Rehan Ahmed remains in limbo in India although England are certain the teenage leg-spinner’s visa problem will be sorted out on Wednesday ahead of the third Test in Rajkot.

Ahmed’s single-entrance visa expired the moment he left for England’s mid-series break in the United Arab Emirates and the 19-year-old was initially red-flagged upon the team’s return to India on Monday.

England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum waited with Ahmed at Hirasar Rajkot Airport as an emergency two-day visa was granted before the trio got to the team hotel separately to the group.

Ahmed trained with his team-mates at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday morning and – while there is yet to be a resolution -, England seem convinced the issuing of a new visa is a formality.

“It’s not a concern,” Stokes said. “The guys who dealt with it at the airport did a really good job, given where we found ourselves. I’m confident that will be sorted.”

It is unclear whether the issue will hinder Ahmed’s chances as he tries to retain his England spot when the series, which is currently deadlocked at 1-1 after two gripping instalments, resumes on Thursday.

But it has occurred just a couple of weeks after off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was forced to miss the first Test in Hyderabad because of a paperwork snag as his Pakistani heritage led to extended checks.

Ahmed, like Bashir, was born in the UK and is of Pakistani heritage but this is a separate matter owing to an oversight on the part of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Ahmed was already in possession of an Indian visa after being placed on standby for England’s 50-over World Cup campaign in October and November but it was not activated then because he was not required to travel.

England’s players travel on electronic visas which are not stamped in passports so the situation with Ahmed only came to light in Rajkot following England’s six-day breather in Abu Dhabi.

Ahmed – who is England’s youngest cricketer in all three formats – has taken eight wickets in the series at a respectable average of 36.37 so far and also contributed 70 runs, including a cameo 23 after being bumped up to number three in the batting order as the so-called ‘nighthawk’ in the second Test.

England’s spin options have already been hard hit by Jack Leach’s series-ending knee injury, leaving Ahmed, Bashir and Tom Hartley as the three specialist spinners, boasting six Test caps between them, with Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks becoming increasingly called upon.

“We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed’s visa,” an England team spokesperson said.

“The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive, enabling Rehan entry on a temporary visa. The correct visa should be processed and issued in the coming days.

“He will continue to prepare with the rest of the squad ahead of the third Test.”

England captain Ben Stokes downplayed his landmark appearance against India in Rajkot this week, insisting that joining the prestigious 100 Test club was “just a number”.

Stokes is set to become the 16th Englishman to three figures on Thursday a little over a decade on from his Adelaide debut, where he memorably had a testy exchange with Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

That combative nature has been a constant in a career of stratospheric highs and crushing lows, but he is naturally averse to celebrating personal milestones, as evidenced most acutely at Headingley in 2019.

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On that occasion, Stokes barely acknowledged his hundred and only celebrated after hauling England to a famous victory and he stayed true to type when asked to talk up his 100th Test match.

“I guess it’s a sign of longevity,” he said, almost apologetically. “It’s just a number. Every Test is just as important as the next one. Then there’s the next one, which will be 101 – it’s just one more.

“I don’t want it to sound like I’m not thankful for the opportunities I’ve had. There will be a time when I can (reflect on what he has achieved) a bit more.

“But milestones and stuff like that – it’s not done until it’s done.

“While I’m still playing and wanting to achieve a lot, driving the team, giving individuals what I think is the best platform for them to be successful is where all my thoughts are at the moment.”

Another character trait that has been evident in Stokes the captain is his eagerness to roll the dice and risk defeat in pursuit of victory, largely paying off with six of the former and 14 of the latter.

He is therefore highly unlikely to find himself in the same situation Sir Alastair Cook did in England’s last visit to the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in November 2016, when the tourists received some criticism for declaring too late and setting India 310 to win in a minimum of 49 overs.

With this series deadlocked at 1-1, the temptation could be to avoid defeat at all costs after losing last time out but Stokes was having none of it.

“I don’t get that much pleasure out of a draw,” Stokes said. “I’d much rather lose trying to win. But not winning doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Everything is just aimed towards what can we do.

“Losing always sucks but we’ve lost all (six) games trying to win them. We’ll never go to the grave not knowing if we could have done something a bit different.”

Stokes’ immediate thoughts are on whether to stick with James Anderson and a trio of callow spinners or reintroduce Mark Wood and go with two specialist fast bowlers for the first time on this tour of India.

While Wood was wicketless in the win at Hyderabad and made way for Anderson in the Visakhapatnam defeat, his express pace offers an extra dimension on a pitch renowned for being batter-friendly.

“If we were to go with two seamers the reasons why we would look at Jimmy and Woody would be I just like to have a point of difference,” Stokes said. “And India is never a three-seamer option.”

Even though Jack Leach is out of the last three Tests, Stokes will stick to his pledge not to bowl in this series following surgery on a longstanding left knee injury 11 weeks ago.

Stokes, who last bowled competitively in July last year, sent down three overs in training on Tuesday morning at what he estimated was about 70 per cent intensity.

“It’s little and often now,” the 32-year-old said. “We don’t have a plan with where I go with my intensity. It’s just how I feel at the time, but also not getting too far ahead. It was another step forward.

“But I’ve pinky promised my physio I won’t be loosening up to bowl even if everything is feeling well because that would just be a risk that’s not worth it.”

The Windward Islands Volcanoes are sitting atop the points table at the end of Round 1 of the West Indies Championship, after their 9-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park.

With a total of 21.4 points, 9.4 of which came from bowling points, as they picked up 3 points for surpassing 300 runs in the first innings and then bowling the Scorpions out in both innings.

Not far behind are the Barbados Pride with 19 points, having picked up 3 batting points and 4 bowling points. The West Indies Academy victory over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes have them sitting third on the table, while the rest of the table reads as follows Guyana Harpy Eagles with 5.5 points, Jamaica Scorpions 4.4, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 3 and Combined Campuses and Colleges at eighth with 3 points.

Three teams have made player changes to their teams heading into Round 2 which starts tomorrow.

Guyana Harpy Eagles have replaced Ronsford Beaton with Isai Thorne who returned from competing with the West Indies Men’s Under 19 team at the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Beaton was suspended for an illegal bowling action in his team’s first round clash with the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Conaree Cricket Centre.

The West Indies Academy have made two changes with to their squad with Jordan Johnson and Teddy Bishop replacing Kelvin Pitman and Ramon Simmonds. Johnson returned from competing with the West Indies Men’s Under 19 team at the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, and Bishop returned from Australia where he was a member of the West Indies Men’s Senior team for the ODI series against Australia.

Gilson Tyson will replace Shermon Lewis in the Windward Islands Volcanoes team, as Lewis has been ruled out of the next two rounds of the competition due to injury. Kavem Hodge who also returned from Test and ODI duties with the West Indies Senior Men’s team in Australia, will replace Keron Cottoy.

Guyana Harpy Eagles and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force had their first-round match at the Conaree Cricket Centre end with no result due to seepage of water onto the pitch from a 24-hour persistent rainfall. Jamaica Scorpions, Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Combined Campuses and Colleges all suffered defeats to the Windward Islands Volcanoes, the West Indies Academy and Barbados Pride respectively.

Round 2 starts on Wednesday 14 February-17 February in Jamaica at Sabina Park and Kensington Cricket Club and in St. Kitts at Warner Park and Conaree Cricket Centre. All matches start at 10am local time.

Every West Indies Championship match will be streamed live on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel. Fans can follow every game from their mobile devices, computers, or connected TVs, including access to live ball-by-ball scoring on the Windiescricket.com live match center. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

West Indies Championship 2024

Round 1

7 to 10 February: 

Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Sabina Park, Jamaica- Volcanoes won by 9 wickets

CCC vs Barbados Pride - Chedwin Park, Jamaica- Pride won by 9 wickets

Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy - Warner Park, St. Kitts- Academy won by 5 wickets

Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts- No Result

Round 2

14 to 17 February: 

Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC - Sabina Park, Jamaica

Barbados Pride vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica

Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Warner Park, St. Kitts

Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy - Conaree Cricket Centre, St. Kitts

Round 3

21 to 24 February: 

Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride - Sabina Park, Jamaica

Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC - Chedwin Park, Jamaica

Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Warner Park, St. Kitts

West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), Antigua

Round 4

13 to 16 March:

Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad

Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Barbados Pride - Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI Spec (UWI SPEC), Trinidad

West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions - CCG, Antigua

Round 5

20 March to 23 March: 

Trinidad &Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride - Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions - Diego Martin Regional Complex, Trinidad

Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad

West Indies Academy vs CCC - CCG, Antigua

Round 6

10 to 13 April:

Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Sabina Park, Jamaica

CCC vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Chedwin Park, Jamaica

Leeward Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride - UWI SPEC, Trinidad

West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - CCG, Antigua

Round 7

17 to 20 April:

Jamaica Scorpions vs Trinidad &Tobago Red Force - Sabina Park, Jamaica

CCC vs Guyana Harpy Eagles - Kensington Cricket Club, Jamaica

Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Windward Islands Volcanoes - UWI SPEC, Trinidad

West Indies Academy vs Barbados Pride - CCG, Antigua

A record sixth-wicket stand between Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford was backed by a dazzling spell of spin bowling by Roston Chase, as West Indies salvaged some pride with a 37-run win over Australia to end their three-match Twenty20 (T20) series on a high, on Tuesday.

While Australia took the series 2-1, the consolation win and, by extension the performances of Russell and Rutherford in a 139-run stand, provides a solid platform on which West Indies at can continue to build in their charge towards the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup later this year.

With West Indies in trouble at 79-5, after Rovman Powell opted to bat first, Russell and Rutherford took Australia’s bowlers to task, as they combined for 12 sixes in the record stand that propelled the Caribbean side to a competitive 220-6 at Optus Stadium.

Russell was particularly destructive, as the Jamaican utilized only 29 balls for his 71, which included seven maximums and four fours, while Rutherford’s unbeaten 40-ball 67, included five maximums and five fours.

David Warner, who struck nine fours and three sixes in a 49-ball 81, briefly threatened to overhaul the total, but Australia suffered a mini collapse after his dismissal, as West Indies bowlers came up trumps on this occasion. Tim David with a quickfire 19-ball 41, was Australia's next best scorer. His unbeaten knock had two fours and four sixes. 

Scores: West Indies 220-6 (Russell 71, Rutherford 67 not out, Bartlett 2-37) beat Australia 183-5 (Warner 81, David 41 not out, Chase 2-19, Shepherd 2-31) by 37 runs

Having failed to chase down daunting totals when they lost the first two matches, West Indies captain Powell decided to switch strategies and bat first, but it almost seemed futile when the top-order failed to navigate the extra bounce. Johnson Charles (four), Kyle Mayers (11) and Nicholas Pooran (one), all fell cheaply, as West Indies slipped to 17-3 in the third over.

Powell and Chase restored some semblance of respectability to the innings with a 55-run fourth-wicket stand. But when Chase fell for 37 off 20 balls, including three fours and two sixes, Powell went soon after for a 14-ball 21 that had three boundaries, and West Indies were steering down the proverbial barrel at that point.

However, Russell and Rutherford were in defiant mood. The two slaughtered Australia’s bowlers and raised their half-centuries in 25 balls and 33 balls respectively, and inevitably pushed West Indies past the 200-run mark.

Much like he started his innings, Russell ended in explosive fashion, as he struck Adam Zampa for three-consecutive sixes in a penultimate over that yielded 28 runs, but later holed out in the last over and walked off the ground to a standing ovation from the over 17,000 crowd.

Xavier Bartlett was Australia’s most successful bowler with 2-37 from his four overs.

Knowing they required a solid start, Australia reshuffled their batting order, with captain Mitchell Marsh taking opening duties alongside Warner. But Marsh struggled for rhythm and was overshadowed by Warner, who overcame a rough start when a short delivery from Alzarri Joseph banged into the grill via his shoulder.

After Marsh fell for 17, wickets continued to tumble around Warner, who raced to a half-century off 25 balls. The left-hander seemed set for a second T20I century, but was overburdened in the middle overs, and eventually holed out to Russell off Chase.

From there, Australia’s innings fell apart, even with David's late burst, as Chase, who proved an inspired selection, ended with tidy figures of 2-19 from four overs. He was well supported by seamer Romario Shepherd, who had 2-31.

Ben Stokes joins the 100 Test club this week in the more unlikely surroundings of Rajkot as England get back to business in India following a week off.

A headline-grabbing career has brought more peaks than troughs and, here, the PA news agency looks at the England captain’s best Test moments ahead of his landmark appearance.

120 v Australia – Perth, December 2013

England were getting mauled by moustachioed menace Mitchell Johnson et al on a calamitous 2013/14 Ashes tour but Stokes was undaunted. In his second Test on a WACA pitch bursting with deep, wide cracks, the then 22-year-old earned Australia’s grudging respect with a hard-nosed fourth-innings century. England lost but months after being told he was squandering his gifts by Andy Flower amid some indiscretions on a Lions tour, Stokes’ surreptitious “I’ll show you” response came to bear in extraordinary fashion.

101 v New Zealand – Lord’s, May 2015

In and out of the side due to injuries, under-performance and a lack of role clarity, Stokes rewarded the decision to elevate him to number six in the batting order with two buccaneering innings. Ten months on from a chastening pair at HQ, Stokes followed up a rescue-act 92 with an 85-ball hundred – the quickest ever at Lord’s – before snaring Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum with successive balls in an England win. His place in any side when fit and available has never been in doubt since then.

Six for 36 v Australia – Trent Bridge, August 2015

Stuart Broad’s eight for 15 rightly lives longer in the memory but the ‘oh my Broad’ image that summed up the 2015 Ashes was largely down to Stokes’ one-handed leaping catch in the cordon to see off Adam Voges. In Australia’s second innings, with Broad having nothing like as much impact, Stokes channelled his inner James Anderson, finding some prodigious swing, to ultimately make sure England regained the urn. Remarkably, it is the only time in his career Stokes has been part of an Ashes-winning side.

135 not out v Australia – Headingley, August 2019

Stokes’ magnum opus came six weeks after his scarcely-credible heroics in the 2019 World Cup and a year and a week after being acquitted of affray in a Bristol court case that threatened to overshadow his career. After England were skittled for a miserly 67, Stokes, perhaps seeking to atone for his loose shot, first bowled himself into the ground to take three for 56 then roused the hosts in a then national record chase of 359. Watchful at first before exploding with just number 11 Jack Leach for company, Stokes kept the Ashes alive and sent Headingley into raptures with a knock for the ages.

103 v South Africa – Emirates Old Trafford, August 2022

Despite starting his reign as England Test skipper with four wins out of four, Stokes and the so-called ‘Bazball’ methods alongside McCullum came under scrutiny when they lost to South Africa at Lord’s. England also threatened to throw away a handy position in Manchester but measured tons from Stokes – his first since assuming the captaincy – and Ben Foakes quietened any criticism. Stokes also collected a couple of top-order wickets in both the Proteas’ innings to seal a resounding win.

Ben Stokes will become the 16th Englishman to win 100 Test caps when he captains his side in Thursday’s third Test against India.

Here, the PA news agency looks at England’s century club and Stokes’ record to date.

Century club

James Anderson will hope to add to his national-record 184 Tests in Rajkot, while team-mate Joe Root ranks fourth on the list on 137 behind Stuart Broad (167) and Sir Alastair Cook (161).

Alec Stewart, Ian Bell, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Michael Atherton, Colin Cowdrey, Sir Geoff Boycott, Kevin Pietersen, Lord Ian Botham, Sir Andrew Strauss and Graham Thorpe are England’s other centurions. Barring injury, the remainder of the India series will lift Stokes alongside Botham on 102 Tests.

Cook is England’s record Test run-scorer with 12,472, with Root just over 1,000 behind as he keeps up his pursuit, while Anderson leads the wickets column on 695.

Of those among the group to have taken more than one Test wicket, only Stokes, Botham and Root have achieved the distinction of a higher average batting than bowling.

Botham averaged 33.55 for his 5,200 runs and 28.40 for his 383 wickets – the latter figure places him third on England’s all-time wickets list behind Anderson and Broad (604).

Stokes, with over 1,000 runs more than Botham at an average nearly three runs higher at 36.34, has a strong claim as England’s greatest batting all-rounder – Root averages 49.65 with the bat but a hefty 43.88 with his off-spin.

Three more wickets, to add to his 197 at 32.07, will see Stokes join the illustrious club of 16 all-rounders to date with 3,000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests.

Broad, Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Moeen Ali have achieved that feat for England – Stokes has a better batting average than any of the quartet and will rank third in bowling average.

Setting the tone

Only 11 men have made a higher Test score for England than Stokes’ 258 against South Africa in 2016, with former captain Cook having done so on two occasions.

Coming in 198 balls at a strike rate of 130 with 30 fours and 11 sixes, it was the fastest score of 250-plus in Test history and England’s fastest double century – the next-highest England Test score recorded at over a run a ball is Zak Crawley’s 189 off 182 in last summer’s Ashes.

Stokes has 13 Test centuries in all, with four five-wicket hauls including a best of six for 22 against the West Indies in 2017.

As captain he has presided over 14 wins, six defeats and only one draw as he and coach Brendon McCullum have implemented a new aggressive style of play.

England have successfully chased five fourth-inning targets over 250 in that time, including a national-record 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022 and three of their top eight chases of all time.

Somewhat surprisingly, that 258 is one of only two Stokes centuries at over a run a ball – he made 101 off 92 against New Zealand in 2015.

Ollie Pope gushed at how Ben Stokes has “changed the game” as the England captain gears up for his 100th Test this week.

England are back in India following a break in the United Arab Emirates between the second and third Tests, with Stokes set to make his landmark appearance in Rajkot in a match that starts on Thursday.

As well as being England’s ace in the hole and pulling out all the stops when the pressure is at its peak, Stokes’ dynamic style of leadership alongside Brendon McCullum has galvanised the national side.

Stokes boasts 14 victories from 21 Tests – no one who has captained England on 10 or more occasions in the format has a better win percentage (66.67) – and his revolutionary effect was recognised by Pope.

“It’s unbelievable,” England’s vice-captain said. “For anyone to play 100 Tests is an unbelievable achievement. He’s had his highs and lows but what he’s done since he’s been captain has been amazing.

“Stokesy is not someone who likes it being all about him. He doesn’t need those accolades but away from the ground I’m sure we’ll celebrate him, get around him and think of something to do.

“He’s changed the game in a lot of respects. He just has a way of bringing out the best in himself when the team needs him the most.

“There have been so many unbelievable memories and hopefully he can play 100 more. He’s been great to watch, great to be a part of and hopefully there’ll be many more special moments in his career.”

England are a bowler light for the final three Tests after deciding against naming a replacement for slow left-armer Jack Leach, who has travelled back to the UK following a series-ending knee injury.

The sight of Stokes bowling gently in the nets in England training on Tuesday morning left locals wondering whether the 32-year-old would spring a surprise and return to all-rounder status.

But Pope poured cold water on the theory, with Stokes, who has not bowled competitively since July last year, still feeling his way back after surgery to his left knee 11 weeks ago.

“He’s just getting back to bowling and getting his knee right,” Pope said. “That’s why he had surgery – just to make sure that when he is back bowling, he’s going to be bowling quickly and as well as he can.

“I’d be surprised and I guess you never know. But I think he’s just preparing as a batter.”

Following a gripping pair of Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam that has left the series evenly poised at 1-1, England have had a six-day breather in Abu Dhabi to decompress and go again.

“It’s a nice way just to refresh,” Pope added. “The guys are energised coming into these last three Tests.

“We’ve loved every bit of this tour so far. Two competitive games of cricket that have been awesome to play in. But it was a nicely timed break to recharge the batteries.”

Rehan Ahmed has become the latest England player to run into visa problems in India but the tourists are optimistic the teenage leg-spinner will be available for the third Test in Rajkot.

The 19-year-old was initially denied entry upon the England team returning to India on Monday after a mid-series break in the United Arab Emirates because he only held a single entrance electronic visa.

The issue is different to what Shoaib Bashir encountered last month and Ahmed was granted an emergency two-day visa, allowing him to train with his England team-mates in Rajkot on Tuesday morning.

Ahmed has now applied for a multi-entrance visa and England are confident the issue will be resolved before the series, currently deadlocked at 1-1, resumes on Thursday.

“We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed’s visa,” an England team spokesperson said.

“The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive, enabling Rehan entry on a temporary visa. The correct visa should be processed and issued in the coming days.

“He will continue to prepare with the rest of the squad ahead of the third Test.”

Bashir’s arrival was delayed because of a unforeseen snag in his paperwork, with his Pakistani heritage leading to extended checks, and meant he missed the first Test win in Hyderabad last month.

Ahmed, like Bashir, was born in the UK and is of Pakistani heritage but he was already in possession of an Indian visa after being placed on standby for England’s 50-over World Cup campaign.

That was not activated because he was not required to travel but, with all of England’s team travelling on electronic visas which are not stamped on passports, any administrative issues are harder to spot.

Ahmed, England’s youngest cricketer in all three formats, entered India for the first time ahead of the start of the series and has featured in both Tests, taking eight wickets at a decent average of 36.37.

He has also contributed 70 runs, including a cameo 23 after being bumped up to number three in the batting order as the so-called ‘nighthawk’ in the second Test, before England departed for the UAE.

Only when Ahmed had his passport scanned after England arrived at Hirasar Rajkot Airport following a chartered flight from Abu Dhabi did the oversight emerge.

England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum remained with Ahmed while he was given his temporary stay and they arrived at the team hotel about an hour after the rest of the group.

Joe Root described himself as “privileged, humbled and very excited” after being confirmed as England’s new Test captain on this day in 2017.

The then-26-year-old Yorkshire batter was handed the reins in the wake of Alastair Cook’s resignation after a 59-game tenure.

Root, who was averaging a little under 53 over 53 Tests at the time, was appointed ahead of home summer series against South Africa and the West Indies with an Ashes tour looming, on the recommendation of the selectors and the ECB’s director of England cricket Andrew Strauss.

With Ben Stokes as his vice-captain, vastly-experienced bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad at his disposal and coaches Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace behind the scenes, he set out on his mission with some optimism.

Root said at the time: “We have a very good group of players, and I’m looking forward to leading them out in the summer – building on Alastair’s achievements and making the most of our talents in the years ahead.”

The new captain was appointed with England in a state of flux, having lost a match for the first time to Bangladesh and suffered at the hands of India as Cook’s reign, which had taken his side to within a win of the top of the Test rankings, drew to a close.

In all, Root led his country out onto the field in 64 Tests and collected 27 wins before he eventually stood down from the role in April 2022.

His tenure included two depressing 4-0 Ashes defeats Down Under either side of a 2-2 draw at home, but also more encouraging series wins over India and in Sri Lanka before the coronavirus pandemic intervened.

However, he called it a day in April 2022 after a decisive 10-wicket defeat in the West Indies, with the pressure of the job weighing heavily on his shoulders.

He said: “I have loved leading my country, but recently it’s hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game.”

Ronsford Beaton, the Guyana Harpy Eagles fast bowler, was reported for a suspect bowling action during the ongoing West Indies Championship four-day first-class competition. Beaton’s action was cited by match officials during the first-round match between Guyana Harpy Eagles and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Conaree Cricket Centre in St. Kitts, which ended last Saturday.

 As part of the process, once a player is reported for a suspect bowling action, video footage from the match in which the player was reported is provided to CWI. The video footage along with the written report is then sent to the CWI Bowling Review Group (BRG) and Loughborough University for analysis using an Opinion Report.

 On Sunday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the Opinion Report by the Independent Assessor at Loughborough University, has found Beaton’s bowling action to be illegal and, as such, he has been suspended from bowling in all West Indies international and regional matches with immediate effect.

 The assessment revealed that Beaton’s deliveries exceeded the level of tolerance for extension of the elbow permitted under playing regulations. As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations the suspension will also apply to all other domestic leagues worldwide.

 Beaton will remain suspended until such time as his action is found to be legal, either by an Opinion Report from Loughborough University or by an independent analysis from an accredited ICC testing centre, in accordance with the CWI Regulations for Dealing with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.

 Isai Thorne who returned from competing with the West Indies Men’s Under 19 team at the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, will replace Beaton in the Guyana Harpy Eagles squad.

 The Round 2 of matches in the West Indies Championship start on Wednesday 14 February. Guyana’s first-round match against Trinidad and Tobago was abandoned with no result due to seepage of water onto the pitch from 24 hours of persistent rainfall.

Future stars hailing from five different nations including newly-crowned champions Australia comprise the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 Team of the Tournament, announced today by the International Cricket Council.

Australia captain Hugh Weibgen is given the honour of leading out the star-studded lineup, chosen by an esteemed panel of media, broadcast and ICC representatives.

India enjoyed a resounding campaign leading up to Sunday’s final, and mark their impressive tournament with four names in the team. Champions Australia have three players included, South Africa have two names – including the Player of the Tournament Kwena Maphaka – while the West Indies and Pakistan each have one player feature.

The selection panel consisted of commentary representatives Ian Bishop, Melinda Farrell and Abhinav Mukund, media representative Telford Vice, and ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley.

The Team of the Tournament for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup (in batting order):

1. Lhuan-dre Pretorius (SA) (wk) - 287 runs at 57.40
2. Harry Dixon (AUS) - 309 runs at 44.14
3. Musheer Khan (IND) – 360 runs at 60.00
4. Hugh Weibgen (AUS) (captain) - 304 runs at 50.66
5. Uday Saharan (IND) – 397 runs at 56.71
6. Sachin Dhas (IND) – 303 runs at 60.60
7. Nathan Edward (WI) – 101 runs at 50.50 and 11 wickets at 17.81
8. Callum Vidler (AUS) – 14 wickets at 11.71
9. Ubaid Shah (PAK) – 18 wickets at 12.38
10. Kwena Maphaka (SA) – 21 wickets at 9.71
11. Saumy Pandey (IND) – 18 wickets at 10.27

and

12. Jamie Dunk (SCO) – 263 runs at 65.75

South Africa’s Pretorius takes the gloves for this Team of the Tournament, and also heads up the batting order, after a series of impressive and explosive displays in the Proteas surge to the semi-final.

The wicketkeeper batter hit three half-centuries towards the back end of the tournament, including an eye-catching 76 in the semi-final against India, and will be remembered for contributing heavily to his side’s fast starts, ending the U19 Men’s CWC with a strike rate of 94.09.

Australia’s Harry Dixon partners him atop the order after a superb tournament and some invaluable contributions in the knockout stages. Dixon remained resolute in the semi-final and final despite the challenges posed by bowling attacks of Pakistan and India, registering important runs atop the order in both, as well as their emphatic win over England in the Super Six stage.

India’s Musheer Khan takes the number three spot as the only batter to register two centuries during the competition. Despite a subdued end to the tournament, Musheer displayed plenty of early promise, featuring a wide array of attacking shots, as well as an ability to pick up wickets with his probing left-arm spin.

Captain Weibgen was instrumental to Australia’s fourth U19 Men’s CWC title, providing valuable runs and making intelligent on-field decisions that sparked another successful campaign. After a sensational match-winning century against rivals England on a difficult Kimberley pitch in the Super Six stage, Weibgen continued to grow as a player and leader, eventually sealing the deal with victory in Benoni inspired by his decision at the toss and with team selection.

Top run-scorer for the event, Uday Saharan played a pivotal role in India’s dominance through to the final. Scoring consistently throughout the event and registering a century against Nepal, Saharan saved his best performance for the thrilling semi-final against South Africa, dragging India back from the brink of elimination with a vital 81 runs to seal their spot in the final.

Saharan’s primary ally that day was Sachin Dhas, and the composed right-hander also earns a place in the Team of the Tournament for his ability to relieve pressure situations, and the innovative and aggressive strokeplay that charactised India’s wins over Nepal (116 runs) and South Africa (96 runs).

The West Indies made a promising start to the tournament, and could have progressed through to the semi-finals had their all-or-nothing match against Australia not been washed out. All-rounder Nathan Edward was a standout performer for the side, in particular during their win against England in Potchefstroom, taking three wickets and hitting 49 in a high-pressure chase.

The four out and out bowlers in the side all found success in their respective sides.

Australia’s Callum Vidler enjoyed plenty of pace and bounce on the South African surfaces, and posed a constant threat to batters throughout the competition. He starred in wins over England and Sri Lanka before his efforts in the semis and final included prized wickets with the new ball.

Ubaid Shah was in scintillating form for Pakistan in the U19 Men’s CWC, spearheading their bowling attack and demonstrating lethal amounts of pace that produced vital wicket taking spells in his side’s wins over New Zealand (three for 30) and Bangladesh (five for 44) in their run to the semi-final.

Player of the Tournament Kwena Maphaka set the World Cup alight from day one. Searing pace and swing handed him his first of three five-wicket hauls in the dramatic win over West Indies on opening day, and the pacer never looked back, with stellar performances in wins over Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

Maphaka almost provided South Africa with another match-winning performance in the semi-final defeat against India, yet his pace, bounce and ability to take important wickets just saw the young Proteas fall short.

Maphaka ended the tournament with 21 wickets, leaving him at the summit of the wicket-taking charts.

Completing the lineup is India’s Saumy Pandey, whose left-arm spin threat yielded 18 wickets – the most by any spinner in the tournament. Twinned with a supreme ability to bowl economical spells, Pandey was inspirational in the early stages in Bloemfontein, highlighted by his performances in wins over Bangladesh (four for 24) and New Zealand (four for 19).

The twelfth player listed in the ICC Team of the Tournament is Scotland opening batter Jamie Dunk. So important in their journey to the World Cup through the Europe Qualifiers, Dunk adapted well to the World Cup environment, registering impressive half-centuries against West Indies (57), South Africa (90) and in the gripping play-off match against Namibia (76).

India will be without another middle-order regular in the third Test against England in Rajkot this week after KL Rahul was unable to prove he had fully shaken off a quad injury.

With Virat Kohli excusing himself from the series because of personal reasons, India would have been hoping for Rahul to regain full fitness after being ruled out of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

But while a Board of Control for Cricket in India statement revealed Rahul had “reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well”, the hosts are unwilling to take any risks over the 31-year-old.

Devdutt Padikkal, whose international career so far has comprised of two T20s, has therefore been named as a replacement for Rahul ahead of the series, which is evenly-poised at 1-1, resuming on Thursday.

Rahul has amassed eight hundreds in 50 Tests and was widely expected to slot back in at number four – where he made 86 and 22 in the series opener – after selectors axed the misfiring Shreyas Iyer.

Rahul will now continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of India’s medical staff in Bengaluru with a view to being welcomed back for the fourth Test in Ranchi, which gets under way on February 23.

Padikkal, meanwhile, joins a middle-order mix also containing another uncapped batter in Sarfaraz Khan while Rajat Patidar only came in for his Test debut in Vizag.

It is unclear whether highly-rated all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja can bolster the batting after a hamstring problem precluded his involvement in India’s series-levelling win last time out.

West Indies T20 Captain, Rovman Powell, lauded his team's display of courage in their high-scoring encounter against Australia in the second T20 match at Adelaide on Sunday, despite succumbing to a 34-run defeat.

Powell acknowledged the team's fighting spirit but acknowledged that the chase for Australia's formidable total of 242 runs was marred by the loss of crucial wickets.

In his post-match comments, Powell reflected on the team's performance, stating, "The boys showed courage, but we kept losing wickets at key intervals and failed to get big partnerships. But credit to Australia, they bowled well. We knew if we were going to get close, we had to have wickets. Those things do happen when chasing 240. It's very difficult."

While Powell praised the resilience of his team, he also highlighted the challenge of chasing down such a mammoth target and emphasized the importance of building substantial partnerships. The West Indies skipper acknowledged the effectiveness of the Australian bowling attack, recognizing that they played a crucial role in defending their imposing total.

Powell, who led from the front with an impressive 63 runs from 36 balls, got key contributions from Andre Russell's explosive innings of 37 from 16 balls and Jason Holder's valuable 28 from 16 in the team's 207-9 in pursuit of the massive target.

The West Indies captain singled out Glen Maxwell, whose exceptional innings of 120 runs from 55 balls proved to be the decisive factor in Australia's commanding total. “He tends to have a shot (for anything they bowled at him) it, but we strayed from our plans a little."

Despite the loss, Powell maintained hope and confidence in the team's abilities, expressing optimism about their chances in the upcoming third and final match of the series. He conveyed the team's determination to secure a consolation win, stating, "A 2-1 series [is] better than 3-0. The guys are still confident."

As the West Indies prepare for the concluding match of the series, Powell and his team are focused on regrouping, learning from their experiences, and aiming for a positive outcome to conclude their series against Australia.

In a display of unparalleled brilliance, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell played a spectacular unbeaten innings, scoring an extraordinary century to lead Australia to victory in the second T20 International against West Indies at the Adelaide Oval. Maxwell's unbeaten 120 from just 55 balls proved to be the game-changer as Australia secured the series with a 34-run win.

Australia's total of 241 for 4, their highest on home soil, set a challenging target for West Indies. Despite a valiant effort from West Indies captain Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, and Jason Holder, Australia's bowling attack, led by Marcus Stoinis with figures of 3-36, proved too strong for the Caribbean side.

The match featured late controversy when Alzarri Joseph was short of his ground attempting a tight single. However, umpire Gerard Abood ruled there had been no appeal, leading to heated scenes on the field. Despite the late drama, it did not affect the match's outcome.

Maxwell's innings, featuring eight sixes, was the second-highest T20I score for a batter at number or lower, equaling Rohit Sharma's record with a fifth T20I century. His dominating performance left West Indies with a challenging target, and despite Powell's attractive 63 off 36 balls, they fell short, finishing at 207 for 9.

The series victory for Australia, following their 11-run win in the first game at Bellerive Oval, marks a successful start to their T20 World Cup preparations. The third and final game of the series is scheduled to be played in Perth on Tuesday.

West Indies, facing an imposing total, came out swinging with aggressive batting early on. However, Australia's left-arm quick, Spencer Johnson, making his first appearance in a home international, showcased his talent with figures of 2 for 39. Johnson, who debuted for Australia late last year and starred for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, is emerging as a bowler of considerable interest across formats.

Despite West Indies' big-hitters like Andre Russell providing some fireworks, the team fell away in the face of Maxwell's relentless assault. Russell's entertaining 37 off 16 balls and Powell's glimmer of hope were not enough to overcome Australia's commanding performance.