12 h. ago Ben Stokes underlines importance with vital spell as England turn the screw against Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe (265 & 30-2) trail England (565/6d) by 270 runs: Back from an injured hamstring, the England captain produced a key burst of fast bowling to help his side seize total control at Trent Bridge

Politics

13 h. ago Bennett scores Zimbabwe’s fastest Test century before England regain grip

Only Test, D2: England 565-6d; Zimbabwe 265 & 30-2Stokes shines as England toil before enforcing follow-onThere were a few sideways glances during the first day of Zimbabwe’s first Test match in England for 22 years, followed by calls for cricket’s longest format to adopt a two-division structure. After a flogging like the one their players had just suffered across three sessions, perhaps this was to be expected.But on day two, cheered on by some wonderful pockets of support, the tourists mustered a pushback. First came an improved showing with the ball, England losing three for 67 to declare on 565 for six, followed by something of a fairytale century from opener Brian Bennett. Though bowled out for 265, and closing on 30 for two following on, Zimbabwe had given their hosts a far stiffer outing. Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Ben Stokes strikes twice for England as Brian Bennett leads Zimbabwe resistance

Zimbabwe were 210 for five at tea replying to England’s 565 for six.

Events

18 h. ago Thomas Tuchel explains Ivan Toney's England recall despite not seeing striker play

Ivan Toney was a surprise inclusion in the England squad for the June international break, with the striker now currently playing in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Ahli

Events

19 h. ago England: Thomas Tuchel explains Dominic Solanke and Adam Wharton snubs for latest squad

The Tottenham striker has spoken to his England boss, while the Crystal Palace midfielder has another aim this summer

Politics

21 h. ago Gary Lineker named the three biggest clubs in the world with Liverpool missing out

Ex-England striker and Premier League pundit Gary Lineker won't have had Liverpool supporters onside with his stance on who he believes are the biggest clubs in the world

Society

25 h. ago Gary Lineker made £400k loss on bachelor pad to move into £2.6m mansion with new wife

Former England striker Gary Lineker has owned a number of properties over the years, including a suave bachelor pad, a five-bedroom family home, and a swanky £4m home in the affluent area of Barnes

Economics

35 h. ago Zimbabwe come in from cold but left crying for help at early signs of mismatch | Andy Bull

Tourists are in England for the first time in 22 years and faced dual threats of hostile batting and cold weatherOf course the first morning of the summer was the worst morning of the summer. Test cricket, like a bank holiday picnic, is a reliable way to send the English sun running, and Zimbabwe’s first day of Test cricket in this country in 22 years started under thick ripples of ominous grey cloud, and in a freezing breeze. In the shop at the bottom of the Radcliffe Road Stand staff were sent running to the stock room to fetch up fresh boxes of beanie hats and hooded tops, as the crowd, caught short by the sudden dip in temperature after weeks of good weather, made an unexpected run on their supplies of winter clothing.Zimbabwe won the toss, which was the last thing that went their way all day. “We’ll have a bowl,” said their captain, Craig Ervine, and it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Ben Stokes admitted he would have done the same thing himself given the conditi...

Politics

35 h. ago Zak Crawley feels like ‘part of the team again’ after Trent Bridge century

Crawley hit 124 as the hosts powered to 498 for three on day one.

Politics

37 h. ago Ollie Pope smashes 169 off Zimbabwe to show England selectors his class

Only Test day 1: England 498-3 v ZimbabweDuckett and Crawley also hit centuries in one-off TestThere were shades of The Thick of It after Ben Stokes gave his press conference a day out from this one-off Test against Zimbabwe. When the minister – or in this instance the England captain – said Jacob Bethell would be straight back in for the series against India, this apparently referred to the squad and not necessarily the XI.That Stokes sought to make this clarification through the back channels perhaps said more about the task at hand than England’s true thoughts on the subject. No captain would ever wish to send a player out believing whatever they achieved would be irrelevant, not least a vice-captain and team-first character such as Ollie Pope. Continue reading...

Culture

62 h. ago Ben Stokes targets No 1 spot in world Test rankings: ‘One more place to go’

Ashes rivals Australia sit above England in ICC tableZimbabwe Test is captain’s first action since DecemberEngland under Ben Stokes have never lacked ambition, but they go into a defining period of Test cricket with one in particular in mind: to become the first England side in 15 years to take top spot in the International Cricket Council’s rankings, officially the best in the world.“If we win what we’ve got coming up, the likelihood is that we will be at the top of that leaderboard,” Stokes said. “There’s no doubt in my mind we have the ability to be that team.” Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago Jacob Bethell ‘has done himself world of good’ – Ben Stokes hints at Test recall

The 21-year-old made a strong impression in his debut series against New Zealand before Christmas.

Politics

64 h. ago Bazball’s moment of truth arrives in year that will define era of McCullum and Stokes

One-off Zimbabwe Test at Trent Bridge the launchpad for a decisive summer for England and their abstemious captainSo where are we up to right now? Still Bazball 2.0? The start of Bazball 3.0? Given Ben Stokes has knocked the grog on the head this year, perhaps it should be Bazball 0.0% ABV.Although, jokes aside, that recent revelation on one of those man-chat podcasts said a fair bit about Stokes’s nature. Not only has he temporarily paused drinking during his recovery from hamstring surgery but, so taken by this, he has even bought shares in an alcohol-free spirits company. England’s Test captain is someone who, when he sets his mind on something, sees it through to the extreme. Even abstinence. Continue reading...

Politics

65 h. ago 'I've got to be mindful': Ben Stokes to play injury comeback safe ahead of England Test vs Zimbabwe

The Three Lions kick off their summer Test series in Nottingham on Thursday

Events

65 h. ago England suffer another Jofra Archer blow as Ben Stokes makes new ambition clear

Archer’s return to action has been carefully managed and he was pencilled in to play for England Lions against India next month - he last played in an England Test in February 2021

Politics

67 h. ago One more place to go – Ben Stokes targets top spot in Test rankings for England

The one-off game against Zimbabwe, beginning on Thursday, is followed by a five-match home series against India and a huge Ashes trip this winter.

Events

4 d. ago Gary Lineker tipped to make shock move to BBC rival after controversial exit

Gary Lineker announced his early departure from the BBC on Monday amid an antisemitism storm and the former England striker is already being tipped to join ITV for next summer's World Cup

Events

4 d. ago Gary Lineker to leave BBC after this weekend’s Match Of The Day

The former England striker will leave the corporation earlier than planned and will not front BBC coverage of the 2026 World Cup.

Politics

5 d. ago Ben Stokes gives up alcohol to help recovery from hamstring injury

The Test captain is set to make his comeback in England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge this week

Events

5 d. ago Gary Lineker expected to announce early BBC exit before 2026 World Cup after latest tweet storm

The former England striker will still present his final episode of Match Of The Day next week, The Sun reports

Events