The West Indies have their backs against the wall heading into the final day of the second Test match against India at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. At stumps on Sunday, the Caribbean men were 76-2, still needing 289 runs to achieve an unlikely victory in the milestone 100^th Test match between the two countries.

When play resumes on Monday, Tagenarine Chanderpaul will carry on from 24 and Jermaine Blackwood 20. They and their fellow batters will have to produce something extraordinary of the West Indies are to avoid being swept 2-0 in the series that has so far been a lop-sided affair.

On Sunday, the West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 229-5 with Alick Athanaze on 37 and Jason Holder on 11. Athanaze did not add to his overnight score, trapped lbw by Munesh Kumar. Holder added four when Mohammed Siraj had him caught behind for 15.

There was little resistance after that as Siraj tore through the lower order to end with figures of 5-60. Kumar took 2-48 while Ravindra Jadeja had 2-37 as the West Indies folded for 255.

With a commanding lead of 183 runs, India propelled by half-centuries from Rohit Sharma, who made 57 and Ishan Kishan 52 not out, raced to 181-2 declared in just 24 overs.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal added 38 and Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 29 when the declaration came.

Jomel Warrican, who dismissed Jaiswal, took 1-36 while Shannon Gabriel took the wicket of Sharma to end with 1-33.

Chasing an unlikely target of 365, the West Indies were in trouble early as Ravichandran Ashwin, who has terrorized the West Indies batters during the series dismissed Brathwaite for 28 and Kirk McKenzie for a duck.

Chanderpaul and Blackwood have so far added 32 for the third wicket and will need to add much more on Monday, if the West Indies are to have any chance of surviving the final two days without crumbling to yet another humiliating defeat.

Former India opening batsman Aakash Chopra has called for West Indies to be stripped of their Test-playing status. He believes that the team has been doing nothing in international cricket for a few years now and that they should be replaced by associate member teams from individual islands.

“They won’t be playing in the World Cup. In all three formats, they are lagging behind in the rankings. Eventually, there has to be a threshold,” Chopra argued during a question and answer session with Sportsekeeda.

“I have been talking about that tier system - promotion and relegation. Just because they are an erstwhile champion side, till when can you carry on with them as a Test-playing nation? The team, as such, is doing nothing.”

Chopra says that West Indies' lack of unity and coordination has been a major factor in their downfall, and that many top players prefer franchise cricket over representing West Indies.

“Their case is unique because they have separate islands. Their pitches are so slow. You saw it in Dominica and you will see it at Port of Spain as well. It’s not a bad idea. May be the island teams might play with more pride. All said and done, West Indies’ state of cricket is quite bad.

“The five fingers are split and everyone is thinking about themselves - be it Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua or Guyana. There is hardly any coordination. During their prime, Clive Lloyd kept them together. This team needs leadership, because it’s a scattered side. Every island nation has them own anthem. As it is, things were difficult and then players became T20 journeymen. The pride in playing for West Indies has reduced.”

Chopra's comments come at a time when West Indies are struggling both on and off the field. The team was recently hammered by India in the first Test in Dominica, and they are currently ranked ninth in the Test rankings. Chopra believes that the team needs to be shaken up, and that stripping them of their Test-playing status would be a wake-up call.

Chopra played 10 Tests for India between October 2003 and October 2004 scoring 437 runs at an average of 23.

Another day, another poor performance from a West Indies team as India took firm control of the first Test in Dominica at the end of Wednesday’s opening day.

After Captain Kraig Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, the home side were bowled out for 150 in 64.3 overs. The West Indies batsmen were left in a spin as Ravichandran Ashwin took 5-60 and Ravindra Jadeja had figures of 3-26.

At stumps, India were 80-0, trailing by only 70 runs as Test debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 40. At the other end Rohit Sharma was not out 30. Neither batsman seemed troubled by a West Indies attack that lacked penetration.

The only thing redeeming about the West Indies was Alick Athanaze, who scored 47 to top score for the home side. Brathwaite got 20, which was the second-highest score for the West Indies.

Raheem Cornwall was not out on 19 when the West Indies innings came to an end.

As things stand, the West Indies bowlers have a long day ahead of them on Thursday.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel has announced the squad for the preparation camp ahead of the start of the two-match Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series against India in the Caribbean.

Jayden Seales will return to West Indies training following his rehabilitation. The fast bowler last played for West Indies in the first Test at the Perth Stadium, last December. He had knee surgery in December and has subsequently been working on a rehabilitation programme overseen by the CWI Medical Team.

The training squad includes several players who are uncapped at the Test level – including batsmen Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, and Kirk McKenzie; as well as fast bowlers Akeem Jordan, and Jair McAllister.

The camp will be held at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua with training starting on Friday 30 June. The squad for the opening Test will be named at a later date and will travel to Dominica on Sunday 9 July.A

The Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test series will be the first fixtures for both West Indies & India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be at Windsor Park, Dominica from 12-16 July which will be followed by the historic second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.

 SQUAD:  Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican

TEST MATCH SCHEDULE:

Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Matches (start at 10am local time, (9am Jamaica time))

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

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

Australia captain Pat Cummins is eyeing up a “legacy-defining” Ashes summer after leading his side to glory in the World Test Championship final.

Cummins’ side succeeded New Zealand as the top red-ball team on the planet as they stormed to a 209-run victory over India at the Oval, but with just five days to go before the first Test against old rivals England, he was already casting his mind towards the next big challenge.

The 30-year-old boasts a glittering CV and has now become a three-format world champion, having previously won the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2015 and 2021, but skippering his country to their first series win over England in over two decades is a prize that potentially awaits over the next six weeks.

“Whether we like it or not, Ashes series tend to define eras and teams,” he said after leading his side’s celebrations the Oval – the same ground where either he or Ben Stokes will be lifting the urn at the end of July.

“An Ashes (in England) is bloody hard to win. It’s been 20-odd years so it’s not going to be easy. If we win, that is legacy-defining stuff.

“But we’ll savour this win too. We played some awesome cricket for two years and being there at the end holding the trophy feels well deserved. Our preparation has been for six matches over here, it’s one big tour with two huge titles to play for so it’s good to tick the first one off.”

England have been spending the last few days on a team-bonding trip in Scotland, mixing the occasional practice session at St Andrews University with plenty of golf, and after five hard days in the field now is the time for Australia to let their hair down too.

They may not have long to bask in their achievement, but with temperatures hitting 30 degrees in London on Sunday, Cummins has an idea of how to make the most of it.

“I think we’ll sit around in the changing rooms for a while and then we’ll find a nice sunny English beer garden somewhere this afternoon to sit back and celebrate,” he said.

“It’s been an amazing two years and we’ve had this final in the diary for a while. It’s been something that we’ve been building up for so it’s something we’re going to savour.

“I know we’ve got a big series but we can worry about that in a couple days’ time. You only get a few of these moments in your career where you can sit back, acknowledge a pretty special achievement and this is one of these times.”

When the dust settles, Cummins will need to confront a tricky selection conundrum. He all but confirmed that Scott Boland had made himself undroppable for Edgbaston, with the seamer outstanding against India and responsible for the decisive double strike that accounted for Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja on day five.

With Josh Hazlewood now passed fit for the Ashes opener, it appears a straight shootout between him and Mitchell Starc.

“Scotty was fantastic, he’s now my favourite player,” Cummins said.

“He keeps finding another level, doesn’t he? He was just our best bowler all game. He held it together, he didn’t go for many runs and to get two big wickets in an over is just reward for how well he bowled.

“For sure, Scotty has a huge role to play in the Ashes.”

For India skipper Rohit Sharma, there was disappointment. He had set his sights on going one better after India’s defeat to New Zealand in the inaugural final two years ago, and leading his country to their first global title since 2013.

He suggested a full series rather than a one-off match should be considered to crown the next champions, though the international fixture calendar is unlikely to allow for that in its present form.

“I would love that, but is there time?” he asked.

“In a big event like this, you need to have fair opportunities for both teams. A three-match series would be nice but it’s about finding a window.

“You work hard for two years and have only one shot at it. Test cricket is all about finding a rhythm and momentum.”

Australia will head into next week’s Ashes as Test world champions after they stamped out Indian resistance in ruthless fashion to claim a 209-run win at the Oval.

With just five days to go before they renew their biggest rivalry against England at Edgbaston, Australia soared to victory, dismissing India for 234 on the final morning of the ICC’s second World Test Championship final.

Scott Boland provided the key breakthrough, removing star batter Virat Kohli in the seventh over of the day and making it a double strike by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja two balls later.

Boland was unlikely to play until injury ruled Josh Hazlewood out, but the bustling 34-year-old seamer must now be well fancied to take on Ben Stokes’ side in Friday’s first Test.

Everything was on the line on the fifth day of the red-ball showpiece, with 280 runs needed and seven wickets up for grabs. Ordinarily, such an equation would have made Australia overwhelming favourites, but Kolhi’s presence as a master chaser left Indian fans with real belief that their side could make a record 444 to win the match.

He was in fluent touch on the previous evening, reeling off a punchy 44, but he added just five more to his score as Boland landed the key wicket.

Immediately after beating the outside by a whisker he tossed one wider and drew a lavish drive from Kohli, who sprayed a rapid chance between second and third slip. Steve Smith did the rest, throwing himself into action to take a brilliant catch.

Unlike an equally outstanding take from Cameron Green on day four, there was no debate whatsoever about the legality of this one, nor of its relevance to the final outcome. With Kohli gone for 49, India’s hopes were all but over.

Their fans, who have dominated the stands all week and who poured in on Sunday in the hope of witnessing a famous victory, were dumbstuck.

If anybody doubted it, then Boland wasted no time in hammering home the point. Two balls later he was celebrating again, Jadeja caught behind for a duck as Boland found a hint of movement around off stump.

When Srikar Bharat saw a thick edge squirt off the toe of the bat it looked like three wickets in four deliveries for Boland, but this time the ball kept rising and narrowly beat a leaping David Warner at first slip.

Ajinkya Rahane did his best to reinvigorate the battle, stroking a couple of regal drives down the ground, but Australia held all the cards. He departed for 46, struck clean in front of the stumps attempting a sweep.

Mitchell Starc, who could be vulnerable if Hazlewood comes back in against England, added the wicket of Umesh Yadav, but the rest of the tail was mopped up in efficient style by Nathan Lyon.

He finished with figures of four for 41, nailing Shardul Thakur lbw, collecting a skier of a return catch from Bharat and finishing things up when Mohammed Siraj steered a reverse sweep straight to point.

Australia’s celebrations began in earnest as the formed a circle in the middle of the pitch, while India were once again runners-up, having lost the inaugural final to New Zealand two years ago.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Smith invited England to try and make ‘Bazball’ pay off in the Ashes after Australia bowlers took control of the World Test Championship final against India, declaring: “they haven’t come up against us yet”.

England have spent the last year establishing themselves as the most daring red-ball team around, scoring at a frantic rate against New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan and notching 11 wins from 13 games under Ben Stokes’ captaincy.

One by one they have lined up to take aim at England’s ultra-attacking approach, but Stokes and company have yet to take their foot off the throttle.

Australia clearly fancy their chances of breaking the streak and Smith saw no reason to doubt his side’s attack after they put the squeeze on India on day two at the Oval.

Seamers Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green each took a wicket, as did spinner Nathan Lyon, with India closing day two on 151 for five – 318 adrift.

Asked if England’s preferred style would be a success against that bowling pack, Smith said: “I think I said it initially when ‘Bazball’ started that I’m intrigued to see how it goes against our bowlers. I’ve said that all along.

“I think it’d be difficult on this kind of wicket – up and down and seaming around – it’s not easy to defend, let alone come out and swing.

“They’ve obviously done well against some other attacks, but they haven’t come up against us yet. So, we’ll see.

“It’s obviously been exciting to watch. I must say I’ve enjoyed watching the way they’ve played and the way that I guess they’ve turned things around in the last 12 months or so, but it’s yeah we’ll wait and see how it comes off against us.”

Smith played a significant role of his own in putting Australia firmly in charge in London, taking his tally of Test centuries to 31. He spent just over five-and-a-half hours compiling 121, sharing a stand of 285 with the more expansive Travis Head (163).

Smith has now scored seven hundreds in English conditions, amassing 774 runs in the 2019 Ashes at a staggering average of 110.57.

“It was nice to spend a lot of time out there against some good bowlers on a challenging wicket after getting sent in. I’ll take a lot of confidence out of that and hopefully can keep building and have a successful summer here,” he said.

“I think in terms of English wickets it’s probably as close to Australia as you get. I’ve enjoyed playing here and it was nice to score a few out here again.”

India were scrapping to stay afloat in the World Test Championship final after a top order collapse left Australia in the driving seat on day two of the World Test Championship final.

Australia were all out for 469 in their first innings, Steve Smith following in the footsteps of first day centurion Travis Head to post 121, and then snapped up key wickets to establish a dominant position.

Each of their seam quartet struck as India lurched to 71 for four in the 19th over, before spinner Nathan Lyon joined the party and ended a battling fifth-wicket stand.

Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja doubled the score before the latter nicked Lyon to slip for 48. By stumps India were 318 behind on 151 for five, with plenty of work to do retain a realistic chance of succeeding New Zealand as red-ball world champions.

Australia arrived in the morning already boasting a healthy position on 327 for three. At that stage, they were surely hoping to clear 500, but India landed a few handy blows of their own as they took the last seven wickets for 108.

With 10 overs before lunch to work their magic, the Australian seamers made short work of the India openers. Captain Pat Cummins made the initial opening, thumping his opposite number Rohit Sharma halfway up the front pad with one that shaped in towards middle and off.

Scott Boland then joined the fray, seaming one in sharply and rearranging Shubman Gill’s stumps as he paid the price for a poorly judged leave. Boland filled his boots against England Down Under in 2021/22, taking a remarkable six for seven on debut at the MCG, and he made a compelling case for holding his spot at Edgbaston next week with 11 high-quality overs with the Dukes ball.

India survived a potential gut punch when star batter Virat Kohli came close to departing for a duck, withdrawing the bat only to see an inside edge spray off the toe and zip past his stumps, but their struggles continued after the break.

Cheteshwar Pujara belied his years of experience in English climes by aping Gill’s error, shaping to leave all-rounder Cameron Green and paying with the off stump.

Kohli’s exit left India in strife but he was at least guilty only of receiving a brutish delivery from Mitchell Starc.

The left-armer was expensive, shipping 52 from nine overs, but showed off his ability to deliver big moments when he got one to explode off a length at Kohli and rap the thumb of his bottom hand as it sprayed to slip.

India’s position left a lot to be desired but, with Australians sensing blood, Rahane’s perseverance and Jadeja’s counter-attacking nature served them well.

They put on 71 together, parted only when Lyon offered a change of pace. He forced Jadeja into an unusually defence stroke and clipped the outside edge to break the stand.

Smith had earlier brought up his 31st Test century, his seventh in England and his third at the Oval. Resuming on 95, he dispatched his first two balls of the morning from Mohammed Siraj to the boundary to reach three figures with minimal fuss.

India made regular inroads to keep the game moving forwards, Head departing for a classy 163 as Siraj got him brushing to the keeper with a bumper aimed at the ribs and Smith ending a five-and-a-half hour stay with an uncharacteristically loose prod that canoned into his stumps.

Travis Head cracked a rapid-fire half-century as Australia built a solid foundation on the opening day of the World Test Championship final against India.

Head arrived at the crease with his side at 76 for three and bossed an unbroken stand of 94 with Steve Smith, as Australia reached tea on 170 without further loss.

Head was at his counter-punching best, reeling off 10 boundaries in 75 balls to push the pressure back on to the Indian attack.

His lively knock altered the momentum of the afternoon session, which could have turned in India’s favour after Mohammed Shami uprooted Marnus Labuschagne’s off stump shortly after the lunch break.

It was a second well-timed breakthrough, after David Warner’s battling 43 came to end in timid fashion late in the morning’s play, Shardul Thakur brushing his glove with a short ball speared down the leg side.

India had chosen to field after winning the toss and it looked a sound decision during an awkward first hour for the Australian batters.

Mohammed Shami kept Warner honest during a fine opening burst with the new ball, working over the left-hander from round the wicket in a way that will not have escaped the attention of his old nemesis Stuart Broad.

He survived the examination, with a couple of fortuitous moments along the way, but Usman Khawaja banked a 10-ball duck when he nicked the quicker Mohammed Siraj to Srikar Bharat.

There was an early scare for Labuschagne, who dramatically dropped the bat in pain when Umesh Yadav rapped him on the left thumb with a sharp, lifting delivery.

England fans would be forgiven for having the Ashes on their minds as Labuschagne received treatment and popped a couple of painkillers, but he resumed his innings and even wore another blow to the hand to reach lunch on 26 not out.

Warner, having survived his initial trial, began to open up and took a particular liking to Yadav, at one stage lashing the seamer for four boundaries in a single over.

The 36-year-old, who recently announced his plans to retire in the new year, was growing in confidence and will have been annoyed at the manner of his dismissal, well caught by the diving Bharat after getting into a poor position against a modest ball from Thakur.

Labuschagne, who had survived a couple of close lbw appeals, did not kick on in the afternoon – emphatically missing one that was tossed up full and thumped halfway up his off stump.

Steve Smith settled in for a low-key stay, grinding out 33 off 102 balls, leaving the stage for Head (60no) to throw the bat confidently and swing the pendulum in Australia’s favour.

David Warner fell just before lunch as Australia reached 73 for two on the opening day of the World Test Championship final against India.

Warner, who has announced his plans to retire in January, battled through a tricky new-ball spell at the Kia Oval and had started to find his groove as he moved to 43.

There were flashes of the left-hander at his domineering best, not least when he piled into Umesh Yadav with four boundaries in an over, but his hopes of making a significant score came to a timid end.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur, selected ahead of the world’s number one ranked bowler Ravichandran Ashwin as India opted against a second spinner, was the man to make the breakthrough.

There was a touch of good fortune as Thakur dug one in short and down the leg-side, with Warner getting in an awkward position on the pull and brushing a glove through to the wicketkeeper.

Srikar Bharat made good ground, hurling himself to his left and snapping up the catch, to draw a rousing ovation from a crowd dominated by Indian supporters.

They had the started the day in good voice, skipper Rohit Sharma winning the toss and throwing the new ball to Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

The pace pair made life hard for the Australian openers, with Warner looking vulnerable as Shami worked him over from around the wicket. It was Usman Khawaja who was first to fall, banking a 10-ball duck and nicking Siraj to Bharat.

There was an early scare for new man Marnus Labuschagne, who dramatically dropped the bat in pain when Yadav rapped him on the left thumb with a sharp, lifting delivery.

England fans would be forgiven for having the Ashes on their minds as Labuschagne received treatment and popped a couple of painkillers, but he resumed his innings and even wore another blow to the hand to reach the interval on 26 not out.

Australia’s Scott Boland has been given the nod to take on India in this week’s World Test Championship, edging out Michael Neser.

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the showpiece at the Kia Oval with a side injury, leaving Boland and Neser fighting for the final spot in Australia’s pace attack.

Boland held the edge having been named in the initial squad, but Neser’s strong form with Glamorgan in the LV= County Championship made him an intriguing option in English conditions.

Captain Pat Cummins did not leave the pair waiting to find out, though, confirming Boland’s selection on Tuesday morning.

The 34-year-old made a stunning introduction to international cricket during the 2021-22 Ashes series, taking six for seven in the Boxing Day Test the MCG to seal the series. He has already taken 28 wickets in seven Tests and averages a remarkable 13.42.

“Someone like Scotty, it’s just a really simple game-plan – you hit your good areas and you stay there all day and hopefully the ball will do the work for you,” Cummins told Australian reporters.

“He’s had a few bowls over here now and has looked good. But he looks good whenever he bowls. Scott is a seam bowler on a good length, but he just offers something slightly different to Joshy Hazlewood, and Starcy (Mitchell Starc). Being a left-hander is bit different.

“In the past here in England, because the ball does talk a little more, I’ve seen players get too caught up in trying to take wickets every ball because you’ve suddenly got the ball swinging and seaming.”

Australia are expected to revert to their preferred team balance after shifting the make-up of their XI in their most recent series in India.

That means five specialist batters, Cameron Green as all-rounder, Alex Carey behind the stumps, three fast bowlers and first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon.

Josh Tongue loved being part of England’s “chilled” environment but is not getting ahead of himself despite an Ashes call-up.

The Worcestershire seamer was a late addition to England’s Test squad for their four-day match with Ireland and ended up debuting at Lord’s with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson rested.

Tongue impressed throughout, hitting 91mph in an enforcer role on day one before he claimed five wickets in the second innings to put his name on the honours board.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Worcestershire Rapids (@worcestershireccc)

Saturday saw the 25-year-old selected in England’s 16-man group for the first two Tests against Australia and while he relished his time under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, he is eager to stay level-headed.

“I’m really proud. It’s a special moment for myself,” Togue reflected after his five for 66 helped England to a 10-wicket victory inside three days.

“Obviously I didn’t get any wickets in the first innings, so it was a bit of pressure took off me. I just enjoyed the moment.

“I just used my extra pace and bounce (in the aggressor role), I’m happy to do whatever the skipper needs.

“Being around this group, it’s a very exciting time to be an England cricketer and obviously supporter as well.

“I knew this environment would improve myself and my game.

“It’s not daunting. Everyone is very welcoming, Brendon is really nice. It’s very chilled, there is no pressure on you at all, (you) just go out and do the business and enjoy yourself.

“I (have) tried to stay as present as I can much as I can, try to impress and if I get that Ashes call it’s a bonus. I’m looking forward to being in the squad for the first two.”

Tongue has enjoyed quite the comeback during the past year after a previous 15-month absence from the game with a nerve problem in his shoulder saw him contemplate retirement.

After 11 County Championship wickets this season, including Australia’s Steve Smith in a game against Sussex, he received his Test bow and in the process helped his dad’s friend Tim Piper win £50,000 on a bet placed that Tongue would play red-ball cricket for England.

Stuart Broad, Ollie Pope and Joe Root have all spoken glowingly about how Tongue fitted seamlessly into the England set-up and his captain was impressed with the point of difference he proved to their bowling attack.

But Tongue will not join the majority of the group in Scotland this week for golf on their days off and will instead head back to Worcestershire, who will hope to convince the seamer to sign a new deal given his current terms expire at the end of this season.

He added: “I’m going to go back to Worcester, spend time with the family and get to Edgbaston (for June 12).

“Worcestershire do get me to do that (enforcer role) as well. I’m probably the only out-and-out fast bowler at Worcestershire so having me there is crucial, especially when it gets a bit flat and there isn’t much happening out there.

“I have been there since I was six years old, going through the age groups. I know that I have done them proud and I’m sure, hopefully, there’s more to come.

“I haven’t thought about (my future) at all yet. I just want to enjoy my cricket, because of my injury I just want to be out on the park.”

Australia pace bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss the World Test Championship final against India at the Kia Oval – little more than a week before the Ashes begins.

Hazlewood has been managing an Achilles issue as well as a side injury that flared up during the recent Indian Premier League, but Cricket Australia insists the 32-year-old will be fit for the start of this summer’s showdown with England at Edgbaston on June 16.

“Josh was very, very close to being given the green light but we are cognisant that our upcoming schedule means this is not a one-off Test match for us,” Australia chair of selectors George Bailey told cricket.com.au.

“This will give Josh an ideal preparation leading into Edgbaston. With six Test matches in a little over seven weeks we will need all of our fast bowling assets.”

Hazlewood has played just four Tests in the past three years due to a series of injuries but shared a stint of new-ball bowling with five-day skipper Pat Cummins during the team’s preparation in England.

He returned early from his recent spell in the IPL due to a side issue, having been ruled out of the preceding Test campaign in India with a recurrence of the Achilles problem he sustained in the final five-day match of the Australia summer.

Speaking on Saturday about the close proximity of the India decider, which starts on Wednesday, and the first Ashes Test, Hazlewood said: “It’s probably one or the other for me at this stage.

“Just being over here for the last week and bowling in England, it does feel a lot easier on the body compared to Australia or India where it can be hot, the wickets are really hard and you’ve got to bend your back to get something out of them.

“In England it feels like you can just take that couple of per cent off, bowl a bit within yourself and the wicket does enough for you.”

Michael Neser has joined the official 15-man Australia party, but Scott Boland is likely to partner Cummins and Mitchell Starc at the Oval.

Neser, who has been training with the Australia squad alongside another reserve quick bowler Sean Abbott, has been playing for Glamorgan in the LV= County Championship and taken 19 wickets at 25.63.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said the tight turnaround between the WTC final and the five-Test Ashes series has to be taken into account in managing their fast bowlers.

McDonald said: “Definitely consideration for (the schedule) – we don’t want to go too far ahead.

“We’ve got the WTC final to play, which we are excited about, but on the back of that we have to quickly turn our attention to England and the Ashes.

“There are short turnarounds there. That’s nothing we’re not used to.

“So, there’ll always be considerations around management. I’d say there’d be some moving parts amongst the quicks.”

England started this eagerly-anticipated Ashes summer with a 10-wicket victory over Ireland in three days at Lord’s.

Ollie Pope’s 205 and a second Test century for Ben Duckett saw England declare on 524 for four and despite a spirited third-day display with the bat by Ireland, they were all out for 362 to set an easy target of 11 following their below-par 172 on day one.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how much we learned from this one-off Test.

Josh gets Tongues wagging

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Worcestershire Rapids (@worcestershireccc)

Josh Tongue passed his Ashes audition with five for 66 in Ireland’s second innings to put his name on the honours board and leave an impression on his captain. Ben Stokes revealed ahead of the four-day fixture that Tongue was selected due to his extra pace and he hit 91mph during an impressive first spell. Tongue, who came close to retiring from cricket during a 15-month absence from the game due to a nerve problem in his shoulder, eased between an enforcer role and pitching it up as England’s third seamer. With 11 County Championship wickets to his name, including a certain Steve Smith, he is now a genuine option for the Ashes after being included in the squad for the first two Tests.

Duckett set for a bucket full?

An England bucket hat featured regularly throughout this Test but fittingly it was Duckett who plugged the new must-buy item of the summer on England’s official Twitter account. Duckett wore the hat after his masterful 182 that saw him set a new record for the quickest Test 150 at Lord’s, beating Don Bradman’s effort in the 1930 Ashes series. Since his December recall, Duckett has scored 50 or more six times in six Tests. He cut, drove and flicked off his pads for boundaries all around the wicket to back up the 177 he hit for Nottinghamshire at Lord’s in April. After finally being given the chance to play his natural red-ball game in international cricket, the 28-year-old looks set for a key Ashes role.

Has Bazball peaked?

England rattled along at six runs an over on their way to 524 before they declared after tea on day two. Duckett and Pope scored 174 in the morning, but that was bettered in the afternoon with 178 runs plundered before captain Stokes ended the run-fest after 82.4 overs. If Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow and the England skipper himself had batted for a significant amount of time, who knows what records could have fallen? While it was another excellent batting display for England, the asterisk on it will be Ireland’s one-paced attack. There is no doubt England’s achievement of scoring 500 on day one in Rawalpindi was a better feat and Pat Cummins and co will not provide so many freebies come June 16 at Edgbaston.

Under-cooked? That’s old skool!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Harry Brook (@harry_brook88)

Stokes acknowledged after England’s 10-wicket victory that he knew when he declared after tea on day two that he would face questions over failing to let Brook, Bairstow and himself get time in the middle before the Ashes opener. It felt justified, especially for someone like Yorkshire batter Brook who enjoyed a phenomenal winter and even hit a maiden century in the Indian Premier League in April, only to be dropped after a string of ducks. But Stokes does not prescribe to that opinion and laughed off the “old skool” view his players need “game practice” given the volume of cricket they play. Maybe a fair point!

Prestige a Little lost

Josh Little’s name dominated the build-up from an Ireland perspective after the seamer was “rested” ahead of his nation’s 50-over World Cup qualification tournament later this month following his IPL exploits. Among a catalogue of reasons behind the decision, Cricket Ireland’s Richard Holdsworth worryingly admitted the Lord’s Test was a “special occasion but not a pinnacle event.” The rewards for Ireland qualifying for the World Cup are great but Little’s absence hurt a bowling attack lacking variation. With his stock high in franchise circles, Little may never play Test cricket.