Category Sports News

Second Rothesay Test, Edgbaston (day two of five)

India 587: Gill 269, Jadeja 89; Bashir 3-167

England 77-3: Brook 30*; Deep 2-36

England trail by 510 runs

England’s top order was blown away after Shubman Gill’s mammoth 269 for India to leave the hosts requiring their most unlikely turnaround yet under captain Ben Stokes after two days of the second Test at Edgbaston.

Gill’s epic helped India pile up 587 and, after five sessions in the field, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley all fell to leave England 77-3 at the close.

Duckett and Pope, England’s centurions from their comeback win in the first Test, were caught in the slips off consecutive deliveries in seamer Akash Deep’s second over.

Crawley wafted at Mohammed Siraj to offer another edge on 19 as India, who faced huge questions coming into this Test, took total control.

Harry Brook was skittish in making 30 not out – he finished alongside Joe Root who has 18 – and could easily have deepened England’s woes.

Gill had earlier effortlessly compiled the highest score by an India batter in England and the highest score by an Indian skipper anywhere in the world.

After resuming on 114, Gill extended his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to 203 to steer India away from early danger and when Jadeja fell for 89, he put on 144 with Washington Sundar to drive home the advantage.

England have made a habit of pulling off the improbable under Stokes but this was already their toughest task before India’s triple strike.

They have conceded 500 three times under this regime and won on each occasion.

None of those three previous totals were as large as India’s here, however. In fact, only once has a team conceded so many and lost – New Zealand, who countered Bangladesh’s 595-8 declared to win in 2017.

Although the pitch remains largely good for batting, India’s bowlers found more movement and zip than England’s managed all day.

They did not miss Jasprit Bumrah with Deep stepping up to replace the world’s leading bowler who is resting.

Looking forward, intrigue is added by Stokes’ previous insistence that his side will not play for draws.

Such is cricket, Duckett followed his 149 last week with a five-ball duck in the Midlands.

Where his wish to play every ball outside off stump had helped him in England’s chase there, here it resulted in a thick edge to third slip where Gill took a tumbling catch.

Dropped catches were a major factor in India’s inability to close out a win in Leeds but on this occasion they caught every chance.

KL Rahul juggled Pope’s edge at first slip before clinging on and first slip Karun Nair snaffled Crawley, who had begun the innings with two crunching drives.

While Deep’s skiddy nature found seam movement, the 1.1 degrees of swing India found with the new ball was almost double what England had managed.

If any England fans expected Brook to be defensive, they would have been disappointed.

After being beaten twice by Siraj in his opening deliveries and surviving an umpire’s call lbw review to the same bowler, he stepped away to slap the seamer for four and charged him to loft a six.

Having shown the utmost control on day one, Gill increased his intent after his resumption but there was no real increase in jeopardy as India carried on from 310-5.

He edged Chris Woakes through the slips in the second over of the day but that was to a delivery that was a front-foot no-ball anyway. Otherwise he was untroubled as he played a series of glorious drives, pulls and cuts.

England went through their plans. They tried the bouncer ploy with six fielders on the leg side and Brook bowled five overs of his unattractive medium pace which cost 31.

Brook’s introduction allowed Gill to go from 200 to 250 in just 37 deliveries, in the process passing Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 in 1979 to become the highest scoring Indian in an innings in England.

His 200th run had taken India beyond the 471 they made in defeat at Headingley and brought him his first Test double century to go with one in one-day internationals.

England struggled to extract anything from the surface. Josh Tongue found a bit of lift to bounce out Jadeja before lunch and Root a hint of turn to bowl Sundar in the afternoon.

Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan: “We’re having a summer that’s quite warm, a dry summer. The theory of England chasing, they have chased well and gone 1-0 up in the series, you’ve got to look at the bigger picture sometimes.

“Someone like Shoaib Bashir, he’s a young 21-year-old off-spinner and he keeps getting asked to bowl on day one with nothing there against some quality players and you can’t just be a one-trick pony team where you just think ‘well that’s the way that we play and that’s the way we go about our business’. Will they chase in Australia? I very much doubt it.”

England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel: “We decided to bowl and we’ll stick by that. On the first day it showed enough for us and we created a lot of opportunities and it didn’t go our way.

England’s lack of penetration with the ball coupled with fitness concerns are an “ominous” sign, says former captain Michael Vaughan.

Ben Stokes’ side toiled throughout the second day at Edgbaston as India piled up 587 before reducing the hosts to 77-3.

Brydon Carse struggled with a recurrence of his foot issues while Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes did not bowl after their first spells.

“Clearly there’s a problem with Brydon Carse and we’re two Test matches into a five-match series in England and then it’s not too long after we’ve got five matches in Australia in the heat on those slabs, some of those drop-in pitches with a Kookaburra ball,” Vaughan said.

“Their [England’s] tactic after 30 overs pretty much is just to whack the ball into the pitch with a square-of-the-wicket field.

Carse was ruled out for three months earlier this year because of serious cuts and blisters on his toes – an issue that first emerged on tours of Pakistan and New Zealand before Christmas.

Although he remained on the field in Birmingham, he was seen hobbling at various times when fielding and in his bowling follow-through.

Stokes, meanwhile, has returned to bowling this year following hamstring surgery.

He was seen stretching his groin on day one and, after a lengthy warm-up before play, opened the bowling on day two.

He delivered four overs for 16 runs but did not return to the attack in the remaining 58 overs of India’s innings. Similarly, Woakes did not feature after his four overs for 22 runs at the start of the day.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir bowled 45 overs for 3-167, Josh Tongue struggled as he took 2-119 from 28 overs and even Harry Brook bowled five overs of his part-time seam in their absence.

“India have batted great and with great control but the way England bowled today was a slight concern,” Vaughan said.

The fitness issue is heightened by the fact there are only three days off before this Test and the third at Lord’s next week.

By then England could be boosted by the return of Gus Atkinson, their leading wicket-taker in 2024 who bowled a long and pacey spell in the nets before this match as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while Jofra Archer looks on course to make a long-awaited return to Test cricket too.

India captain Shubman Gill capitalised on England’s struggles and made 267 – the highest score by an India batter in the UK.

That came despite Stokes winning the toss on day one and then continuing his preference to bowl first. India’s score was the highest England have conceded since Stokes became captain.

Bowling coach Jeetan Patel insisted England can still win the match, again following the Stokes mantra of dismissing the prospect of playing for a draw, and said they would not reflect on the toss decision.

“I don’t think you reflect on what’s happened,” the New Zealander said.

“Hindsight’s hindsight. We decided to bowl and we’ll stick by that.

“On the first day it showed enough for us and we created a lot of opportunities and it didn’t go our way. The day might’ve looked different yesterday and this morning if we got those decisions.

How has England manager Sarina Wiegman changed to ensure that she achieves success? Her record at major tournaments is almost impeccable.

Wiegman continues, “My approach is the same; I just worry a little less,” she adds.

The Lionesses manager, who led the Netherlands and England to victories on home soil in 2017 and 2022, has undergone some changes.

Wiegman has spent four years working for the Football Association and has grown fond of England, its obsessed with football, and even its roast dinners.

She has had to adjust to changing media regulations, increased expectations, and challenging situations off the pitch. Not everything has been simple.

“In the beginning, I wanted to solve everything, but sometimes you just have to let things solve themselves,” Wiegman said.

It’s always difficult to compare it to your family, I promise. It’s perfectly normal to occasionally have a conflict or discussion. You must express your feelings.

We all know that our goal is to achieve the best possible level. We have the conversation and move on because we both know we need each other.

I’ve also grown a little older, with more football-related experience, life, England, and team experience.

Wiegman insists that she always strives to be as honest and open as possible and that her “values won’t change.”

Her approach has occasionally been questioned, and it is frequently referred to as “direct,” especially in light of recent international retirements by Mary Earps and Fran Kirby and Millie Bright’s withdrawal from Euro 2025.

I believe it’s crucial to have clarity when speaking with players. particularly now, “says Wiegman, at] the tournament.

There are also times in friendliers when you don’t want clarity so they can compete for attention. As much information as I can, I make sure to provide players with as much as possible.

“The players refer to it as direct, but I believe you should not confuse that with bluntness. I hope not to be blunt, but I am. I’m attempting to provide context and be honest.

Wiegman acknowledges that her directness is a little bit influenced by her native Netherlands, and she has learned to “interpret” how situations are handled by English people.

She claims that she “hates rules,” but she expects her players to follow her advice, stating that the only requirement was to keep jewelry safe.

Wiegman responded, “I don’t do that! I don’t introduce a seating plan at dinner!” When I was a teacher in a school, I used to do those things, but it’s now so intense.

The players need to find some time away from training sessions and meetings where they can just sit with who they want to sit with because they travel so much.

If the situation is the same and a player has that much more space and relaxation, the team benefits.

I detest regulations in fact. Everyone is aware that we are here to perform and perform at our absolute best. You can make the right decisions if you make the right choices.

If there isn’t an agreement, I’m going to say, “OK, I think this is how we’re going to do it,” and I try to get principles or agreements [established] first.

The manager still has to make difficult decisions, despite Wiegman’s obvious comfort with her current position and the players’ knowledge of how things work.

Although Wiegman claims that she has a different side to her that makes the job challenging, her directness is a personality trait that is frequently raised.

“I am actually very caring, and that’s frequently not very helpful in this job,” I thought. She said, “I want to take care of people, but I also have a job where I have to make difficult decisions.”

As a former player and perhaps as a mother, I try not to put myself in their shoes and think, “Oh, they must feel horrible,” because I have to let that out for a moment.

The football world is shocked by the death of Liverpool and Portugal’s Diogo Jota at the age of 28 in a car accident.

Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, both died in the Zamora province of Spain after their Lamborghini crashed.

The 28-year-old Jota had minor surgery and was being flown back to Liverpool for pre-season training, so doctors advised him against flying, so he had to make the trip by car and ferry instead.

Just 11 days before the fatal crash, Jota wed his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, who he had three children with.

Fans gathered outside Anfield to pay tribute to Jota, who Liverpool described as a “tragedy that transcends” the club.

Jota was “the essence of what a Liverpool player should be,” according to Reds manager Arne Slot.

After their car left the road due to a tyre blowout that occurred while overtaking another vehicle, Jota and Silva, both 25, were killed. Silva is also a professional footballer for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel.

Both men passed away on Thursday at around 00:30 local time, according to The Guardia Civil.

Jota was supposed to be taking a ferry from Santander to Liverpool by car, but he was also supposed to be returning by boat.

In the south of England, Santander and Plymouth and Portsmouth are both connected by ferry.

Porto and Zamora, which are close to the Portuguese border, are both about 190 miles away.

Liverpool led the tributes to Jota, blaming the “unimaginable loss” the club had suffered from.

In 182 games for Liverpool, he scored 65 goals, helping them to win the FA Cup, League Cup, and title last year.

Later on Thursday, the club released additional statements, with manager Slot paying tribute to a player who had “becomed to be a loved one to everyone at the club.”

Someone who, in addition to being with others, made other people feel good about themselves. a person who gave his family a lot of love.

Slot said he last spoke with Jota to congratulate him on his victory in the Nations League and wish him luck for his wedding.

It was a dream summer for Diogo and his family in many ways, he continued, adding that it was heartbreaking that it should come to this.

According to Slot, Liverpool and its supporters “are completely in tune with” Jota’s family and “the same can be said of the wider family of football.”

It was a privilege to have played alongside Jota and to have been his friend off the field, according to Reds captain Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman continued, “We will miss you beyond words and never forget you.” We will ensure that your legacy endures, as they say.

Jota was “the most British foreign player” he had met, according to left-back Andy Robertson.

The Scotland international stated in a caption on Instagram that his wedding day was his most memorable day of his life. From that magical day, I long for his unflagging smile. How enthralled was he with his family and wife?

The club’s owners, Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner, and Mike Gordon, said in a statement that they had been “numb with grief” as they condolemented Jota’s family.

Beyond the player, according to them, was a truly humble person who was sincere, intelligent, funny, and tough, and he made friends wherever he went. He had a life-affirming infectious enthusiasm.

This is a tragedy that transcends the Liverpool football club, according to Fenway Sports Group CEO Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes of Liverpool’s sporting director.

Before joining Liverpool in 2020, Jota had previously scored 44 goals in 131 games for Pacos de Ferreira, Atletico Madrid, Porto, and Wolves.

His final appearance was against Spain in the Uefa Nations League final against Portugal. In 49 internationals, he scored 14 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the skipper of Portugal, wrote on social media that it “makes no sense.” You just got married, and we were just now playing for the national team.

Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, expressed his condolences to Jota’s family, wife, and children, saying, “I know you will always be with them.” Diogo and André, rest in peace. You will be missed by us.

Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who bought Jota for the Reds, described him as “heartbroken.”

The German wrote on Instagram that “Diogo was a fantastic player, as well as a great friend, a loving and compassionate husband and father.”

On Thursday, a horde of football fans gathered at Liverpool’s home ground in Anfield to pay their respects.

A sea of flowers, football shirts, scarves, balloons, and flags were laid out outside the stadium’s Hillsborough disaster memorial.

John Barlow, a lifelong fan and a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, called the news “absolutely devastated” and had to halt his work and travel to Anfield.

Jota was a popular player with fans who admired his perseverance and reputation as a laid-back, outgoing person off the field.

Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said, “The success that he has helped bring to this city will never be forgotten.”

British Grand Prix

Dates: 4 to 6 July Race start time: 15:00 BST on Sunday

James Vowles, the Williams team’s coach, claims Alex Albon “sees it as a compliment” because he thinks his game has improved this year.

Albon is disagreeing, though. “Maybe it’s been a stronger year”, he says. “But for the most part, I still believe I plan my weekends in a similar manner.

It’s undoubtedly not just James, they say. It’s up and down the grid in the paddock. It is obvious that I now have a benchmark that many paddocks can use.

More to the identity of his team-mate than the British-Thai driver, Albon’s image is revolving.

Carlos Sainz joined Williams this season from Ferrari. Everyone is aware of Sainz’s talent; he has collaborated closely with Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen.

Albon has a significant advantage over the Spaniard, with the caveat that Sainz is still adapting to his new surroundings, both car and team.

He leads him by 42-13 in the championship, in which Albon is the leading driver not from a top-four team. And he has a qualifying advantage of 9-4, or 0.176 seconds on average.

It “highlights the job that I believe I can do,” says Albon.

At the same time, the 29-year-old says:” I would say that my motivation doesn’t come from that.

“I’m now in a quick car, and I’m hoping to win every race right now.” There is therefore a completely different mental shift.

” I remember the previous few years, there were maybe six races on the calendar where it was almost like, ‘ OK, here we go, this is our chance. ‘

When he joined Williams in 2022 – as a replacement for George Russell when his friend moved to Mercedes – it was something of a lifeline.

His had taken a difficult route to F1. Verstappen, Russell, and Leclerc were the children’s karting rivals of the past, and for a while F1 seemed to be a distant second.

He finally made it in 2019, offered a seat by Red Bull in their second team. After a string of impressive performances for Toro Rosso, he was promoted to the main team alongside Verstappen in just one season.

His second-half 2019 success led to the completion of the full season in 2020, but like Pierre Gasly and everyone else since, he struggled to reconcile with the Dutchman and was let go at the end of the year.

After a year on the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve, he won the Williams seat, partly on Russell’s recommendation, but until this year he had been teamed only with second-rate drivers. Sainz has grabbed it with both hands as this is his first chance to demonstrate his abilities.

However, Albon’s interactions with Sainz raise a contentious issue. How does one explain how he can struggle against Verstappen at Red Bull, but now be ahead of Sainz?

There is no such thing as suiting a car or not suiting a car, Albon asserts. “What it means is that everyone in F1 is easy to fall into the trap of: “All the drivers are at the same level all the time.”

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that Max would still be very quick if you just changed the script and put him in a different car, which is the same reason you see so many drivers struggle up against him. But I don’t think you’re going to see the same gaps that you see that he’s putting on his team-mates now.

“And for the same reason, some drivers find it clicks, and others find it doesn’t.”

Even though I was significantly underpowered on downforce for my first time in a Williams, it still feels good.

“And don’t forget that my six-month stint in Toro Rosso at the time was strong as well. It simply swings.

MotoGP is a fantastic example of how to look at it like golf.

“These drivers, these players, they are always talking about: ‘ The bike doesn’t suit me ‘ or ‘ these golf clubs don’t suit me’. And they’re switching clubs, changing putters, changing bikes, and changing how the feel of the bike feels. They constantly try to improve their bike confidence.

When we talk about golf, Lily Muni He, a Chinese golfer, appears to be his partner.

Albon claims that having a girlfriend who is a professional sportsperson has “a significant influence on his racing career” in many ways.

” We use the same psychologist, “Albon says”. Our lines of business are very similar in our conversation. In terms of our differences and strengths, we have a lot in common.

“We try to help each other in every way we can. It is also good for you. We work on it together, so it’s really helpful to discuss what areas you’re trying to improve.

” We do group calls with our psychologist, and it’s positive.

“I don’t believe there is a sport out there that is more mental than golf, but obviously motorsport is a very mental sport,” he said.

Because they spend too much time thinking, I believe golf psychologists are actually some of the best in the world when it comes to sports performance.

“And it’s an inward game, just like I’m trying to create within my motorsport world. And yet, their processes are so crucial to stay current with.

Albon is known for its “Process.” It’s why he’s not obsessed about his performances in comparison with Sainz.

He claims that he is “very not result-driven.” It’s always process, process, process for me. And every year I validate myself. I ask myself, “Am I preparing and executing my best self?” Do I have my best interests at heart?

” So that’s why when you ask me, ‘ have I changed much? Is this an exceptional year? Have you made a game-change? I track myself and everything’s about myself. That in some ways is selfish, but it serves as my benchmark. In many ways, I use benchmarks.

“I definitely feel like I’ve been able to execute strong races. I also consider it mentally. This year, I’ve been really looking at my own mental performance. Just, you know, in terms of dealing with (stressful) situations.

The difference is that Williams and his team-mate have been able to show it to the world this year as well because of their teamwork.

On the basis of both performance and results, Williams are comfortably a fifth in the constructors’ championship despite a shaky final couple of races. The impact of Vowles has been substantial since he took over two and a half years ago, and they seem to be on track with their ambition to get back to the top.

Albon, however, how far along that path does he believe they are.

He claims that “we are a very different team at the moment from a top team.” We’re still on a journey to get there, and we talk very openly about the journey and our weaknesses as a team.

“I don’t believe we are reaching our full potential, especially in terms of car performance,” he said. That includes everything that happens in the background, including the engineering and performance.

” I don’t think next year we’re going to be in a position to fight for wins, and I think it will be very rare to get a chance at podiums, but that’s my mindset, that’s our mindset.