England vs India

Sophie Ecclestone takes break from cricket for well-being before India series

Danijones7 hours ago03 mins

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone has opted for a break from domestic cricket to prioritise her well-being before the series against India. The 26-year-old left-arm spinner was recently left out of the national squad for their ongoing white-ball series against the West Indies. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), however, said that Ecclestone remained available for selection for the series against India. Apart from focussing on her well-being, Ecclestone took time off from the game to manage a minor quad injury. Charlotte Edwards, who recently took charge as England women’s head coach after replacing Jon Lewis, backed Ecclestone’s decision to take a break. “Sophie has been managing a quad niggle over the past week but, more importantly, she wants to take a step back from cricket for a short period to look after herself,” Edwards said in a statement. “We’re totally behind that. We want to be able to select Sophie for the India series but the most important thing for her at the moment is that she feels in a better place. We all agree that a break now could be beneficial for her to achieve that,” Edwards added. On the very day when England’s squad for the West Indies were announced, Ecclestone represented Lancashire in the Women’s One-Day Cup. Since then, the youngster has 14 wickets from eight matches, including a four-wicket haul against Surrey in the T20 Women’s County Cup final. Ecclestone has been an effective spinner for England, having taken 297 wickets from 177 matches with seven four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls. Ecclestone also plays for the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). India’s tour of England starts on June 28 with the T20I series opener at The Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The T20I series will be followed by the ODI series, which is scheduled to get underway on July 16 in Southampton. Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: Jun 7, 2025

India, England to now play for the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, legends to unveil silverware on…

Danijones2 days ago05 mins

England and India will no longer be playing for the Pataudi Trophy. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and BCCI have decided to rename the trophy after James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the two legends will unveil the new piece of silverware during the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 11. England and India to now play for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. (Getty Images) England and India will play each other in a five-Test series, beginning June 20 in Leeds, Headingley. The contest will mark the beginning of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Until now, the Test series played between England and India was called the Pataudi Trophy. It was named after former India captains Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (his son). The equivalent in India was called the Anthony de Mello Trophy. The Anthony de Mello Trophy was named after one of BCCI’s founding figures, who also served as the board’s inaugural secretary and president from 1946-47 to 1950-51. James Anderson is England’s leading wicket-taker in Tests. He is also the most successful pacer in the longest format with 704 wickets to his name. The right-arm speedster had announced his retirement last year. On the other hand, Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in Tests, with 15,921 runs to his name. The 52-year-old played 200 Tests in a 24-year-long career, spanning from 1989 to 2013. Recently, the Crowe-Thorpe trophy was also unveiled in November 2024. This silverware goes to the winner of the Test series between England and New Zealand. Sunil Gavaskar not happy with renaming of the Pataudi Trophy Earlier, Sunil Gavaskar minced no words as he expressed his displeasure with the authorities deciding to rename the Pataudi Trophy. Also Read: Gavaskar tells Indian cricketers to reject ECB’s offer after Pataudi Trophy retired He had urged the Indian cricketers to decline ECB’s request to have their names on the silverware if they are contacted. “It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India. There may well be a new trophy named after more recent players, and here’s hoping that if an Indian player has been approached, he will have the good sense to politely decline — not only out of respect for two former India captains but also to avoid the same fate of having a trophy named after him retired after he is gone,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar. “I, along with loads of Indian cricket supporters, fervently hope that any other Indian cricketer will have the smarts to decline, lest history repeats itself as it has with the Pataudi Trophy,” he added.

Jofra Archer could return for second Test against India: England national selector Wright

Danijones2 days ago04 mins

England’s star pacer Jofra Archer could return for the team’s second Test against India next month. File | Photo Credit: Reuters England’s national selector Luke Wright on Thursday (June 5, 2025) said star pacer Jofra Archer could return for the team’s second Test against India next month, four years after his last appearance in the traditional format. The second Test of the five-match series is scheduled to be held from July 2-6 at Edgbaston. Archer, 30, has not played first-class cricket since 2021 due to a series of injuries, and was not considered for selection for the first Test at Headingley as he works his way back from a broken thumb suffered at the recently-concluded Indian Premier League. “Joff’s trucking on really well, actually. The plans for him, he’s playing a few second-team games,” Wright said. “The plan is for him to play a few second team games, loading up in the second team for Sussex. And then the idea for him is to play for Sussex against Durham during the first Test. “So, he’ll play for Sussex if all things go well, and then if all things go well fingers crossed he should be available for the second Test,” Wright, a former teammate of Archer at Sussex, added. “Like anything with all these bowlers, he’s got to keep ticking things off everyday with no setbacks but if all goes well and he gets through that Durham game then he’s available potentially for selection for that second Test.” The thumb injury also saw him miss England’s ODI series against the West Indies between May 29 and June 3. India will play the first Test at Headingley (from June 20), the second at Edgbaston (from July 2), the third at Lord’s (from July 10), the fourth at Old Trafford (from July 23), and the final at The Oval (from July 31). England’s fast-bowling department looks thin on firepower and experience in the absence of Archer and speed merchant Mark Wood. Wood has been missing cricketing action due to a knee injury he suffered in March, which had ruled him out for four months. However, according to Wright, Wood could be in contention for the latter half of the India series. “I think Woody’s now started bowling just lightly, to be honest. He’s just off a few paces, but that’s been a great sign,” Wright said. “So, he’s on the road to recovery. I think he’s more long-term, if we can get him back, he might have an option for the fourth or fifth Test. But again, each day it’s ticking off each box and making sure he’s okay,” said the former England batter. Published – June 05, 2025 07:34 pm IST