CRICCLUBS BLOG

At Headingley, Ben Stokes achieved what few have done - guide your team to a one-wicket win in a Test match with little support from the other end. Australia were left baffling when Stokes' cover drive finished off a chase of 359 and he remained undefeated on 135 after England were bowled out for 67 in the first innings. Cricclubs traces famous comeback wins, led by mammoth efforts from bat and ball.

Sri Lanka have dropped senior players Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera for the three-match T20 series against New Zealand starting next week. Two other big exclusions include that of Suranga Lakmal and Dhananjaya de Silva, as wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella not only earned a recall, but was also named vice-captain of the side.

England has confirmed their home fixtures for 2020, which are set to include four touring teams in the West Indies, Australia, Pakistan, and Ireland. The season commences with three Tests against West Indies on June 4 and concludes with three ODIs against Ireland on September 15.

Steven Smith has been confirmed as ruled out for the third Ashes Test at Headingley due to start on Thursday as he continues his recovery from the blow he suffered at Lord's just below his left ear. This means the off period allows Smith a period of nearly two weeks to recuperate before the fourth Test at Old Trafford starts on September 4.

January 2018: Ashes winning captain. March 2018: banned from international cricket for a year. July 2019: third-highest run-getter for his country in the World Cup. August 2019, Edgbaston: two dominating, match-winning centuries in an Ashes Test. August 2019, Lord's: smacked on the neck to retire hurt in another immaculate innings.

Steven Smith has been officially ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Lord's Test against England as a result of the blow he sustained from a bouncer by Jofra Archer on day four. Marnus Labuschagne has been confirmed as his replacement for the game, thus becoming the first international cricketer to act as a concussion substitute who can entirely lawfully participate in the match.

Incumbent head coach Ravi Shastri has been confirmed to continue with his post with the Indian national side as the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) came to a conclusion today. Shastri will remain with the team until the 2021 T20 World Cup to be held in India.

That meant the remaining middle-order batsmen for India - both Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer - made it to the playing eleven in the ODIs against West Indies. Unfortunately, only Iyer could make a mark; but fortunately, that at least brought its share of smiles on the team management's faces.

Following a raft of retirements since 2018, South Africa's Test squad for the India tour this year includes multiple uncapped names. All of spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, fast bowler Anrich Nortje and wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second have been rewarded for consistent domestic performances, with the selectors not shying away from giving the T20 captaincy to Quinton de Kock for the tour.

Uncapped spin-bowling all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall has been named in the West Indies squad for the two-match Test series against at home. The thirteen-man squad lacks fast bowler Alzarri Joseph - who is still recovering from injury sustained during the IPL this year - and Chris Gayle, who had expressed his desire to play a Test match, the last of which was in 2014.