Category Sports News

The Kia Oval, Day One of the Fifth Rothesay Test, is scheduled for today.

India 204-6: Nair 52*, Atkinson 2-31, Tongue 2-47

England has yet to bat.

The toss was won by England.

On a bizarre opening day of the decisive Test, Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury prevented England from taking six wickets.

Woakes suffered a minor injury to an underperforming England pace-bowling attack after chasing the ball past the boundary late in the day at The Oval and exited the game with his left arm in a makeshift sling.

The outcome of the series could be affected significantly by the injury. With three seamers and Joe Root’s spin, England could be without them to avoid defeat and claim a 2-1 victory.

England reduced the visitors to 204-6 in the 64 overs that were open on either side of two sluggish rain delays.

After winning the series’ fifth time, the England bowling veered from sublime to ridiculous after winning the toss.

Josh Tongue’s effort, which included two near-unplayable deliveries that saw both Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja caught behind, was typified by the home side’s effort.

The curious cricket didn’t end there. Shubman Gill, the series’ captain for India, resigned after releasing a ridiculous single. In his subsequent play, Cowler Gus Atkinson picked up the ball, but his direct hit tore Gill short of his feet.

With a hamstring injury, Atkinson, England’s best bowler, had a good day. In his first senior game in more than two months, he was comfortably at his best.

India stayed in thanks to Karun Nair’s resolve from 153-6, which kept the day 52 fresh.

Without injured captain Ben Stokes, long-term absentee Mark Wood, and worn-out pair Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, England was already without them. Sam Cook and Matthew Potts have been overlooked.

The Woakes’ injury is a huge blow because it is difficult to field a makeshift attack in such a crucial Test. There must be concern for his future as an international cricket player at the age of 36.

It arrived at the conclusion of a bizarre day. An odd spectacle was created by the weather, aching bodies, and injuries that forced both teams to make four different changes.

Ollie Pope, who would have contested the toss against Stokes on a green field in the stand-in, would have been desperate. An incredible 15th consecutive toss that India’s men have lost across formats was again incorrectly called by Gill. This was the 22nd first-class game in a row that the captain’s winning toss was playing on.

England should likely be stronger in a stronger position given the circumstances. When India bowls, they will fully understand how effective their bat-wielding effort is. Tourists shouldn’t find it difficult to demonstrate greater consistency and, in turn, to take advantage of the assistance provided.

In this series, England hasn’t had the same sort of success as England when they bowled better on flatter surfaces. India’s third-highest scorer was the 30 extras that the hosts offered.

Tongue led the series as a bowler with 11 wickets before being dropped after two Tests. It would be an understatement to describe his return as a day of contrasts.

His first ball, which went to KL Rahul, was sprayed five wide down the leg. In his first over, he added two more wide bowls, including one that went for five. Tongue’s first five overs, which included 18 runs, came out despite the wides, and when he came back after the two raindrops, he still missed his lines between his two jaffas.

He bowled two nearly identical deliveries that angled in, slammed away, and took the edge when he was bowling the left-handed pair of Sudharsan and Jadeja.

Atkinson was accurate if Tongue was a maniac, easing any doubts about his lack of cricket. He only needed seven balls to get Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw on review, executed the Gill run out, and added bounce to get the poking Dhruv Jurel caught on second slip.

The calamitous runaway runaway from Gill, who has occasionally appeared unmovable in the series, continued to cause their issues on the square.

Gill and Sudharsan had a great relationship, but their judgment was horrifying. Just two pitches into the defensive, his shot rolled. Too late to surpass Atkinson’s swoop and precise throw, the captain started and Sudharsan sent him back.

Nair’s inclusion in the India side came as a surprise because he has had a mixed series and was not selected for the fourth Test. His opposition restored India’s faith.

Nair only managed four of his first 26 balls, and he only managed to escape with one more after Woakes’ inside edge fell short. He scored with admirable glances as England frequently sprinted across the pads.

AIG Women’s Open 2025 – first round leaderboard

-5 Okayama (Jpn), Takeda (Jpn), -4 Yamashita (Jpn)

others were screened.

-3 Chun (Kor), Rhodes (Eng), Saigo (Jpn), -2 Harry (Wal), Korda (US), M Lee (Aus), Thitikul (Tha), E Woad (Eng), + 1 Hull (Eng), Ko (NZ), + 2 Vu (US)

Lottie Woad’s first round was level-par, falling five shots short of the Japanese duo Eri Okayama and Rio Takeda’s Women’s Open lead.

After winning two events and hardly missing out on a major title in July, England’s Woad emerged as favorite at Royal Porthcawl.

The 21-year-old made lengthy birdie putts at the first and sixth holes to earn level par in her second tournament since turning professional.

Woad birdied the final four feet to make it to the 14th, and Woad birdied the final two to score a 72.

However, she struggled to maintain her momentum in her opening round, so her tournament chances were irretrievably hampered by some strong par-for-par putting and bogeys.

Woad responded, “It was a little mixed. “I’m glad I hung in there because it’s one of those rounds that could have taken my place.”

At the links course in south Wales, when short bursts of rain punctured longer periods of sunshine, the overall score was good on a cloudy day.

In her round of 67, Okayama, who is playing for the first time since 2018, made six birdies and did not drop a shot after bogeying at the first hole.

At three under par, England’s Mimi Rhodes leads the group of players in terms of lead.

She said, “I had to really pay attention to the tee shots, pick smaller targets, and never get too excited.”

I was just trying to soak up the experience and have a lot of fun while staying in the moment.

Among the field’s 144 players who made strong starts was two from Wales.

Darcey Harry, a member of Porthcawl, finished the match two under, and Lydia Hall, who made it through qualifying to secure her spot, carded a level-par 72.

Harry said, “I didn’t believe I would come off with two under par today.” Although I’m not entirely sure why; I was just incredibly anxious, it was great out there.

Lydia Ko, the reigning champion, shot a one-over-par 74, while Lilia Vu, the 2023 winner, recovered from a four-game bogeys on the front nine to post a two-over-par 74.

Woad, who was born in Surrey, won the Irish Open in July, and then tied for third place in the Evian Championship, which is the fourth of five women’s majors held annually.

She was unable to collect a total of close to £500, 000 in prize money from those two tournaments because she was playing as an amateur.

Before last week’s Scottish Open, which she would eventually win, she turned professional and passed the LPGA Tour eligibility test.

Following her victory at the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and placing in third place overall in the St Andrews Women’s Open last year, she was also in a tie for 10th place.

After round one, she is not out of contention, but she still needs to work to make it halfway.

The second-place finisher in 2023, Hull, had a topsy-turvy opening round.

The 29-year-old was three over par after three holes in a challenging opening stretch of the course when a virus forced him to withdraw from the Evian Championship earlier this month.

After the turn, she returned with five birdies in six holes to put her at two under, but four more homer bogeys prevented her from gaining momentum, so she signed for a 73 after the final birdie.

Jeeno Thitikul and Minjee Lee, Hull’s playing partners, finished tied for third.

Ella Toone, a Britney Spears player, revealed that her grandmother passed away the morning of the Euro 2025 final.

The 25-year-old started the penalty shootout match against Spain in Basel to keep their title.

Toone praised her “football loving, crazy, funny Nana Maz” in an Instagram post on Thursday, reflecting on the sad news.

She previously revealed that her grandmother had staked that Toone would play for England when she was six years old.

The Manchester United midfielder’s father, who passed away just before his 60th birthday, said, “Life can hit you with the lowest of lows.”

“I’ll miss you forever, Nan,” but I’ll cherish the special memories we shared. I can’t possibly sum up who you were, but I’m grateful you were my nanna.

“All those years ago, when you bet on me to play for England one day at the bookmakers, we win it back.” You were aware of it forever.

The following day, her daughter scored for the Lionesses against Germany in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley, her father Nick was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Toone claimed she lost her love for the game after two months of suffering an injury while watching from the sidelines.

She scored against Wales and the Netherlands in the group stage for England in six appearances at the Euros in Switzerland.

Before being replaced by Beth Mead, Toone played 87 minutes of the final match between world champions Spain and.