Stuart Broad dismissed David Warner for the 17th time in 29 meetings and for the second time in the match as England fought back against Australia in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

Having already snared Warner in the first Test last month, Broad had his old foe caught in the slips on day one in Leeds and then replicated the trick second time around, Zak Crawley again the catcher.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at their duels over the years to see how they have historically fared against each other.

2021-2022 Ashes

While Warner was run out by his nemesis at Adelaide, it was not until the fourth Test at Sydney where Broad had the left-hander in his pocket with a trademark outswinger pouched at second slip. Warner also fell to Broad in the next Test at Hobart after holing out to Ollie Pope at point.

2019 Ashes

Broad had Warner’s number throughout the series, dismissing him seven times across 10 innings as the tactic of bowling from round the wicket left the usually tenacious top-order batter hesitant of where his off-stump was. Warner managed just 95 runs across the five Tests at a meagre average of just 9.5 in a torrid tour. Broad was England’s leading wicket-taker in the series (23) and even ended up with a higher batting average (12.2) than Warner.

2017-18 Ashes

Less than two years earlier and it was Warner who held the upper hand in the head-to-head contest. Broad had a poor series by his lofty standards with just 11 wickets across the whole series while Warner amassed 441 runs at 63. He was dismissed by the likes of Jake Ball, Craig Overton and even Joe Root but not once by Broad.

2015 Ashes

Broad was the leading wicket-taker on either side with 21 dismissals at 20.9 but he was never able to dislodge Warner, who amassed 418 at 46.44. Even in Broad’s career-best eight for 15 at Trent Bridge which swung a see-saw series England’s way, it was Mark Wood who prised out Warner.

2013-14 Ashes

After months of being baited by the Australian media for his memorable refusal to walk in the series opener between the teams, Broad accounted for Warner en route to recording six for 81. While Warner nicked off in the second innings to Broad, it came after the Australian’s belligerent 124 gave his side the upper hand. Broad got him twice more in the series where he took 21 wickets, a rare bright spot in England’s 5-0 whitewash defeat. Warner was key to the result after racking up 523 runs at 58.11.

2013 Ashes

Warner made his Ashes debut in the third Test at Old Trafford, just weeks after being hit with a suspension for an unprovoked attack on Joe Root in a Birmingham nightclub. Warner’s rivalry with the fast bowler who would go on to become his tormentor began in the next Test at Chester-le-Street when he was castled for a duck in the first innings. It was the only time in the series Warner fell to Broad, whose 11 for 121 in the north east remains his career-best match figures.

Jonny Bairstow’s hopes of exacting revenge on Australia ended in disappointment at Headingley, as England’s batting faltered again on the second morning of the third Ashes Test.

The hosts lost four for 74 in the first session – Bairstow, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes all picked off by a ruthless attack – to leave their side 121 behind on 142 for seven.

Captain Ben Stokes (27no) was once more carrying the burden of hope for his team despite being in clear physical discomfort at the crease.

Bairstow’s controversial stumping at Lord’s sparked a furore about the ‘spirit of cricket’, with England insistent they would not have claimed the dismissal and the tourists unapologetic about playing to the letter of the law.

Bairstow has yet to have his say on the matter but he missed the chance to let his bat do the talking in front of his home crowd, nicking Mitchell Starc to slip for 12 as Australia made vital early inroads.

Fellow Yorkshireman Root had already departed, edging Pat Cummins’ second ball of the morning to David Warner as England’s overnight 68 for three lurched to 87 for five inside seven overs.

Stokes was fighting through the pain barrier to keep the contest alive, moving awkwardly as fresh niggles apparently added to his existing left knee problem.

He admitted in his pre-match press conference that his efforts in the second Test, where he bowled a gruelling 12-over spell and made a brilliant 155 in the second innings, had “taken quite a bit out of me” and required treatment midway through the session.

England already had injury concerns over seamer Ollie Robinson, who left the field on day one with a back spasm.

Root’s early exit, cramped for room by Cummins’ precision around off stump but perhaps a little too eager to play, sucked the life out of a crowd that had poured in hoping for a big show from their local favourites. Bairstow gave them a couple of boundaries to cheer but was tempted into a big swing as the left-armer Starc angled one towards the cordon.

Stokes and Moeen (21) played against their attacking instincts in a stand of 44, only occasionally taking the bowlers on as they favour a more pragmatic method. Moeen eventually cracked after being tempted once too often by Cummins, pulling a bouncer straight into the hands of fine leg.

Woakes managed one hook for six before he joined the exodus in the final over before lunch, nicking another short one from Starc to expose the England tail.

The West Indies Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 International series when they defeated Ireland Women by eight wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Thursday night.

Winning the toss and batting first, Ireland posted 113-7 in their 20 overs. Amy Hunter led the scoring with 33 from 35 deliveries with skipper Laura Delany adding a valuable 20 for the tourists.

Cherry-Ann Fraser led the West Indies bowlers with figures of 1-16 and Captain Hayley Matthews taking 1-24.

Once again, Matthews led from the front with the bat during the run-chase, bringing up her eighth T20I half-century before being dismissed on exactly 50 off 39 deliveries.

Shabika Gajnabi scored 17 in a supporting role to her captain and Chinelle Henry smashed a full toss for six and three boundaries to finish on 22 off 12 as the West Indies Women reached the 114-run target in 16.4 overs.

“I think we’re pretty happy with the result,” said Matthews, who was Player of the Match.

“Coming into this tour we wanted to be able to take home both series, so just very happy that we were able to go out there and win convincingly today and secure the T20I series.

“We had more intent going out today and we noticed early on that the wicket was a bit better on today and we went out with the intent to chase down the runs quicker. What really helped us today was the fielding, the catches and run outs we were able to take, kudos to the overall team for the bowling performance they put on and the fielders for backing them up.”

The teams will meet on Saturday, July 8 for the final T20I. First ball is at 5pm local time (4pm Jamaica time).

Yorkshire chief executive Stephen Vaughan hopes to secure the club’s financial future within a matter of weeks, but admits he had to “kiss a lot of frogs” before finding a suitable investor.

The county owes the Graves Family Trust nearly £15million and also faces a hefty fine following a CDC investigation into historic racism, with Vaughan working on refinancing the debt ever since he took over in November.

Former chair Colin Graves angrily withdrew his own interest in returning after claiming he had been treated as a “last resort”, while former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, backers of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals and Prince Badr of Saudi Arabia are among a long list of those linked with Yorkshire.

Others from India and the UK have also been involved in talks and, with an initial £500,000 payment to the Graves Trust due in September, Vaughan is confident a deal is close.

But he also admitted the process had been far from straightforward.

“We’ve spoken to a lot of people. In these situations you’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs,” he said.

“I really did kiss a lot of frogs, I carry Lipsil around with me I’ve kissed so many. Hopefully (we’ve found a prince), but not the Saudi prince we were reported to have met. We don’t remember that one!

“It was always going to be a very difficult time to attract a traditional financier in the UK. The club’s brand equity wasn’t as high as it could have been because we were in the news for the wrong reasons.

“But we’re now at a place where we’ve got a bedfellow we’re working with. It’s not a takeover, not a buyout, it’s an investor coming in to ensure we can move on and continue our journey.

“We’re hoping in weeks rather than months we’ll be able to announce we’re getting something done. These things are always full of legal conversations, lawyers to lawyers, and you’re only as fast as your slowest runner in the race.

“We’ve got to start a new chapter for Yorkshire. We want to be unapologetically modern and progressive.”

Vaughan explained that the market interest in the club had been huge, but most were looking for an outright controlling stake that Yorkshire were unwilling, and unable, to offer.

“We could have sold Yorkshire cricket 15 times over,” he said.

“It wouldn’t even have to go on the market. Everyone wants a piece of Yorkshire cricket, but we’re a members’ co-operative and the dynamic changes dramatically.

“You go from dozens of organisations saying ‘how much can we pay for Yorkshire cricket, we’re desperate to buy it’, to explaining that it’s not an equity play, it’s a loan. That takes out 99% of the market immediately.”

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow can bat away their costly dropped catches as England look to assume control of an evenly-poised third Test at Headingley.

The Yorkshire pair each put down two chances on the opening day, with Root’s spillage of Mitch Marsh on 12 especially expensive as the recalled Australia all-rounder went on to make a run-a-ball 118.

Mark Wood took five for 34 with his breakneck pace as Australia were all out for 263, with Root and Bairstow unbeaten at stumps as England, 2-0 down in the five-match series, closed on 68 for three.

Much has been made of how Bairstow might react after his controversial stumping at Lord’s but he will be hoping his bat can do the talking as it did so emphatically did during last year’s golden summer.

What they said

Four years on from his most recent Test appearance – when he declared “most of Australia hate me” because of his inconsistency – Marsh might be feeling the love even more after his rescue-act. Called in because of a niggle to Cameron Green, the 31-year-old flayed his third Test hundred – all of them have come against England – and chipped in with the wicket of Zak Crawley for good measure.

Butter-fingered England

England’s subpar fielding in this series has frequently been cited as the major difference between the two sides – and there were another four dropped catches on Thursday. Bairstow can be forgiven for being unable to reel in a tough chance when Steve Smith was on four but the England wicketkeeper put down an easier chance down the leg-side when Travis Head was on nine. Root then put down regulation catches with Marsh on 12 and Alex Carey on four before slamming the ball into the turf in frustration at himself after holding on to Head. In total, the lackadaisical efforts cost England a whopping 158 runs.

England grateful for five-star Wood

Fitness concerns precluded Wood’s involvement at Edgbaston and Lord’s but he was worth the wait after dealing almost exclusively in speeds upwards of 90mph here, topping out at 96.5mph. He ended his first spell by flattening the leg stump of Usman Khawaja while he wiped out Australia’s lower order to finish with his first five-wicket haul at home. Every ball he bowled was an event with none of Australia’s batters looking comfortable against him. Wood has been a must-have overseas but this display summed up what a handful he can be in any conditions and why England are desperate to keep him on the park.

Headingley boo-boys

Emotions have been running high so there was some anticipation – and maybe a little trepidation – at how Headingley’s Western Terrace crowd would react. One of the liveliest and noisiest stands in the country made their presence felt by booing Australia captain Pat Cummins at the toss, while Carey was serenaded with ‘stand up if you hate Carey’ when he was batting. They seemed delighted by Cummins getting a two-ball duck and Carey being sconed on the helmet by Wood – even if the pair’s days ended better. Given they were at the forefront of the controversial Bairstow stumping at Lord’s, how they were received in Leeds is no surprise. The pantomime jeers of Smith and David Warner seem to have returned as well, harking back to how they were welcomed in England in 2019 after ball-tampering bans. Overall, though, any nerves at tensions potentially boiling over appear to have been unfounded.

Warner’s unsweet 16

Stuart Broad has enough time to climb to the top of this list with a possible five more innings at Warner, for whom retirement might not be able to come soon enough. The Australia opener’s latest downfall to his nemesis came when he was persuaded to push away from his body with the ball kissing the edge and carrying to Crawley, who pouched a chest-high catch at second slip.

Robinson squashed?

Ollie Robinson’s relatively quiet series continued as he went wicketless in his first 11 overs before trudging off the field after sending down just two balls of his 12th before tea. An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson confirmed a back spasm had curtailed his day. As for whether he will be able to bowl in Australia’s second innings, watch this space.

Jamaica secured an early lead in the CWI Men’s Rising Stars Under-19 50-Over tournament with a six-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago at Arnos Vale on Thursday.

The Trinidadians first posted 158 all out from their 50 overs. They recovered from being 87-6 thanks to a late 57-ball 28 from Abdurrahmaan Juman including one four and a six.

Earlier, opener Nick Ramlal made 22. Michael Clarke took his second consecutive three-wicket haul for the Jamaicans with 3-30 from his 10 overs while Reon Edwards also picked up his second three-wicket haul in a row with 3-36 from nine. The Jamaicans also got a pair of wickets from Tamarie redwood and Deshawn James.

Jamaica then made quick work of their target to get their second win in as many games. Jordan Johnson led the way with an unbeaten 57 off 67 balls including two fours and three sixes. Adrian Weir also contributed 36 as the Jamaicans finished 159-4 off 33 overs.

The Windward Islands got their first win of the campaign when they beat Barbados by four wickets at Sion Hill.

Barbados, the defending champions, managed only 137 all out off 39.4 overs batting first. Gadson Bowens led the way for Barbados with 49 against an excellent 5-28 off 10 overs from Kirt Murray and 2-16 from 4.4 overs from Ackeem Auguste.

Captain Stephan Pascal then scored a composed 43 to lead the Windwards to 138-6 off 44.1 overs. Nathan Sealy and Saurav Worrell both took two wickets, each, for the Bajans.

The Leeward Islands also got their first win of the tournament with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Guyana, who slumped to their second straight big defeat.

Guyana, who were dismissed for 78 in their opening game against Jamaica, didn’t fare much better against the Leewards, making just 108 off 35.2 overs at the Cumberland Playing Field.

Only Thaddeus Lovell was able to provide any real resistance with 37 against Onaje Amory’s 3-21 off eight overs and Nathan Edwards’ 2-16 from six overs.

Malique Walsh then led the way for the Leewards with 52* as they reached 109-2 in 31.4 overs.

A burst of breakneck speed from Mark Wood breathed life into England’s Ashes campaign as the third Test got off to a feisty start at Headingley.

Four days on from the stumping controversy that dogged the previous match at Lord’s, Wood bamboozled Australia with express pace that topped 96 miles per hour and claimed five for 34 in the tourists’ 263 all out.

A one-man show from comeback kid Mitch Marsh was responsible for the majority of those runs, but his breathtaking run-a-ball 118 would not have been possible had Joe Root not put him down at slip with just 12 to his name.

That was one of four drops for an England side whose collection of missed chances is starting to become a worrying theme of the summer.

Root, with 19 not out, has the chance to make amends with the bat on day two with England 68 for three in response.

With him at the crease is Jonny Bairstow, the man at the centre of last Sunday’s flashpoint dismissal and one who always brings his best when there is a score to settle.

Australia’s struggles either side of Marsh’s fireworks – four for 91 in the morning session and a collapse of six for 23 as Wood mopped up – went down well with a raucous crowd, who booed and barracked the opposition with gusto all day.

The two players involved in Bairstow’s controversial dismissal copped the worst of the anger but both held their nerve, Cummins dismissing Ben Duckett and Harry Brook and Carey pulling off a fine leaping catch.

But the moment belonged to Wood, making his first Test appearance since December and held back for the first two matches due to worries over his fitness, as he recorded his best ever performance on home soil.

Bas de Leede produced a dazzling first-ever ODI ton to fire Netherlands to the World Cup with a dramatic four-wicket victory over Scotland.

De Leede starred with bat and ball, picking up a first ODI five-for before smashing 123 with the bat to haul the Netherlands home and punch their tickets to India later this year.

Having put Scotland into bat, Netherlands made the perfect start as Logan van Beek (1/49) struck in the first over to dismiss Matthew Cross (0).

But Scotland steadied the ship through Christopher McBride (32) and Brandon McMullen (106) before opener McBride became the first of De Leede’s five scalps, pulling straight into the hands of Van Beek at midwicket with George Munsey (9) falling shortly after.

But McMullen began to take control of the innings on the way to the second century of his career alongside Richie Berrington (64).

The pair combined for a stand of more than 150 runs to leave Scotland in rude health at 201 for four by the time McMullen was eventually caught behind by Scott Edwards off the bowling of Ryan Klein.

Klein then bowled Michael Leask (1) before De Leede removed Berrington’s middle stump, but Scotland rallied through an unbeaten 38 off 28 balls from Tomas Mackintosh as well as a useful knock from Chris Greaves (18) to set the Dutch 278 in 44 overs to book their place at the World Cup.

Netherlands began their innings quickly, with openers Max O’Dowd (20) and Vikramjit Singh (40) taking just 8.2 overs to bring up their 50 partnership, before Leask trapped O’Dowd leg before.

Leask repeated the trick in his next over, this timing sending Singh back to the hutch as Scotland began to slow the run rate.

Having starred with the bat, McMullen then made his first contribution with the ball with the wicket of Wesley Barresi (11) to leave Netherlands on 94 for three after 20 overs.

Teja Nidamanuru (10) was next to fall four overs later as Chris Greaves earned his first scalp of the afternoon but De Leede (123) and Scott Edwards (25) combined to rejuvenate the Dutch chase, bringing up 50-run stand in just 40 balls before Edwards fell to Mark Watt LBW.

De Leede then opened up, powering past 50 in 55 balls before reaching his century in just 84 alongside Zulfiqar (33), as the pair combined to produce a huge final few overs to surmount the 50 runs required from the final four overs to seal qualification in stunning fashion.

UAE edge USA for ninth

An unbeaten 151 from Asif Khan powered UAE to a narrow victory over USA by just a single run in Harare.

Khan produced an impressive knock to help his side post 308 for four, their highest total of the tournament, but middle over contributions for USA from Monank Patel (61), Aaron Jones (75), and Gajanand Singh (69) set up a grandstand finish.

But the American tail were unable to get their side over the line, as two wickets in the final over from Sanchit Sharma sealed victory.

It was the opening partnership that proved so devastating for UAE, as Sharma (57) and Khan combined for an initial stand of 107 before the former was caught and bowled by Nosthush Kenjige.

Khan was simply unstoppable for UAE, inspiring his side’s total to the brink of 300 alongside Basil Hameed (44), before hitting his 18^th boundary of the innings to set USA 308 to win.

USA started brightly in their chase, with Saiteja Mukkamalla hitting a quickfire 21 off 17 balls alongside Sushant Modani (9) as the Americans raced to 32 off the first six overs before Mukkamalla fell to Muhammad Jawadullah.

Modani followed just two balls later to leave USA 32 for two but Patel and Jones combined to lift their side to a much healthier 144 for three before Patel was bowled by Aayan Afzal Khan with 20 overs remaining.

A rapid 69 from just 44 balls from Singh then shifted the momentum of the match with USA left needing 62 from the remaining 46 balls as Singh was eventually dismissed by Junaid Siddique.

Shayan Jahangir (32) led the final run chase to set up a nervy finish, with USA requiring 11 from the final over to win.

But Sharma dismissed both Nisarg Patel and Ali Khan in the final over to ensure UAE sneaked over the line and sealed ninth.

Sri Lanka and Windies round off Super Six

The Super Six comes to a close tomorrow, as already qualified Sri Lanka take on West Indies in Harare.

Windies have endured a torrid time so far in Zimbabwe, but will be hopeful of ending their campaign with what would be an impressive victory over table-toppers Sri Lanka.

The Lions now know they will face Netherlands in Sunday’s final and will hope to continue their momentum with another strong display.

The MCC is restricting access to its members inside the Lord’s pavilion amid the introduction of fresh operational measures following the unseemly scenes that unfolded during the second Ashes Test.

A ground renowned for its genteel atmosphere erupted into fury after the controversial stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow on Sunday and tempers boiled over in remarkable scenes inside the Long Room.

With the teams trudging off for the lunch interval, television footage captured apparent clashes between MCC members and Australia pair Usman Khawaja and David Warner, leading to security stepping in.

Khawaja branded what occurred “disrespectful”, while Australia captain Pat Cummins felt his side experienced “aggressive and abusive” behaviour, prompting the MCC to apologise “unreservedly”.

Three MCC members have already been suspended pending an investigation while the organisation, which intends to take a tougher stance on the general behaviour of individuals, has promised more sanctions if anyone else is found to have engaged in direct confrontation with the Australian players.

MCC chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown set out a list of new protocols to be implemented immediately for the remainder of the summer in a letter to members which has been seen by the PA news agency.

These include expanding the roped-off area where players walk through as they make their way from the dressing room to the pitch and back again, while members will be prohibited from using the stairwell when the teams are coming on and off the field and must either wait at the ground or top floor level.

Carnegie-Brown also called upon members to police one another’s behaviour, as well as reacquaint themselves with the organisation’s code of conduct.

England paceman Josh Tongue will join Nottinghamshire ahead of next season on a three-year contract alongside fellow Worcestershire bowler Dillon Pennington.

Tongue made his Test debut earlier this summer against Ireland and made an instant impact with a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

The 25-year-old then continued his Test match journey in the Ashes at Lord’s last week as he removed David Warner and Steve Smith in both innings and finished with match figures of five for 151.

Tongue has taken 172 first-class wicket at an average of 26.02 and told Nottinghamshire’s website: “When I found out Notts were interested, I was delighted.

“From what I see and hear, it is a really well run club which places a big emphasis on player progress, which is what I want right now.

“I’ve worked a little bit before with Kevin Shine, and he is a big reason for joining, as I know he’ll help me to kick on. He and (coach) Pete (Moores) have made it clear that they see me getting better here, which is nice to hear.

“The Notts squad is also full of international experience and I am looking forward to watching and learning from these players in practice as well as in games.

“Whilst I have had a bit of success recently which is really rewarding, I still want to keep improving and developing to be the best player I can be.

“I know that’ll take hard work, but the prospect of taking my cricket to the next level is something I really embrace.”

Pennington has 119 first-class victims in 40 matches at just under 30, while also making an impact in white-ball cricket with 71 wickets across both formats.

The 24-year-old was Worcestershire’s leading Championship wicket-taker in 2022 with 44 at 22.63.

Pennington said: “I’m really excited for this move.

“I’ve thought at length about how best to develop as a cricketer to achieve the ambitions I have in the game, and coming to Notts felt like the best way for me to do that at this point in my career.

“It is a brilliant set up, with a strong squad who I will benefit from playing alongside. Both learning from the quality in the bowling group and practising against some of the best batters in the country will stand me in good stead.”

Mitch Marsh took advantage of England’s sloppy catching to smash a brutal century and change the game on the first day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

The home side had started this must-win match with fire in their belly and were well on top when Marsh, making his first appearance in almost four years as an injury replacement, nicked Chris Woakes to slip with just 12 to his name.

Had Joe Root taken the regulation chance just after lunch Australia would have been in trouble on 98 for five, but Marsh made him pay in full as he powered them to 240 for five at tea.

Marsh batted with unfettered aggression after his reprieve, flaying 17 fours and four sixes as he racked up 118 at exactly a run-a-ball.

The pain finally stopped for England in the last over before the break, Woakes getting his man as an inside edge looped to Zak Crawley via the thigh pad, but significant damage had already been done.

England had dictated terms in the first session, Mark Wood turning in an electrifying burst of breakneck speed to whip up the Leeds crowd and Stuart Broad striking twice, but ultimately their hands let them down.

As well as Root reprieving Marsh, two chances slipped through the grasp of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Back in the spotlight after his controversial stumping at Lord’s sparked a row about the spirit of cricket, Bairstow saw two chances go down.

The first was a tricky take off Steve Smith but the second should have been a simple catch off Travis Head, who had nine and went on to reach 39no.

For the first time since 2019, the West Indies will battle India in the game’s longest format with the first Test of India’s tour of the Caribbean set to bowl off on July 12 in Dominica.

Since that 2019 series which India won 2-0, also in the Caribbean, the West Indies have played 12 series. Out of those 12, they have won four, drawn two and lost six. Three of those series wins have come in their last five series.

On the other hand, India, have won eight out of 12 series since then, including three of their last five.

West Indies vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, hopes the West Indians can step up to the plate against the mighty Indians.

“India is the number one team in the world right now,” Blackwood told SportsMax.tv.

“We, as a team, for the past year or two, have been playing some good cricket and now we just want to take it to another stage,” he added.

From an individual standpoint, the middle order batsman has had a rough time of it against his upcoming opponents.

In five matches, Blackwood has scored 184 runs at an average of 28.26 with a pair of fifties.

The Jamaican says he’s hoping to rectify that in this series.

“That’s why I’m here working so hard. Me and the captain spoke about wanting to lead the team with the bat and we’ve been doing that for the last year or two. That will be more important now playing against a team like India,” Blackwood said.

Brathwaite has also had a tough time of it against India, averaging just 22.40 in 11 matches.

With all that in mind, the pair will have to come good for the West Indies to have any chance of knocking off the number one Test team in the world, a sentiment which Blackwood echoes.

“We have to make sure we score the bulk of the runs. I know that we’re going to play against a tough opponent and I know that I want to score some runs for myself and the team,” Blackwood said.

“Whenever I score runs, the team normally feeds off that so that is the mentality I want to take into this series,” he added.

Former England captain Clare Connor said the creation of the Women’s Ashes trophy was “like a fairytale” as Lord’s prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event.

The Ashes were created by burning bats signed by both England and Australia teams along with a copy of the Women’s Cricket Association rulebook in the Harris Garden at Lord’s in 1998.

It marked a special moment for the current ECB deputy chief executive officer and managing director England Women, who was 21 at the time and remembers the ceremony taking place with the help of a wok grabbed from the MCC kitchen.

“The ceremony was amazing, it was like a little fairytale,” Connor told the PA news agency.

“They built like a makeshift set of bricks in a square raised like a foot off the ground and we were in the Harris Garden with the teams on both sides.

“They got a wok from the MCC kitchen and the Ashes were created from the burning of the old Women’s Cricket Association rule book and miniature bats signed on both sides by Australia and England, so I was one of those signatures.

“There was some other bits of flammable stuff put in there to get it going and there was a little fire.

“The end result was a handful of ashes that then got housed in a really simple, humble, smallish size of a cricket ball trophy.”

The trophy remained intact up until the introduction of the multi-format Ashes series in 2013, but the ball can still be seen inside the new award.

Lord’s will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its creation on Saturday ahead of England’s final T20 clash against Australia.

A range of guests, including some of those involved in the original ceremony, will be in attendance for the unveiling of a plaque by MCC president Stephen Fry at the Harris Garden.

“It was still unbelievably special and wonderful for us back then to be part of Ashes cricket,” said Connor, who believes women’s cricket has come a long way in 25 years.

“To be writing our names in a little piece of women’s cricket history through the creation of that trophy and our own sort of burning, creating our own physical ashes because we didn’t have any.

“There’s something really poignant about that looking back.

“Compare that day in summer of 1998 with Saturday in the summer of 2023 and they’re almost unrecognisable sports really.”

Saturday’s match is being held in partnership with the MCC Foundation in tribute to its ongoing work to promote women and girls’ cricket, reaching thousands each year as part of its cricket projects.

England kept the Women’s Ashes alive with a thrilling three-run victory at the Oval on Wednesday night to tie the T20 contests.

However, they still trail 6-2 in the series and, with three ODI matches to come, the hosts need to win their remaining games to stand a chance of reclaiming the trophy.

Connor, who won the 2005 Ashes, added: “If the crowd on Saturday get to experience what anybody has experienced so far this week at Edgbaston and the Oval then we’re all in for such a treat and another inspiring occasion.”

Tickets for the England v Australia Metro Bank Women’s T20 international at Lord’s are available from lords.org

Mark Wood lit up Headingley with a burst of breakneck speed and Stuart Broad grabbed two crucial wickets as England began their must-win third Ashes Test in rousing style.

Four days on from Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping at Lord’s, which led to a four-day row about the spirit of cricket, England did their talking on the field.

Ben Stokes, whose side are 2-0 down with three to play, made a bold decision to send the tourists in to bat and was rewarded with some crucial breakthroughs as Australia reached 91 for four at lunch.

Broad topped and tailed the morning session, nicking off his old foe David Warner for the 16th time in Test cricket and pouncing just before lunch to see off the prolific Steve Smith for 22.

But it was the returning Wood who really whipped the capacity crowd up. He bowled wall-to-wall rockets, never dipping below 90mph and hitting a fiery ceiling at 96.5mph.

There was just one scoring shot off his first four overs, which went down as the second fastest spell in England since ball-tracking data began in 17 years ago, and he capped it off by scattering Usman Khawaja’s stumps for 13.

Chris Woakes, returning to the Test arena after 18 months, also chipped in with the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 21.

For Bairstow, the man at the centre of this week’s controversy, it was a disappointing morning. He put down a tough chance off Smith on four, but then shelled Travis Head on nine as Wood’s pace continued to break the game open. The umpire signalled a bye for the resulting single, but England would surely have gone to DRS and dismissed the dangerous Head, who will resume after lunch on 10.

Given the level of antagonism that met Australia’s actions at Lord’s on Sunday, it was no surprise to hear the capacity crowd welcome the opening pair with a chorus of boos – the loudest emanating from the reliably noisy Western Terrace.

Warner made a good start to shutting down the jeers, driving Broad’s first ball down the ground for four, but the left-hander was back in the pavilion before the over was complete. Flashing outside off stump he threaded a catch to Zak Crawley, who made no mistake at second slip to bring the fans to their feet.

The intensity stepped up several notches when Wood made his belated introduction to the series, having been held back until now due to concerns over his match fitness.

He put the batters on instant alert with his fiery speeds, changing the whole feeling around the ground. He sent down three consecutive maidens before finally conceding a run off his 23rd ball. But his prize was just around the corner, with a fast, full and swinging delivery pounding into Khawaja’s middle and leg stumps.

Bairstow could not hang on to a tough inside edge off Smith, playing his 100th Test, but Woakes kept the momentum going when he angled one in at Labuschagne’s off stump and took a thick outside edge that carried to Joe Root.

Wood returned for a second blast and should have had Head immediately, only for Bairstow to spill a catch down the leg side.

However, Broad relieved England’s frustrations just before lunch, nipping one in and finding Smith’s inside edge, giving Bairstow a chance to hold on and putting England in control.

Mark Wood made a dramatic entry to the Ashes series with the second-fastest spell on record in Test matches in England.

The England bowler’s opening four-over burst brought him one wicket for just two runs but the more impressive statistics came from the speed gun, with Wood firing down his first ball at 91 miles per hour and at one point topping 96mph in a spell during which he never dipped below 90.

England’s official Twitter account marked his first over as the fastest ever at Headingley – a record that remarkably lasted only until his second.

By the time he had finished his short spell – a pre-planned move as England protect his fitness – he had averaged almost 93mph with only one of his own spells at Lord’s in 2021 recording a higher average speed in CricViz’s database, which goes back to 2006.

Wood combined his pace with swing and an aggressive length which had Marnus Labuschagne playing and missing or defending off the splice of the bat in an opening maiden, albeit with four leg byes off the fourth ball.

The first ball of Wood’s next over beat Labuschagne’s outside edge and the next was fended uncertainly off the shoulder of the bat before the third flashed through at 96.5mph, the quickest ball of Wood’s spell.

The fourth ball of the third over, banged in short, cleared both Labuschagne and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow by a distance on its way for four byes – the fact it escaped being called wide helping Wood to a third straight maiden.

Labuschagne was again repeatedly beaten and, despite countering Wood’s speed by abandoning his habit of batting out of his crease, saw multiple balls crash off high on his bat.

A wider ball in the next over allowed Usman Khawaja to carve the first two runs off Wood’s bowling but he responded in style by beating him on the inside edge at 94.6mph to take out leg stump while almost bowling himself off his feet.

Captain Ben Stokes, Wood’s county team-mate at Durham, resisted the temptation to give him a fifth over despite Steve Smith coming out to bat. Smith has been dismissed twice in the series by Josh Tongue, England’s next-quickest bowler at an average of 84.9mph, with Wood’s opening spell quicker by a margin of 8mph.

He did return for two overs before the lunch interval, this time up the hill at the Football Stand End, with his average pace dipping just below 90mph – though he had Travis Head dropped by Bairstow off a 91mph leg-side delivery.