 before Joe Root (122) and Harry Brook (109) brought up their centuries in the second innings.

England have become renowned for their all-out batting style – dubbed 'Bazball' – under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

Pope believes that approach suits England's batters and feels they could make history by breaking the record for most runs made by a team in a single day of Test cricket – Sri Lanka's 509-9 versus Bangladesh in July 2002.

"I got asked on day one, 'do you get told to play like that?' No, we don't. It's just our natural game and the way we go about it," Pope said.

"Sometimes we might score 280 to 300 in a day, but that's okay and probably because we're reading situations.

"There might also be a day where we go and get 500 to 600 at some point in the future as well, and that's a cool thing to have."

England came within three runs of that record Sri Lanka total on their 2022 tour of Pakistan, and Pope believes their success is down to the ruthlessness of the batting order.

"There's a real hunger – there always is a hunger – but now there's an extra bit in that batting line-up," Pope added.

"We want to be as ruthless as we can as a batting unit, but still play the way we do because that's our natural game.

"Obviously being ruthless is being part of Test cricket as well."