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• Wicket off a no-ball and three dropped catches – Australia give India hope

  Careless footwork and sloppy catching halted Australia’s progress as India fought back on the third morning of the World Test Championship final at the Oval.

  Australia enjoyed a dream start when Scott Boland scattered Srikar Bharat’s stumps with the second ball of the day, leaving India 317 behind with just four wickets in hand, but despite creating plenty of chances that was the only breakthrough of the session.

  Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and David Warner all put down chances to allow a century stand between Ajinkya Rahane (89no) and Shardul Thakur (36no) to shore up India on 260 for six at lunch, a deficit of 209.

  Captain Pat Cummins also erred, denied a possible wicket for the second time in the innings due to a front-foot no-ball. He had Rahane lbw for 17 on day two, only for replays to show he had overstepped, and he saw history repeating itself just before the break when he had Thakur given out after being struck on the knee-roll.

  Umpire Richard Kettleborough immediately raised his finger, much to Australia’s relief, but a DRS review showed Cummins had once again failed to get anything behind the line.

  Boland, pushing hard to retain his place for next week’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston, started superbly as he ripped his second delivery through a small gap between Bharat’s bat and pad and straight into middle.

  Had Thakur’s thick edge been held by Khawaja in the cordon four balls later, India may well have struggled to come back from it. Instead the ball squirmed out of his fingertips and the battle continued.

  Thakur needed plenty of bravery to stick around, requiring lengthy treatment after being hit three times by Cummins in a single over – wearing blows on the forearm, wrist and glove.

  Having softened him up, the seamer should have got his rewards when Thakur sprayed a chance to gully but this time Green’s handiwork let him down.

  With Thakur in a state of almost permanent danger, Rahane gave the vocal Indian crowd something to cheer when he hooked Cummins over fine-leg for six to bring up his half-century.

  He passed 5,000 Test runs soon after, the 13th Indian to do so, but he also required a stroke of fortune to reach the break.

  On 72 he aimed a flowing drive at Cummins, sending a head-high catch to first slip. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey appeared to offer a minor distraction to Warner, but he will still be kicking himself after seeing the ball pop out and land safe.

  A handful of boundaries took the partnership into three figures as India began to have some fun, while Australia’s annoyance only increased when Cummins saw his lbw against Thakur overturned by the no-ball call.

• Georgia Adams eager to keep Charlotte Edwards Cup in familiar home on Finals Day

  Georgia Adams hopes to continue ribbing Charlotte Edwards about keeping the trophy that bares her name at home as Southern Vipers go in search of more silverware this weekend.

  The former England captain had an illustrious playing career and success has continued to follow her as head coach of a few domestic sides, including helping Vipers to Charlotte Edwards Cup glory last year.

  Edwards’ side are into Finals Day on Saturday at New Road, where they will challenge Thunder at midday with the winners taking on group winners The Blaze later on in the T20 tournament showpiece.

  “We’ve got the trophy and we don’t want to let it go,” Vipers captain Adams told the PA news agency. “We give Lottie a lot of stick about the cup being on her mantelpiece at home.”

  As well as also winning the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy twice as head coach with the Vipers, Edwards inspired Mumbai Indians to the inaugural Women’s Premier League title in India earlier this year while her teams have finished runners-up in The Hundred in both seasons and the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.

  Asked to pinpoint the reasons for an enviable cricketing CV, Adams highlighted Edwards’ instincts for the game and her unwavering loyalty to the players at her disposal.

  “She’s got a sixth sense for cricket,” Adams said. “She understands the game in ways that I’ve probably never known anyone else to be able to.

  “Sometimes it’s not great when you’re sat on the sidelines watching with her. She’ll say ‘she’s about to get out’ and you’re like ‘no’ but you know it’s going to happen.

  “She’s very good at people management, she’s very clear, she’s honest but in an appropriate manner and she backs you. You see with the teams she steps out to create, they don’t flit around too much.

  “If you do have a bad day, you know she’s confident in your abilities and you don’t ever feel under too much pressure to prove your place because you know if you make it into her playing XI then she’s backing you all the way. Her player management is fantastic and we have a lot of fun.”

  Vipers defeated Thunder last week during the eight-team group stage en route to finishing runners-up behind Blaze, who will be favourites in Worcestershire after winning all seven matches.

  But Vipers will be boosted by the form of Adams, who has flourished since dropping down as opener to the middle order and racked up 228 runs at an average of 57 this season – second only to Bryony Smith’s haul (256).

  England recognition has eluded Adams and the 29-year-old is firmly concentrating on matters at hand.

  “All my career I’ve had one eye on England but I’ve been very aware it’s an incredibly tough side to get into,” she added.

  “As captain of the Vipers, the role is getting quite big now with the professionalisation of the women’s game, that’s got to be my primary focus.”

  Vipers will be able to call upon England centrally contracted trio Danni Wyatt, Charlie Dean and Freya Kemp on Saturday. Sophie Ecclestone and Emma Lamb are available for Thunder while Sarah Glenn and Tammy Beaumont can appear for Blaze.

  There is no Kate Cross for Thunder or Nat Sciver-Brunt for Blaze as the pair are building their bowling loads for the start of the Ashes series later this month.

• Eoin Morgan expects Ben Stokes to retain win-at-any-cost mentality for Ashes

  Eoin Morgan hailed the authenticity of Ben Stokes and believes the England captain is sincere about following through with a win-at-any-cost mentality in every Test against Australia.

  Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have transformed the Test side’s fortunes with 11 wins in 13 matches but a long-awaited Ashes showdown starting next week could challenge their aggressive approach.

  However, Stokes demonstrated in New Zealand in February he is prepared to risk defeat to pursue victory and the all-rounder is adamant that will not change despite the stakes being considerably higher this summer.

  And Morgan doubts there is any bluffing from Stokes, who has insisted that he would declare even if England were 2-1 up and 300 ahead with seven wickets in hand going into the last day of the final Test.

  The former England white-ball skipper, speaking in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, told the PA news agency: “I don’t believe anything Ben says is for show.

  “He is a man of his word, he is very authentic, you can tell it speaks volumes both on and off the field and it rings clear in the changing room, so it should be no different for anybody in the public.

  “When you have a leader like that, it’s great because there’s just clear, transparent direction in where you’re going and what you want to achieve.

  “A draw isn’t the task, they want to win, their eyes are on the prize and he seems to get more out of his own players that way.”

  Morgan lifted England’s white-ball sides out of the doldrums to 50-over World Cup glory in 2019 – and among his team-mates was Stokes, who took charge of a Test side that had won just once in 17 matches.

  While there might be some parallels in their captaincy arcs, Morgan feels that is where the similarities end.

  Morgan said: “I see shades of the trend and journey that he’s going through but ultimately he’s his own leader – and he should be.

  “For the best part of four or five years, England were terrible at Test match cricket, they tried fighting and being dogged, defensive and playing the long game, and that just doesn’t work. I can imagine the cornerstone of Ben’s thinking is ‘we’re not going back to playing that way’.

  “You need to be as authentic as you can as a leader, particularly around the group simply because you ask everybody else to be authentic and if you’re not, people tend to notice it at various stages.”

  Morgan was renowned for his shrewd thinking under intense pressure but even he draws a blank when asked how he would attempt to negate England under Stokes and McCullum.

  He said: “When they get going, it’s a captain’s nightmare so I suppose stopping them getting going would be the biggest challenge. I’m not even sure how you do that. I wouldn’t put myself through it!”

  Stokes, though, could meet his match in opposite number Pat Cummins, according to Morgan, who played alongside and captained the paceman at Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

  Morgan added: “Pat’s captaincy has been exceptional. I would hold him in the same regard as I hold Ben Stokes’ leadership. He is a very cool, calm customer and very intelligent for a fast bowler.

  “He’s completely bucked the trend. An important part of captaincy is taking in what’s happening in the game and taking in opinions from others – that is incredibly difficult to do when you’re charging in for upwards of 20 overs per day, giving your all physically and mentally in the bowling innings.

  “He has managed to find a balance. Clearly, he’s making good decisions and being able to bowl very well at the same time.”

  :: Every match of the men’s and women’s Ashes will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW from 16th June.