With Pant and Iyer out and with Axar unlikely to play, a huge portion of the team’s batting has effectively been wiped off

ICC World Test Championship, 2023

India

Australia

The lower-order has bailed India out often — but that might not happen in the final

India have had the opportunity to test the water in England more recently than Australia, but have they learnt a thing?

Rohit Sharma

Mohammed Siraj

Mohammad Shami

Shardul Thakur

Shubman Gill

Cheteshwar Pujara

Virat Kohli

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravindra Jadeja

Axar Patel

Third seamer, sloppy slip and more: learnings and conundrums for India

In this Newsletter, we take you through all important cricket updates, providing a one-stop destination to satiate the cricket nerd in you

Sai Sudharsan

MS Dhoni

Ibrahim Zadran

Ollie Pope

Ben Stokes

Brendon McCullum

Shweta Sehrawat

Kieron Pollard

Sunil Narine

Nicholas Pooran

Indian Premier League, 2023

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka, 3 ODI Series, 2022

Ireland tour of England,One-off Tour Match, 2023

Chennai Super Kings

Afghanistan

England

Ireland

Trinbago Knight Riders

The Cricket.com Weekly - Edition 33

We analyze how Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis emerge as the most tormenting fast bowling duo to play Test cricket since 1990

Wasim Akram

Waqar Younis

Mitchell Starc

Josh Hazlewood

Dale Steyn

James Anderson

Stuart Broad

Vernon Philander

Allan Donald

Morne Morkel

Shaun Pollock

Courtney Walsh

Sir Curtly Ambrose

Pakistan

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - The most deadly bowling duo

Josh Tongue holds his place following an impressive display against Ireland in the ongoing Test

Australia tour of England, 2023

Fit Anderson returns as England name squad for first two Ashes Tests

The Delhi Capitals batter did indeed turn his strength into his weakness

Prithvi Shaw

Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw plays himself out of national contention with terrible IPL 2023

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a>, who is recovering from a knee injury, has only bowled 10 overs in professional cricket in 2023, and did not bowl a single ball in the one-off Test against Ireland, but the England skipper reassured fans in the aftermath of the Ireland contest that he is totally &lsquo;on course&rsquo; to bowl in The Ashes, that commences on June 16 at Edgbaston.&nbsp;In the press conference post the one-off Test, Stokes revealed that he had a bowl in the nets on the morning of the third day&rsquo;s play, and &lsquo;felt really good&rsquo; about his bowling and his body during the session.&quot;I bowled this morning (in the nets) for the first time in four weeks and I felt really good. I was real happy with how I bowled,&rdquo; Stokes said.&quot;I bowled for about 20 minutes and I got through that really well. Obviously I have got time to build up before I push back into flat out.&quot;I&#39;m happy with it, so I&#39;ll just keep building it up now before Edgbaston. I am definitely on course to bowl in the first Test.&quot;There was a worrying moment on the third day when Stokes appeared to jar his leg while taking the catch of Curtis Campher.The England skipper hobbled in the aftermath of the catch, but the 32-year-old later confirmed that he is totally fine, and just ended up &lsquo;landing awkwardly&rsquo;.&ldquo;I just landed quite awkwardly when I took that catch,&rdquo; Stokes explained.&quot;I didn&#39;t quite see it so had to adjust myself and landed on my left leg. It twisted in a really strange way but it was fine, I just don&rsquo;t know what really happened.&quot;It was one of those things, but I am 32 tomorrow (Sunday) so that probably explains it,&rdquo; the England skipper added.Speaking of the Test, Stokes credited the visitors for showing &lsquo;grit and determination&rsquo;. He also asserted that he was pleased by how aggressive his side were, throughout the course of the contest.&quot;I thought Ireland came out and showed grit and determination,&quot; said the England captain.&quot;It (the pitch) got flatter as it went on. Trying to take the game on in our own way allowed us to potentially bowl them out without batting again.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Stokes revealed that he had a bowl in the nets on the morning of the third day’s play, and ‘felt really good’ about his bowling and his body during the session

Ben Stokes 'definitely on course' to bowl in The Ashes

Saturday, Saturday, it is time for the newsletter, Saturday, Saturday 🔔🔔All you cricket freaks, we all know how eagerly you are waiting for our weekly newsletter to catch up on all the missed cricketing action, right from the IPL final to Afghanistan thrashing Sri Lanka 😲😲Without wasting much of your time, let&rsquo;s deep dive into all the cricketing action from the past week, where even the rain god made a crucial appearance in Yellow.CSK are ✋time IPL championsLET THAT SINK IN. Chennai Super Kings are a five-time IPL champions, no more of that Mumbai Indians 5 - 4 Chennai Super Kings nonsense. Oh boy, it was perhaps a GOAT-ed IPL final in the competition&#39;s history. Where else but the IPL would you see a three-day final that would see so much ebbs and flow?&nbsp;Gujarat started the game sublimely, thanks to their new talent on the block, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/no-more-just-a-prodigy-sai-sudharsan-aims-to-fulfill-potential-1677232237243" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sai Sudharsan</a>. He&rsquo;s a southpaw and packs a heavy 👊 with the cricketing blade of his. What he did against CSK was worthy of an IPL title, and even one of India&rsquo;s all-time greats, Ravichandran Ashwin, was a testimony to the young boy&rsquo;s talent.<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 297px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1663205197005438976&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fedit%2Fthe-cricketcom-weekly-edition-33-632023-1685787456465&sessionId=d4c555394adf57e9b20ea659cc28de04eea03ad5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1663205197005438976"></iframe></div>But even his 96 couldn&rsquo;t beat the determined CSK. While there wasn&rsquo;t any notable single contribution from a batter in the Yellow, the collective effort in pursuing 171 made them five-time champions.&nbsp;Perhaps, the most fitting of it all was that <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3850/ravindra-jadeja/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ravindra Jadeja</a> got to finish things. Sweet, isn&rsquo;t it?&nbsp;Gujarat dominate 🏅but failed at the silverwareIt has now become a habit. A good one, both for us and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66818/shubman-gill/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shubman Gill</a>. After scoring a scintillating century in the second Qualifier against Mumbai Indians, Gill had a subdued final, undone by a brilliant piece of work from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3676/ms-dhoni/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MS Dhoni</a>, who dismissed him for a 20-ball 39. While he wasn&rsquo;t as smooth in the final as in the tournament, with just seven fours, Gill&rsquo;s tournament was truly a piece of art.&nbsp;<a href="http://Shubman%20Gill%3A%20The%20Prince%20that%20was%20promised" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read: Shubman Gill: The Prince that was promised</a>Gill ended the tournament as the highest run-scorer, with 890 runs averaging a high 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80. Perhaps, high time that he makes the natural progression from a prince to you know what?&nbsp;Seldom do you see a team dominate the bowling charts like how Gujarat did this season. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/28994/mohammad-shami/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mohammed Shami</a> ended the season as the highest wicket-taker, with 28 wickets, with a resurgent Mohit Sharma and an ever-dominant Rashid Khan ending up short on 27. It is a story that will always be remembered, but if only they could manage silverware alongside that.&nbsp;India or Australia, who will win the WTC final?IPL, you say? Nah, we have moved past that. Hahah, it is the best format of the sport, Test cricket, at its raw best. India and Australia deservedly have made it to the World Test Championship final to fight for the Mace. But there can only be one winner.&nbsp;<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RzPmGx8XvuY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Australia have just one injury concern, and that&rsquo;s hovering above Josh Hazlewood. But apart from that, they have a squad that is fit and raring to go. On the other hand, India are riddled with injuries. You name it, and that department has one or the other key personnel missing. There&rsquo;s no KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, or Rishabh Pant, but there&rsquo;s hope.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/usage-of-third-seamer-sloppy-slip-and-more-learnings-for-india-from-england-tour-622023-1685714104829" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read: Third seamer, sloppy slip and more: learnings and conundrums for India</a>Also, whichever team wins the WTC final, they will have all the ICC 🏆🏆 in their cabinet. Bleed Blue or dominant Kangaroos?<h3>International Cricket</h3>England continue Baz-balling opponents 🤺🤺Normalcy has been restored in England, with Brendon McCullum&rsquo;s team Baz-balling their way against Ireland. While on Saturday, the game&#39;s result is yet to be determined, it is advantage England all the way, thanks to <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/england-run-riot-before-ireland-suffer-tongue-lashing-622023-1685731955105" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ollie Pope&rsquo;s scintillating double-century</a>. First, it was an onslaught from Ben Duckett (182 off 178 balls) before Pope completed his double-century (205 off 208) to take England&rsquo;s first innings total to 524 in just 82.4 overs.&nbsp;That&rsquo;s at a fair clip of nearly 6.4, and to think of it as a Test match is astonishing. Ireland scored just 172 on day one and are stuttering at 97/3, still trailing the clash by 255 runs. So, it is only a matter of time before England wrap up the win.&nbsp;A Zadran a day keeps Sri Lanka awayIbrahim Zadran was the show&#39;s star as Afghanistan <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/226857/summary/1st-odi-afghanistan-tour-of-sri-lanka-3-odi-series-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">notched up a stunning win over Sri Lanka</a> in the first ODI on Friday (June 2). While Zadran fell short of a deserved century, his knock of a run-a-ball 98 was enough to seal a win for the Rashid Khan-less Afghanistan side. After reducing the hosts to a total of just 268, Afghanistan made light work of the total.&nbsp;<h3>Women&rsquo;s Cricket</h3>Sehrawat to lead India A in Emerging Women&#39;s Asia Cup<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/sehrawat-to-lead-india-a-in-emerging-womens-asia-cup-622023-1685688997904" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shweta Sehrawat</a>, the leading run-getter at the 2023 U-19 Women&#39;s World Cup in South Africa, will captain India A in the Emerging Women&#39;s Asia Cup in Hong Kong, starting from June 12 to 21.The squad also comprises Soumya Tiwari, G Trisha, Titas Sadhu, Parshavi Chopra and Mannat Kashyap, who were also part of India&rsquo;s triumph in South Africa earlier this year, have also been picked up in the squad. Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja, too have been picked in the squad.&nbsp;<h3>Franchise cricket</h3>TKR retain Narine, Pollard and Pooran<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1685787572876-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Apart from the obvious retention that is the skipper Pollard himself, TKR have also retained the other three mega stars in their side &mdash; Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran. In addition, TKR have also retained left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and young seamer Jayden Seales.&nbsp;Articles in FocusDreams are aligned, and in just a year, it has been aligned in such a way that two superstars, Dhoni and Lionel Messi, have lifted a trophy that many didn&rsquo;t believe they would. Read on how <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ms-dhonis-csk-do-it-again-this-time-even-better-5302023-1685406780410" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chennai braved the odds, and Dhoni mastered the odds</a> in their fifth IPL win right here.Rayudu&rsquo;s final two games in a CSK shirt <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/from-81-against-rcb-to-100-against-srh-feat-rayudus-top-knocks-5292023-1685368076873" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">were a microcosm of his IPL career</a>, wherein he was indispensable though it seldom seemed that way. Fitting, then, that Rayudu signed off by playing the most Rayudu knock of all time. Anirudh Suresh beautifully sums up <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ambati-rayudu-duly-bids-adieu-in-the-most-rayudu-fashion-imaginable-5302023-1685420266747" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rayudu&rsquo;s Last Dance.</a>Ishan Kishan&rsquo;s IPL 2023 was good but not good enough, don&rsquo;t think any other title would do justice to his season. Here is <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ishan-kishans-ipl-2023-was-good-but-not-good-enough-612023-1685595797462" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hardik Worah painting a picture as to why.</a>Now for all the post-IPL stuff, here is a list of them for you to catch upBest spinners in IPL 2023? <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/spinner-spinner-everywhere-but-who-will-make-it-in-5302023-1685434787703" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here&rsquo;s Akshay explaining that segment</a>Tactical blunders? <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ipl-2023s-biggest-tactical-blunders-srhs-comedy-of-errors-vs-lsg-takes-the-cake-5292023-1685346537833" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anirudh knows quite a few right here.&nbsp;</a>How about India&rsquo;s 2022 WC squad, did they perform in the 2023 IPL? <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/how-indian-stars-from-the-2022-t20-world-cup-performed-in-ipl-2023-5312023-1685519328300" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aakash sums that up.</a>A video to end on a high<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-rRsieZhrIw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

On Friday, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66403/ollie-pope/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ollie Pope</a> said he still felt involved in a &quot;regular Test match&quot; after his quickfire double century helped England eye a win inside three days in their Ashes warm-up over Ireland at Lord&#39;s.Pope&#39;s 205, the fastest double hundred in a Test in England, and<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63082/ben-duckett/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Ben Duckett&#39;s</a> 182, the quickest 150 in a Test at Lord&#39;s, were the cornerstones of England&#39;s massive first innings total of 524-4 declared on the second day.In a rather unusual Test match played over four days as opposed to five, Ireland had slumped to 97-3 in their second innings, a deficit of 255 runs, at stumps on Day two.&nbsp;England debutant fast bowler <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66292/josh-tongue/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Josh Tongue</a> did the damage with 3-27 and things got worse for Ireland as opener J<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66274/james-mccollum/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ames McCollum&#39;s</a> innings was cut short when he retired hurt with an ankle injury.Pope, asked if this match felt as much of a Test since it was a four-day affair, told reporters: &quot;Absolutely. Credit to Ireland, they&#39;ve charged in all day -- that was a really good pitch, and the ball was soft.&quot;The 25-year-old England vice-captain, whose innings far exceeded his previous Test best of 145, added: &quot;We are all privileged to play in front of pretty much a packed house at Lord&#39;s. I hope everyone, the Ireland team as well. I think it 100 percent felt like a regular Test match.&quot;Despite dominating proceedings in this clash, the middle-order batters <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/19394/jonny-bairstow/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jonny Bairstow</a> and skipper <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a> have not spent any time at the crease in Test cricket this season ahead of the Ashes opener at Edgbaston starting on June 16.&quot;I guess Jonny didn&#39;t bat, but he&#39;s played a lot of county cricket. The way cricket is now, there is not always that feeling of you needing a load of innings before a series,&quot; said Pope.&nbsp;For Ireland, this is just their seventh Test, and although they set up a domestic first-class competition prior to being granted Test status, it was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.Cricket Ireland wanted to restart the tournament this year but could not afford the cost, and plans to revive the event may depend on whether they qualify for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year, which would be worth some one million euros to them.&quot;We play in Test matches at the minute against guys who have 50, 60 or more first-class games behind them, and some of our guys have less than five,&quot; said Ireland batting coach Gary Wilson.&quot;So it&#39;s tough, it&#39;s probably not the way we would choose to go about it, but it is what it is, and it doesn&#39;t take away from the guys wanting to be out there,&quot; he concluded.&nbsp;(With inputs from AFP)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The right-handed batter slammed the fastest double hundred in England to help them post a mammoth 524 runs in a four-day Test

Ben Duckett

Josh Tongue

James McCollum

Jonny Bairstow

Pope adamant England in a 'regular Test' after dominating Ireland

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66403/ollie-pope/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ollie Pope</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63082/ben-duckett/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Duckett</a> both compiled record-breaking centuries before debutant <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66292/josh-tongue/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Josh Tongue</a> took his first wickets in Test cricket as England continued to dominate their Ashes warm-up against Ireland on Friday&#39;s second day at Lord&#39;s.Pope&#39;s 205, the fastest double hundred in a Test in England, and Duckett&#39;s 182, the quickest 150 in a Test at Lord&#39;s, were the cornerstones of a huge first innings total of 524-4 declared.Ireland then slumped to 18-2 in their second innings before reaching 97-3 at stumps, with fast bowler Tongue, who struck twice in an over, taking all the wickets in a return of 3-27 in eight overs. Harry Tector (33 not out) and Lorcan Tucker (21 not out) held firm on a good pitch but Ireland were still 255 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat.&quot;A hundred at Lord&#39;s is special,&quot; Duckett told Sky Sports. &quot;Batting with Ollie Pope was a breeze, really enjoyable to be at the other end watching him play.&quot;Worcestershire quick Tongue had gone wicketless on Thursday. But in another selection coup for coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes, he struck with his first ball Friday when Peter Moore was plumb lbw for 11. Five balls later, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie -- who had avoided the embarrassment of a &#39;pair&#39; -- was caught behind carelessly chasing a wide ball from Tongue.Ireland now risked being beaten inside two days in a match scheduled for four rather than the usual Test maximum of five. James McCollum, who had top-scored for Ireland with 36 on Thursday, then retired hurt on 12 after twisiting his right ankle trying to pull a Tongue short ball. Tongue then had Paul Stirling out gloving down the legside to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.&quot;Tonguey was also exceptional,&quot; said Duckett. &quot;He has got that X-factor that hopefully we can use tomorrow. Stokesy will have crazy fields and it will be exciting.&quot;Earlier, Duckett and Pope ran riot against an outclassed attack lacking the experience of the Ireland bowling unit that reduced England to 85 all out in a corresponding Lord&#39;s clash four years ago. Both batters scored a hundred runs in a session on Friday, left-hander Duckett achieving the feat in the morning&#39;s play and Pope in the afternoon.And Duckett, by making a run-a ball 150, surpassed Australia great Don Bradman&#39;s record of 166 balls for the fastest Test 150 at Lord&#39;s, in what was also the England opener&#39;s first Test on home soil.Ireland, in just their seventh Test and still searching for a first win at this level, had few answers to the run-spree, with seamers Mark Adair and debutant Fionn Hand both conceding over 100 runs each. Joe Root helped himself to 55 as he became just the 11th batter, and second Englishman after Alastair Cook, to score 11,000 Test runs before giving his wicket away.Pope, went on to a maiden Test double century after tea in style, driving off-spinner Andy McBrine for six to reach the landmark in just 207 balls faced. But the next delivery saw a charging Pope stumped comfortably, with Stokes then declaring.England had resumed just 20 runs behind, after veteran seamer Stuart Broad had taken 5-51 in Ireland&#39;s first innings 172 on Thursday. Duckett was 60 not out, with England vice-captain Pope unbeaten on 29. A morning and wicktless run spree took England to 325-1 at lunch.Duckett eventually played-on to medium-pacer Graham Hume, having faced 178 balls, including 24 fours and a six. The first Ashes Test at Edgbaston starts on June 16 but before then Australia face India in next week&#39;s World Test Championship final at the Oval.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Duckett and Pope ran riot against an outclassed attack lacking the experience of the Ireland bowling unit that reduced England to 85 all out in a corresponding Lord's clash four years ago

Harry Tector

England run riot before Ireland suffer Tongue lashing

Ben Duckett&#39;s dashing unbeaten fifty took England to within sight of a first-innings lead over Ireland on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up Test at Lord&#39;s on Thursday (June 1).England were 152-1 in reply to Ireland&#39;s 172 all out, a deficit of 30 runs, at stumps in a Test being played over four days rather than the standard five.Duckett, a left-hander in his first Test innings in England, was 60 not out after a sunny afternoon at the &#39;Home of Cricket&#39;. Together with Zak Crawley (56), he shared an opening stand of 109. Crawley&#39;s fifty came from a mere 39 balls and included 10 fours. At the close, Ollie Pope was 29 not out.Earlier, England veteran Stuart Broad took his first five-wicket haul in a Test at Lord&#39;s after 10 years. Broad&#39;s early treble strike reduced Ireland to 19-3 and included ducks for both Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector.Ireland, in just their seventh Test and still searching for a first win at this level, were indebted to Paul Stirling for launching a recovery with a quickfire 30. Obdurate opener James McCollum top-scored with 36.Broad finished with 5-51 from 17 overs and left-arm spinner Jack Leach took 3-35 from 14, although debutant fast bowler Josh Tongue went wicketless.Ireland struggled to contain England, with fast bowler Josh Little, a star of the T20 Indian Premier League, rested ahead of their upcoming 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament in ZimbabweThe visitors almost missed the one chance England gave them on Thursday, with debutant paceman Fionn Hand clinging on at the second attempt to hold a caught and bowled chance from Crawley&#39;s checked drive.England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl in overcast conditions that promised to aid a three-man pace attack missing England great James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, both rested ahead of this month&#39;s first Test against Australia at Edgbaston.Test novices Ireland were 15-0 when Broad had Peter Moor, fresh from a hundred in a warm-up match against Essex, plumb lbw for 10. Balbirnie, the only man to appear in all of Ireland&#39;s seven Tests, then fell for a five-ball duck when he edged Broad low to Crawley at second slip.Two balls later, Ireland were 19-3 when Tector clipped Broad off his pads straight to Matthew Potts at leg slip. The next delivery saw Stirling given out lbw. But the Ireland veteran successfully reviewed Australian umpire Paul Wilson&#39;s decision, avoiding a duck.Stirling counter-attacked before an innings featuring 20 runs in boundaries ended when he top-edged a sweep off Leach and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, playing his first Test since August last year after a freak leg injury on a golf course, held a simple catch.McCollum&#39;s contrasting 108 ball-knock finished after lunch when he edged Broad to Joe Root at first slip.Broad had his 20th five-wicket haul in 162 Tests when he bowled Mark Adair with an inswinger. It was also the first time he had achieved the feat at Lord&#39;s since his 7-44 against New Zealand in 2013.Campher&#39;s 79-ball stay ended when he charged at Leach and Potts ended the innings when he had Hand caught behind.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

England were 152/1 in reply to Ireland's 172 all out, a deficit of 30 runs, at stumps on day one

Zak Crawley

Curtis Campher

Paul Stirling

Jack Leach

Duckett strengthens England's grip after Broad dismantles Ireland

England&#39;s one-off test against, neighbors, Ireland began on an inauspicious note. They arrived later than planned at Lord&#39;s after their team bus was held up by Just Stop Oil protesters.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/19394/jonny-bairstow/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jonny Bairstow</a> posted a photo on his Instagram feed, which showed protesters and police officers in front of the bus in the middle of the road.Bairstow&#39;s caption read: &quot;If we&#39;re a bit late it&#39;s not our fault.&quot;&nbsp;Just Stop Oil also briefly disrupted last weekend&#39;s English Premiership rugby final at Twickenham, when two protestors ran onto the pitch midway through the first half and threw orange paint powder onto the field before being removed by stewards.A similar incident occurred at the Crucible during the World Snooker Championships in April.Thankfully, the hold-up didn&#39;t delay the game&#39;s start, as England won the toss and chose to field first. The game will see two debutants; Josh Tongue for England and Fionn Hand for Ireland.&nbsp;With the Ireland skipper earlier making it clear that a <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/test-win-over-england-would-be-new-high-for-irish-cricket-balbirnie-612023-1685593436751" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>Test win against <a href="http://The%20game%20will%20see%20two%20debutants;%20Josh%20Tongue%20for%20England%20and%20Fionn%20Hand%20for%20Ireland." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">England would be a new high for Irish cricket</a>, bragging rights will be up for grabs.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Just Oil protestors delayed England team's arrival at Lord's. However, there was no delay in start of play

England's team bus held up briefly

Ireland will lock horns against England in a four-day one-off Test match at Lords, and the skipper, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/4454/andy-balbirnie/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andrew Balbirnie</a> is upbeat about the challenge and said beating England in a Test would &quot;easily be our best achievement in cricket&quot; as the underdogs prepare to face Ben Stokes&#39; men at Lord&#39;s this week.The Irish have made their reputation on the back of their exploits in white-ball internationals. They defeated Pakistan, England and the West Indies at the 2007, 2011 and 2015 50-over World Cups, respectively and beat eventual champions England at the 2022 T20 World Cup.Ireland, however, have played just six Tests in their history and are still searching for a first win in that form of the game.In their last Test match at this venue, they dismantled England for just 85, only to suffer a 143-run defeat after they slumped to 38 all out in the fourth innings of the game.&nbsp;&quot;It didn&#39;t play out the way we wanted to, but we got a glimpse into what would happen if we were to win a Test,&quot; said Balbirnie on Wednesday&#39;s eve of the Test.&quot;And, I think if we were to beat England, it would easily be our best achievement in cricket in the game.&quot;The odds, though, are stacked against Ireland, with England having won 10 of their 12 Tests since skipper Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces last year.&quot;We know that this England team is in a really good place leading to the Ashes,&quot; said Balbirnie.Ireland will be without<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66081/joshua-little/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Josh Little </a>at Lord&#39;s after the young fast bowler, who starred for the Gujarat Titans side that reached the recent Indian Premier League final, was rested for next month&#39;s 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe.Little also missed Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka after his IPL exploits.&nbsp;Ireland&#39;s high-performance director, Richard Holdsworth, defended the 23-year-old&#39;s absence at Lord&#39;s, a significant landmark for most players, was not a &quot;pinnacle event&quot; for his side this year.&quot;Of course, we would have loved him here, but I understand completely that he&#39;s got to focus on resting up and getting ready for our World Cup qualifier,&quot; said Balbirnie.&quot;Josh played in an IPL final in his first IPL appearance, I&#39;m not stupid, he&#39;s going to get picked up by other leagues, and we are going to have this situation again, but he still wants to play for Ireland.&quot;I&#39;ve spoken to him, and he still loves playing for this team,&quot; he concluded.(With inputs from AFP)&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Ireland are still searching for their first win in Test cricket and will take on England in the one-off clash at Lords starting June 2

Andy Balbirnie

Joshua Little

Test win over England would be new high for Irish cricket: Balbirnie

England captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a> insisted he had no fears for the future of Test cricket as he prepares to lead his side in an Ashes series against arch-rivals Australia.England will kickstart the summer with a four-day one-off Test against Ireland before taking on Australia in the first of the five games starting June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.&nbsp;There have long been concerns about franchise Twenty20 cricket crowding out the traditional long-format game, except for marquee series such as the five-match Ashes campaign that begins next month.These worries intensified when Ireland left rising star Josh Little out of their squad for this week&#39;s encounter. The fast bowler was rested after a successful Indian Premier League spell with runners-up Gujarat Titans and ahead of a 50-over World Cup qualification tournament in Zimbabwe.Cricket Ireland&#39;s high-performance director Richard Holdsworth said the Lord&#39;s Test was not a &quot;pinnacle event&quot; for his side this season.Stokes, a World Cup winner with England in both 50-over and T20 cricket as well as a mainstay of the Test side, was sympathetic. &quot;I&#39;ve always been a huge advocate of the Test format. The whole landscape and the whole game of cricket is literally just changing in front of everyone&#39;s eyes so quickly,&quot; he told the reporters.&nbsp;&quot;Look at what T20 has done for the game in general, the amount of attraction it&#39;s brought, new fans, new players. It has brought into playing cricket regardless of the format and also what T20 has been able to bring in terms of Test cricket. So, I don&#39;t see a world where T20 and Tests aren&#39;t being played in the future.&quot;&quot;I don&#39;t know what this build-up period before the Ashes is like compared to 2005 when England won a classic series, no idea, but it&#39;s very hard to ignore and not be able to see the excitement,&quot; he added.&nbsp;After a challenging phase in the longest format under Joe Root, England appointed<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/1979/brendon-mccullum/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Brendon McCullum </a>as the Head Coach and Stokes as the captain.&nbsp;The duo rejigged England&#39;s style of play in red-ball format and adopted an aggressive approach that has reaped massive dividends as they won 10 out of their 12 Test matches.A pillar of the new regime has been to avoid placing limits on what is possible, with England turning conventional Test thinking on its head by scoring a staggering 506-4 in December on the opening day in Rawalpindi during a 3-0 series win in Pakistan.Asked if a 500-run day in the Ashes, against a proven Australia attack, was possible, Stokes replied: &quot;Be alright, wouldn&#39;t it? Anything is possible, I think, if you have the backing to go out and do it.&quot;He added: &quot;I think what we have seen over the last year is that the same players who have been playing for a while go a lot higher in terms of their potential and them understanding they might be better than they thought they were. I think that is totally down to the mindset switch.&quot;(With inputs from AFP)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

England will face Ireland in the one-off Test at Lords before the much-awaited Ashes series starting June 16 in Birmingham

Stokes confident Tests and T20s can co-exist as Ashes fever builds

FantasyVenue :&nbsp; Lord&#39;s, LondonAverage first innings score in last three years: 26025% of the games have been won by team batting firstPacers have picked 93.8% of the wickets to fall here. Spinners have picked 6.2% of the wickets.*all data from last 3 yearsTeam NewsEngland have announced their XI for this Test. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/josh-tongue-set-for-test-debut-against-ireland-at-lords-5312023-1685507440784" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Josh Tongue will make his Test debut</a> while James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been rested given the long summer they have ahead of them. While Ireland have not announced their XI, we could see a few debuts at Lord&#39;s.Suggested teams<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1685529252901-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/217022/match" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre.</a> You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.In-form Players Captain<img src="https://images-devcdc.imgix.net/test-1685526811177" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In-form Players Vice Captain<img src="https://images-devcdc.imgix.net/test-1685526812422" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Check out all our <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/217022/match/fantasy-stats/players" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fantasy Stats</a> for the recent fantasy performance of all players set to be involved in the game.Horses for coursesTop Run scorers at this venue<img src="https://images-devcdc.imgix.net/test-1685526815048" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The above graphic tells you the top batters at the venue in the past three years. Click <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/217022/match/fantasy-stats/stadium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to check the full list categorized on different parameters - runs, strike-rate, batting average etc.Top wicket takers at this venue<img src="https://images-devcdc.imgix.net/test-1685526815947" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The above graphic tells you the top bowlers at the venue in the past three years. Click <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/217022/match/fantasy-stats/stadium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> to check the full list categorized on different parameters - wickets taken, bowling average, bowling economy etc.Grand League Punts22-year-old Thomas Mayes impressed in Ireland&#39;s first-class game against Essex, that saw him pick up seven wickets on debut, that saw his side win by 10 wickets. It will not be surprising to see Ireland throw him in the deep end and give him a Test debut to potentially bowl alongside Mark Adair and Graham Hume.Another debutant in the match Josh Tongue has picked up 11 wickets at 41.45 for Worecstershire, which includes the wicket of Steven Smith, who is currently playing for Sussex. Tongue was also recently part of the England Lions&#39; tour of Sri Lanka that saw him notch up eight wickets at 19.12, incuding figures of 5 for 76 in his only unofficial Test of the tour. He could very well be a wildcard pick.&nbsp;Probable XIsEngland (confirmed XI): Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Josh TongueIreland: James McCollum, Peter Moor, Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Paul Stirling, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Craig YoungPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the one-off Test between England and Ireland at Lord's

Mark Adair

Thomas Mayes

Fantasy: Fast bowlers to decide fate at Lord's once again?

<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/66292/josh-tongue/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Josh Tongue</a> is set to make his England debut after being named Tuesday in the XI to play Ireland in this week&#39;s one-off Test at Lord&#39;s.&nbsp;The 25-year-old Worcestershire quick <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/josh-tongue-added-to-england-squad-for-ireland-test-5242023-1684928401649" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">was initially only called up as cover</a> due to injury concerns over pacemen <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3430/james-anderson/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Anderson</a> and <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/64168/ollie-robinson/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ollie Robinson</a>, who are now being rested prior to the start of the Ashes next month.But Tongue was surprisingly chosen ahead of the more experienced duo of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood after England took the unusual decision to name their side two days before Thursday&#39;s start.&quot;It&#39;s an amazing feeling,&quot; Tongue told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;Speechless really, even from when I got the first call up to be in the squad.&quot;Now being in the actual team, it&#39;s just a dream come true really,&quot; added Tongue, who has taken 11 wickets in this season&#39;s County Championship, including that of Steve Smith when the Australia star was playing for Sussex.Thursday&#39;s match will be the first time he has played at Lord&#39;s, &#39;The Home of Cricket&#39;, with Tongue saying: &quot;It&#39;s an amazing feeling, and to make my Test debut as well.&quot;England will hope an attack of three frontline quicks, led by veteran <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3840/stuart-broad/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stuart Broad</a> and including Matthew Potts, as well as spinner Jack Leach, can do the job in the four-day match against Ireland.That is because concerns remain over captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/10130/ben-stokes/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Stokes</a>&#39; bowling fitness due to the all-rounder&#39;s longstanding knee problem.Rough diamondTongue, who has played for England&#39;s second-tier Lions team, averages just over 26 with the ball in first-class cricket.But he contemplated retirement after 15 months on the sidelines between 2021 and 2022 because of a nerve problem in his shoulder that left him unable to feel his right arm. On Monday, England coach Brendon McCullum labelled Tongue a &quot;rough diamond&quot; as he praised his pace and &quot;real skills&quot;.McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, added: &quot;We think he has got something really exciting... He looks like he has an immense amount of talent.&quot;With Jofra Archer ruled out for the whole season and Olly Stone currently sidelined, Tongue&#39;s inclusion means he is in contention for the hotly anticipated five-match series against Australia.But Tongue said: &quot;I&#39;m the sort of person to stay in the present... I&#39;m not really thinking about the Ashes as such at the minute.&quot;Jonny Bairstow will make his first international appearance since last August after his superb form ended abruptly when a freak accident on a golf course in September left him with multiple leg injuries.Bairstow will keep wicket after England controversially dropped Surrey gloveman Ben Foakes. Harry Brook, who seized his chance in the absence of Yorkshire colleague Bairstow, is listed to come in at number five after four centuries in five Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand during the 2022/23 tour program.Meanwhile, opener Zak Crawley has retained his place in a top order featuring former skipper Joe Root at four.England XI for one-off Test vs Ireland:&nbsp; Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Jack LeachPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The 25-year-old Worcestershire quick was initially only called up as cover due to injury concerns over pacemen James Anderson and Ollie Robinson

ENG vs IRE Test One-off Test, Ireland tour of England,One-off Tour Match, 2023 - Commentary

ENG VS IRE,One-off Test

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