Archive August 4, 2025

England-India Test series best since 2005 Ashes – Agnew

JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to play this video.

Since the Ashes in 2005, this matchup between England and India has unquestionably been my best experience.

The intensity, the combative nature of the 2010 and 2010 Australian Test match matches, as well as the incredible skill, made this sport so unique.

It has everything, and it’s been just as compelling and entertaining as any Ashes series.

Although England supporters would have preferred Gus Atkinson to have scored those runs, even just six more in a tie, is a fantastic thing for Test cricket to have a finish like that regardless of who wins.

I thoroughly enjoyed the competitive atmosphere of Test cricket.

In franchise cricket or the T20, it is absent. You can tell the difference between playing for your country and the people who care about playing for your country in the test.

The 7 187 runs scored in the series’ five-test matches are the most of any, and this is only the second time in the last 20 years that they have all had final days.

JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to play this video.

The Oval had a sellout on day five, which was fantastic. We had the fourth day of our trip on a Sunday.

And this morning, Chris Woakes was merely watching him hobbling down those steps at number eleven.

In 1963, Colin Cowdrey batted with a broken arm, but Paul Terry did it in 1984 when he faced West Indies with his arm in a sling.

I’m not sure how India would have bowled to him, so it was a relief that Woakes managed to stay at the non-striker’s end.

JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to play this video.

England should be winning if you go back to crucial points in this match, especially when seven wickets are required and 73 runs are needed.

Harry Brook’s dismissal will be discussed, and I’ll be the one who asks, “Really, was that necessary?” You win the game with a very hard-nosed professional attitude and a game that is only yours to have in your grasp.

With such incredible 195-run partnership, Joe Root and Brook had just taken the win.

However, an old-timer shrugs his shoulders and says “fair enough” when speaking to Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, who have scored far more Test runs than I have, and says they are okay with it.

Because of Root’s quiet, professional approach, Brook was the only player who could have seized the game.

My initial concern was that if things didn’t go well, England’s carefully considered plans for Australia might be in chaos and you wouldn’t know what to do next.

But that is entirely different. For the first Test in Perth, we have been deciding who will start, and it is essentially the same as when we sat down in May and put the same question in our minds.

That is such a positive place to be; it sends a strong message to Australia.

However, India has done a remarkable job. They did not assist themselves in the selection process, but they still prevailed.

They have shown incredible resilience in the second innings, when they were 0-2 in Manchester at the start of their campaign.

Although Shubman Gill is very laid-back in person, he also has a steely side. He reminds me of David Gower.

They appear to have great spirits, and he will gain a lot from this experience.

related subjects

  • England Men’s Cricket Team
  • India
  • Cricket

Love Island winners’ secret yearly gift exposed – and fans aren’t impressed

ITV bosses send gifts to Kai Fagan and his wife Sanam Harrinanan as Love Island winners, but what’s in the package won’t win over the show’s fans!

Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan are given a gift every year(Image: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock )

All Love Island winners are sent a special gift in the post every year – but it’s not as glamorous as you might think! Kai Fagan, who won the winter edition of Love Island back in 2023 alongside new wife Sanam Harrinanan, has lifted the lid on the package, and unpacked the present the champs are given. He talked fans through what was inside on TikTok… but hardly left everyone impressed.

In fact, viewers can purchase the present online for only £28. A Love Island water bottle was the object of the hunk’s gift, which was a Love Island bottle!

Kai said: “Here’s something you all don’t know about winning Love Island. So, you don’t only get £50,000, so £25,000 each if you split, not steal, but I don’t think they do that anymore – but you also get a yearly gift. It comes after ITV fans accuse Alan Titchmarsh of ‘ruining’ garden as foster parents were left sobbing.

READ MORE: Strictly’s Anton Du Beke shares heartbreak over wife’s ‘cruel and inexplicable’ diagnosisREAD MORE: John Torode’s businesses collapsed after racking up eye-watering debts

Kai Fagan
Kai showed off the present…. a Love Island water bottle! (Image: @kaifagan_ /TikTok)

I suppose you are unaware of the purpose of this annual gift. You also receive a small letter before I begin to explain what it is. The creative director of Love Island, Mike Spencer-Hayter, wrote this letter.

Kai then read out the final statement. Hello Kai, I just want to say a huge thank you for your past ten years of keeping Love Island strong. We sent you a gift, which is the most prestigious gift of all, in order to show our appreciation and because you are one of the most famous Islanders to ever visit Love Island, without whom the show would not be possible. “

It’s a Love Island water bottle, Kai said, “and he seemed content with it.” a brand-new one! My name appears on it. So, wherever I go, I’m going to take this Love Island water bottle just to let people know that I won the show and went on Love Island.

Without prior authorization, content cannot be displayed.

“I’ll just sip from the bottle when I’m in the gym, at work, teaching, or even while driving my car.”

His supporters appeared to be less impressed. One reader remarked to the winner, “Love Island producers are so stingy.” When they have all that money, sending a bottle as a thank you.

Another person remarked, “These bloody water bottles are so jarring that they just sip from them every 10 seconds.” They never send you a bottle again after this tiktok, according to a third person’s warning.

The good news is he gets two bottles to enjoy! It has been two years since Kai and Sanam Harrinanan were crowned winners of Love Island and they recently got hitched only a year since their surprise engagement.

The pair first met at the iconic villa on the ITV2 show, and they advanced to the final to win the £50, 000 cash prize. Sanam, 27, donned a stunning off-the-shoulder wedding dress to show off her refined taste.

She finished her look by wearing a floor-length veil and a huge smile as she embraced her new husband, Kai, cascading down her shoulders with her dark hair.

The preparations for Kai and Sanam’s big day have kept their devoted followers informed. The reality TV star’s hen party was one of the most recent updates.

Continue reading the article.

Kai and Fagan shared the moment on social media and wrote, “Introducing the next Mrs. Fagan. “Beautiful, Caring, Loving, and Smart are just some of the words that describe you,” says one woman. He continued, “I love loving you, I love you, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.”

Rylan Clark’s ‘mugging’ by surprise assailant leads to awkward call to police

An unusual thief “mugged” a funny moment for Ryan Clark when he was forced to make an awkward phone call to the police while returning to a friend’s house in Romford.

Rylan explained that he’d once been “mugged by a fox” (Image: Getty Images)

Rylan Clark has shared a hilarious anecdote about the time he was “mugged by a fox”, which led to an awkward phone call with the police. The amusing tale unfolded during his Radio 2 show, Rylan On Saturday, after a colleague recounted her own encounter with a squirrel.

The former X Factor contestant and Eurovision star revealed that he had been “mugged by a fox” while walking back from Romford to a friend’s house. In a conversation on air, he described how he had spotted the fox on a wall while he was holding his wallet in his hand.

He recalled, “And as I believed I had seen this fox.” You know that you typically just want to kick the fox out of the house? Getcha ! So I stamped my foot, and this fox looked at me as it slowly walked down the wall.

And I was obviously drinking a few drinks, and I was like, “Oh, this isn’t happening.” It did, however, pounce. I’ve jumped, dropped my wallet, and it’s been traveling down the road and stealing my wallet!

After the bizarre incident, Rylan then had to report the theft to his card company. However, they required a crime reference number since he had reported his card as stolen.

Red Fox. Fox has a chicken egg in it's mouth and is looking directly at camera
Rylan said a fox stole his wallet(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Yet, in a comical twist, he then had to call the police to report his unusual mugging. When asked why he needed a crime reference number, he explained that he had been “mugged”, leading to further questions about the identity of the perpetrator.

He responded, “Oh, a fox, and I could just hear them all laughing,” I said. Could you please describe them, they asked. I said, “Bussy, ginger.” Yes, the crime reference number is still with me.

Meanwhile, the beloved broadcaster recently branded his mum, Linda, a “walking disaster” during a live show after she revealed how she’d hurt her arms whilst at home.

During a telephone chat live on his programme, Linda explained to the audience that she’d been “looking in the ottoman” when the “lid came down”, with Rylan noting that she’d cut her arm in the process.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Rylan Clark attends the photocall for
Rylan was forced to ring the police to report his unusual mugging(Image: Getty Images)

Linda responded, “Oh, it did hurt,” before saying, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another, isn’t it?”

Continue reading the article.

Rylan responded, “That’s why you’re like a walking disaster right now,” to which Linda agreed.

However, just weeks earlier, Rylan had disclosed that Linda wouldn’t feature on his programme as she’d been rushed to hospital. He informed his followers on Instagram that “Mummy Linda isn’t well sadly”.