34 h. ago Hothouse kid Jamie Smith starts as he goes on and changes Test in 20 minutes | Andy Bull

England’s keeper came in on a hat-trick, hit his first ball for four and never stopped battering India’s bowlersIt started in the worst possible way. By the second over of the day England were 84 for five, five hundred runs and a thousand miles behind. Their best batter, Joe Root had just been caught off the ninth ball of the morning, and their captain, Ben Stokes, who has worked so many miracles for them before, had been caught off the 10th, done by a wicked, lifting delivery, nasty, brutish and short, which brushed off his glove on its way through to the keeper.The bowler, Mohammad Siraj, was on a hat-trick, and here comes England’s No 7, Jamie Smith, 24 years old, playing his 19th Test innings. Continue reading...

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34 h. ago Jamie Smith has ‘long England career ahead of him’ – Harry Brook

The pair made centuries in a stand of 303 as England battled to avoid defeat against India.

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35 h. ago 'Phenomenal' England hero hailed after saving hosts from second Test disaster vs India

An unbeaten 184 from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook's 158 rescued England from wipeout in the second Test against India at Edgbaston, but there's still a long way back for the hosts

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35 h. ago Jamie Smith and Harry Brook hundreds in vain as India turn the screw on day of batting feast and famine

Smith and Brook put on a magnificent stand of 303 but England collapsed twice to remain firmly on the back foot

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35 h. ago Jamie Smith’s sensational century gives England hope but India seize their moment

Second Test, D3: India 587 and 60-1; England 407Wicketkeeper hits unbeaten 184 but India in chargePressure? What pressure? Or to pinch a line from Keith Miller, the great Australian all-rounder and a fighter pilot during second world war: “There is no pressure in Test cricket. Real pressure is when you are flying a Mosquito with a Messerschmitt up your arse.”Notwithstanding this old truism, there was still a fair bit on the line when Jamie Smith strode out to middle at 11.12am here on the third morning. Joe Root had been uncharacteristically strangled down leg, Ben Stokes had been blown away by a brutish first ball and Mohammed Siraj, a fiery fast bowler known to get on a roll, was eyeing up a hat-trick. Oh, and England were 84 for five, 503 runs behind India’s first innings. Continue reading...

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36 h. ago England vs India: Jamie Smith and Harry Brook hit brace of centuries to pull Three Lions back into contention

The hosts rallied back into the Test at Edgbaston

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37 h. ago England vs India: Jamie Smith and Harry Brook his brace of centuries to pull Three Lions back into contention

The hosts rallied back into the Test at Edgbaston

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38 h. ago Jamie Smith and Harry Brook rescue England with stunning stand against India

The pair came together at 84 for five early in the morning but had put on 271 by tea.

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39 h. ago Jamie Smith blasts century in blazing England counter attack against India

Smith led a fabulous onslaught at Edgbaston with one of the fastest Test hundreds ever by an English batter

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3 d. ago Lauren Hemp's journey from garden 'Olympics' to Euro winner and Lionesses stardom

Lauren Hemp's rise through football has been as fast as her characteristic blistering pace on the wing and she will hope to use that to defend England's Euros crown this summer

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7 d. ago Jamie Smith says calculated way England beat India shows how far they have come

The way in which England overhauled 371 at Headingley to go 1-0 up in the five-Test series was dubbed by Michael Vaughan as “Bazball with brains”.

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7 d. ago Struggling in politics? Consider a war – the media will help | Margaret Sullivan

Trump’s Iran strike knocked everything else out of the news, including the Minnesota shootings – and it was little surprise“You furnish the pictures. I’ll furnish the war,” was the storied response of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst to Frederic Remington after the illustrator was sent to Cuba to cover an insurrection and cabled back to the boss that there was little going on.Much has changed since that famous (if true) exchange of the late 19th century, in the heyday of sensationalism known as yellow journalism.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

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1 week ago Harry Brook agonisingly short of century as England out just six behind India

Brook was the first Englishman to fall for 99 since Jonny Bairstow in 2017.

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2 w. ago Wales' big new rugby hope being mentored by England and Lions star

Sam Scott has been taken under the wing of an England international

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2 w. ago Knauff galvanises Germany as England stumble into Euro Under

England 1-2 Germany (Scott 76; Knauff 3 Weiper 33)Lee Carsley’s side face quarter-final against SpainWhen Lee Carsley expressed his hope that England’s Under-21 players could give Thomas Tuchel “something to ponder” with their performances while defending their European title in Slovakia, their first-half showing against Germany’s second-string side probably wasn’t what he had in mind.Needing a point to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals and trailing 2-0 at the break after goals from Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper, Slovenia’s defeat to the Czech Republic in the night’s other match ensured they made it through anyway. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago World Test Championship: South Africa end long trophy wait with tense Lord's victory over Australia

Aiden Markram’s sensational century helped South Africa to chase down 282

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3 w. ago The night that spelled the end for Kyle Walker with England: CRAIG HOPE on Thomas Tuchel's team who are getting worse, not better, a year out from the World Cup

CRAIG HOPE AT THE CITY GROUND: In truth, the honeymoon ended on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Andorra that was so unconvincing it felt more like a defeat. Well, here was an actual defeat.

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3 w. ago Harry Brook revels in leading ‘awesome’ England after West Indies clean sweep

England won the T20 series 3-0 to match their one-day international result.

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3 w. ago Ben Duckett blows West Indies away as England wrap up T20 series sweep

England, 248-3, beat West Indies, 211-8, by 37 runsDuckett hits 84 off 46 balls in 120-run opening standHarry Brook hit an unbeaten 35 off 22 balls, a quickfire cameo on a usual night, yet the slowest of England’s offerings in this record-breaking contest. His side piled up 248 for three, their highest total at home in this format, to set up a 37-run victory over West Indies in the third and final Twenty20 international.Ben Duckett top-scored with 84 from 46 balls as he shared an opening stand of 120 with Jamie Smith, 135 brought up at the 10-over mark. The destruction calmed down a touch thereafter but West Indies were still invited to pull off their highest successful T20 chase. It never felt on, even as Evin Lewis whipped away a first-ball six. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago England complete T20 series clean sweep to continue Harry Brook’s winning start

The hosts wrapped up a second 3-0 series win over the West Indies.

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