Ben Stokes hopes England's thrilling series victory in Pakistan will help to dispel negative perceptions of Test cricket across the sport.
England took an unassailable lead in the three-match series – their first in Pakistan since 2005 – by seeing out a 26-run win in a nail-biting end to the second Test on Monday.
An 80-run stand between Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Nawaz looked to have put Pakistan on course for victory in Multan, but Mark Wood felled both men before Ollie Robinson had Mohammad Ali nick behind for the final wicket in a dramatic finish.
While Pakistan have now lost three straight home Test matches for the first time since 1959, England brought an end to their 22-year wait for a red-ball triumph in the country.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the victory, Stokes, who has overseen eight wins in his nine Tests as skipper, praised England for redefining the format.
"We do understand how special an achievement this is, but as we keep saying, these series victories and these wins are part of a much bigger picture in what we're trying to achieve," he said.
"When I first got the job, I just wanted to come in and just try and change a few things up and get things going in a different direction.
"We were never focusing too much on results when I came into the job, and obviously the bigger picture and stuff like that, but it's been an amazing nine games to start off with.
"I just feel very honoured and very privileged to be a part of something like this and having everyone, not just the players but the backroom staff and everyone that works alongside us, being on the same path. It's really, really good.
"I knew how much enjoyment the public would get out of seeing England play Pakistan in a Test match in Pakistan. I don't feel like we're playing away, if that makes sense.
"The way in which the crowd come and watch cricket, they just want to see good cricket. We walk off to people enjoying what they've just watched. That's what we want to do.
"Wherever we go in the world, we want people to enjoy the cricket, and the more we can do that, the more Test cricket stops getting spoken about like it's the losing form of cricket, because it's definitely not.
"All we can do is try to create something where we people want to be a part of the long format going forward."
England will head to Karachi for the final match of their long-awaited tour, which gets under way on Saturday.
Finish well: Andre Coley eyes redemption, momentum as Windies gear up for Bangladesh Test
West Indies Head coach Andre Coley is exuding quiet confidence as his team prepares for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
With the matches—scheduled for November 22-26 in Antigua and November 30 to December 4 in Kingston—marking the final home series in the current World Test Championship cycle, Coley is determined to see the Caribbean side end the year on a high note after recent setbacks.
The West Indies are coming off a disappointing tour of South Africa, where they failed to capitalize on key moments and eventually lost that two-match series 1-0 after the first game ended in a draw. Reflecting on those matches, Coley stressed the importance of learning from the past and seizing the opportunity to close out this series on a strong note.
“Coming off the disappointment of the South Africa series, we put ourselves in a position to close out that series, and we didn’t. So the opportunity is there for us to do so against Bangladesh now, and it is very important for us to come up with a winning result on home soil,” Coley said in a pre-series interview.
“We’ve always had exciting and challenging series against Bangladesh, and this series offers a chance to create momentum as we head into tougher assignments in Australia and Pakistan,” he added.
Coley and his team, which includes players from the regional 50-over tournament and recent white-ball series, are currently in Antigua fine-tuning preparations ahead of Friday’s first day.
Despite initial weather disruptions, Coley pointed out that the team has had productive sessions, with all players fit and ready for action.
While West Indies boast a strong home record against Bangladesh, Coley is keen to keep his squad grounded. He recognizes the challenges posed by Bangladesh and the added intrigue of familiar faces on the opposition side, including Bangladesh Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, a figure Coley knows well.
“Each match brings a different opportunity. We have players who’ve been successful against Bangladesh, both home and away, but we also have some new players who wouldn’t have played in any of those series. So it’s an opportunity for senior players and emerging players to show what they are capable of and what we are capable of as a team,” Coley noted.
The series against Bangladesh serves as a vital stepping stone beyond the larger context of the World Test Championship, as West Indies sit at the foot of the standings in ninth on 20 points.
Still, with four matches left in the cycle, Coley is focused on building a cohesive unit capable of competing at the highest level.
“This series is about putting everything together from the last year and a half and ending the year in good form,” he declared.
That said, the Jamaican highlighted the importance of fan support, especially during the festive season. Cricket remains a unifying force in the Caribbean, and Coley hopes that fans will rally behind the team.
“I know that the West Indian fans really want us to do well and have been supportive in their own way because cricket means a lot to the region and the fans are very passionate about the game. Despite the nature of our squad, emerging and experienced players, everyone in the squad wants to do well, so I want to encourage the fans to come out and support us and give us that extra boost of encouragement at home,” Coley ended.
Clark: Australia's 'world-class' bowlers key in India Test
Stuart Clark believes Australia's "world-class" fast bowlers will be the key to beating India ahead of their upcoming Test series.
India are looking to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in their five-match series, having triumphed 2-1 in the teams' last meeting in 2022-23.
Meanwhile, Australia, playing their first Test match since March, have not tasted success in a series against India since 2014-15.
India are coming off the back of a heavy defeat to New Zealand in the longest format though, and Clark, who represented Australia between 2006 and 2009, thinks their bowlers have the ability to cause real problems.
"Well, I think the three fast bowlers, I think they need to play as much as possible," he told Stats Perform. "They're world-class.
"They're the best quartet of bowlers in the history of the game if you throw Lyon in there. So, you got three fast bowlers and [Nathan] Lyon. So, I think those three fast bowlers in particular need to stay fit, and they need to stay healthy.
"We've seen when they have been fit and healthy and in good form. [Josh] Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins, they have dominated other teams around the world. And then you come to Australia on the bouncy pitches that we have here, and they go straight to Perth, which is just a baptism of fire. I think that will be the big key.
"And then you got, I don't think Rohit Sharma's coming for the first two games, I think he's missing the first two games for family reasons. [Virat] Kohli hasn't been in the best of form. The spinners in [Ravindra] Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin aren't as effective in Australia as they are in the subcontinent.
"So, from that point of view, there's a few of those little byplays or little storylines that are going on. But coming back to my first point is that the three fast bowlers, they hold a big key to the success in this tour, in the series."
India's recent defeat to New Zealand was the first time they lost a Test series 3-0 on home soil in their history and the first time they have lost three red-ball matches in any singles home series since 1983.
In Australia, India will be without Rohit Sharma, who stayed at home for the birth of his second child, for the first Test, while Shubman Gill is also set to miss out with a fractured thumb.
Clark noted that their absences, along with the recent struggles of Kohli, who managed just 93 runs across his six innings in the New Zealand series, will come as a confidence boost as Australia aim to snap their losing run against India.
"They should take confidence from that [India loss]," he added. "India haven't been beaten by anyone in you know who knows how long.
"So, they are so good in their conditions, and they're so foreign to everyone else. But it probably shows the vulnerability of the Indian team - they're probably at the point where they're starting to go through a bit of a generational change with their batting.
"They've been around for a long period of time. They're not in the best form that they've ever been in. So that's starting to cause them some concerns.
"[Jasprit] Bumrah has been injured. He's back. He's world-class. There's no question about that. But can he get through five Test matches? [Mohammed] Siraj has been around.
"So, there's some questions again around the Indian cricket team. And how much has that form in India dented their confidence because like all things in sport, if you're confident about what you're doing, that makes a massive difference to the way you play.
Inglis hails 'hard to stop' Stoinis after ruthless knock
Josh Inglis lauded "hard to stop" Marcus Stoinis as Australia signed off their T20I series against Pakistan in style, claiming a whitewash.
The hosts raced to a seven-wicket victory with almost nine overs remaining in Monday's third match.
After Australia's bowlers had limited Pakistan to just 117 runs, Stoinis ensured they signed off their final white-ball assignment in style, with his unbeaten 61 doing the damage.
Only twice has he bettered that knock in T20Is – versus New Zealand in 2021 (78) and against Oman at the World Cup earlier this year (67*).
"It's been a great week. We've had a lot of fun as a group," Inglis said. "It's been really nice.
"When Stoinis is going like that, he is really hard to stop. One of those sixes was probably the biggest I've ever seen!"
Stoinis, who was named player of the match, added: "Nice to score some runs on a beautiful wicket but credit to the bowlers who kept the total down.
"Yeah, I actually told [Haris] Rauf that this is the first time any of us got the better of him! No, he's a brilliant bowler, bowled well this series."
During their white-ball tour, Pakistan won the ODI series, their first time doing so in Australia in 22 years, but got whitewashed in the T20Is.
Despite the heavy loss, captain Agha Salman chose to focus on the positive effect the experience will have on their young players.
"I think in the middle overs, we didn't capitalise on the start," he said. "But lots of positives.
"The way Usman [Khan] batted, the way Jahandad [Khan] bowled. These youngsters will come good.
"It's obviously a big achievement winning the ODI series, but we could have done much better in the T20Is."
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