MS DHONI needs to bat and stay in the Indian team. His experience as an former captain is vital for India to win the World Cup. He can play at various gears, can bat from cold and hit boundaries, and also at a slower pace and do well.
Fifty per cent of India’s runs are scored by Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. There is a lot of pressure on Rohit and Kohli to score these runs. I think the responsibility doesn’t suit Rishabh Pant. He likes to score freely and attack. He should bat either at three or come down to six. He should be exposed to the new ball quickly so number three is a good option.
England desperately needed the win against India as it keeps them in the World Cup. It shows when the Indian spinners are not firing, any team any score over 300-plus. I am very nervous about the New Zealand game because it is in Durham. If the forecast is overcast, New Zealand will have a great chance to win. England will have to play at their best again; can they play well two games in a row?
Australia are the favourites; they always seem to play their best cricket. Their bowling is
the strongest in the tournament and the batting is quality too. Their fielding is the best too.
Pakistan have got every chance to make the semi-finals. They are a strong team once all the players know their roles and seem to play their best cricket once they are in a contest. The final games will bring the best out of them. They have worked out a method how to win in vital positions. They haven’t played their best game yet and need to keep improving if they are to win the World Cup.
FANS’ QUESTIONS FOR MONTY:
Who would you say are the top three spinners of all time?
Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Murali.
Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting or someone else – who was the greatest batsman of your generation?
Virat Kolhi and AB De Villiers.
Who were your closest friends in the England dressing room?
Andrew Flintoff, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Harmison , Matthew Hoggard,
Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
If you could change one thing about your time with England, what would it be?
I wish that I had a personal trainer, and I should have done boxing training.
Gill, 25, who took over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement, has scored back-to-back centuries since assuming the role. (Photo: Getty Images)
SHUBMAN GILL scored his second hundred in as many matches as India captain to help his side finish the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston on 310-5 against England on Wednesday.
Gill remained unbeaten on 114, while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made 87. India were briefly under pressure after losing two quick wickets to slip to 211-5, but Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, who was 41 not out, shared an unbroken stand of 99 runs.
In the first Test at Headingley, India had five individual hundreds, including Gill’s 147, but lost the match. Batting collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 had cost them before England successfully chased down 371 to win by five wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Gill, 25, who took over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement, has scored back-to-back centuries since assuming the role.
'Amazing Gill', says Jaiswal
“I think he has been amazing the way he has been batting,” Jaiswal said after stumps. “It’s just incredible to see him bat and as a captain also, he has been amazing and I think he is very clear in his head what he needs to do with the team and we are very confident in what we are going to do.”
England captain Ben Stokes again chose to field after winning the toss, repeating the decision he made in Leeds. England had chased down 378 at Edgbaston against India three years ago, their highest fourth-innings total.
KL Rahul, who scored a hundred at Headingley, managed just two runs from 26 balls before dragging a Chris Woakes delivery onto his stumps. Woakes took 2-59 in 21 overs, while Brydon Carse returned 1-49 in 16 overs.
England kept things tight early on, restricting India to 37-1 in the first 13 overs, but Josh Tongue conceded 66 runs from 13 wicketless overs. England were also unlucky with a couple of lbw reviews, both going against them on umpire’s call. Karun Nair was reprieved on five before being dismissed for 31.
“A couple of decisions go our way early doors and then all of a sudden they’re 30-3 and we’re looking at a completely different day ahead,” Woakes told Sky Sports.
Jaiswal misses out on hundred, Gill completes his
Jaiswal reached his fifty off 59 balls, with 40 of those runs coming in boundaries. He looked set for another century following his 101 at Headingley but was caught behind after edging a wide delivery from Stokes, leaving India at 161-3.
Rishabh Pant, who scored twin hundreds in Leeds, took 23 balls to score his first boundary – a six off Shoaib Bashir. Bashir got his wicket soon after when Pant (25) holed out to long-on.
India then slipped to 211-5 when Nitesh Kumar Reddy was bowled playing no shot to a Woakes delivery that nipped back in. But Gill remained steady, reaching his century off 199 balls with 11 boundaries. He swept Joe Root for back-to-back fours before reaching the milestone.
India rest Bumrah for second Test
India made three changes to their playing XI, with Jasprit Bumrah rested as part of a pre-announced plan to manage his workload during the five-match series.
Bumrah is expected to play only three Tests as part of fitness management after his recent back injury.
Akash Deep replaced Bumrah in the playing XI. The third Test at Lord’s begins just four days after the scheduled end of the second Test.
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The match was completed under the roof on Court Number One
Taylor Fritz beat Gabriel Diallo 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-3.
The match lasted over three hours.
It was completed under the roof on Court One as other matches were suspended.
Fritz also played a five-setter in the first round.
American fifth seed Taylor Fritz battled past Canadian Gabriel Diallo in a five-set thriller to reach the third round of Wimbledon. Fritz won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-3 in a contest that lasted over three hours. The match was completed under the roof on Court Number One, with play suspended on other courts for the night. Fritz had also been taken to five sets in the first round and once again showed grit to advance. The late-night win ensures the world number five remains in contention after a tough opening week at the All England Club.
Reuters
She remains focused amid several early exits of top seeds
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Marie Bouzkova 7-6(4), 6-4 to move into the third round.
She faced stiff resistance in the first set, dropping serve once and needing a tiebreak to secure it.
Sabalenka capitalised on errors from Bouzkova and secured a key break in the second set.
She remains focused amid several early exits of top seeds, including Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
Sabalenka, a two-time semi-finalist, now faces either Emma Raducanu or defending champion Marketa Vondrousova
Aryna Sabalenka was given a tougher workout than she would have wanted before the top seed dismantled Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-6(4) 6-4 to advance to the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday.
As the sun played hide-and-seek with the grey clouds that hovered over Centre Court, Sabalenka kept knocking on the door in the opening set, but was shut out by Bouzkova each time and dropped serve with a double fault in the 11th game.
A frustrated Sabalenka let out a scream when she failed to convert a breakpoint in the next game, but the 27-year-old quickly composed herself to force a tiebreak with a backhand winner on her next opportunity.
"That was a tough moment in the match," Sabalenka said.
"I was just trying to put the ball back on that side and then hope that I'd be able to break her back, because until that point, my returns weren't great enough to break her serve and I'm really glad everything clicked.
"I felt a bit better in that moment and I think that's why I was able to win the tiebreak and get the win in straight sets."
The three-times Grand Slam champion from Belarus, who has a golden opportunity to win her first Wimbledon title with several seeds losing early, led the tiebreak after a couple of errors from Bouzkova and wrapped up the set with a forehand winner.
An untimely error at the net by Bouzkova gifted Sabalenka the break in the fifth game of the second set and there was no looking back from there with the twice semi-finalist holding firm to close out the win.
Sabalenka said she was focused on avoiding the trapdoor after second seed Coco Gauff, number three Jessica Pegula, fifth seed Zheng Qinwen and number nine Paula Badosa were all sent packing in the first round.
"Honestly, it's very sad to see so many top players losing in the first round, but you're better off focusing on yourself and staying away from the results," Sabalenka added.
"Of course, you're going to know the overall picture, but it's better just to take it one step at a time and do your best every time you're out here competing.
"I hope there are no more upsets in this tournament."
Up next for Sabalenka is either local favourite Emma Raducanu or 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Reuters
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Sri Lanka's captain Charith Asalanka (L) poses with the trophy alongside his Bangladesh counterpart Mehidy Hasan Miraz on the eve of their first one-day international (ODI) cricket match in Colombo on July 1, 2025. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
SRI LANKA are on a redemption trail in ODI cricket after a disastrous World Cup and will look to tighten the screws further when they host Bangladesh in a three-match series started on Wednesday (2).
After finishing ninth in the 2023 World Cup and missing out on a Champions Trophy berth, the islanders have staged a commendable turnaround, notching up series wins against heavyweights India and Australia.
That purple patch has propelled them to fourth in the ICC ODI rankings, but skipper Charith Asalanka insists they are not resting on their laurels.
"We are happy with our progress, but we're not reading too much into rankings just yet," Asalanka told reporters on the eve of the series opener at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
"Our goal is to break into the top three. There's still plenty of room for improvement, and this series is another step towards that."
The series comes amidst tweaks to playing conditions that captains are still coming to grips with — particularly the rule regarding the use of balls in the final stretch of an innings.
Previously, two new balls were used from either end throughout the 50 overs. Under the revised rule, the fielding side will continue to operate with two balls but must pick one to be used exclusively from the 35th over onwards.
"It's something new and we're all still figuring out how to navigate it," said Asalanka. "It changes the dynamic of the death overs — how we bowl, how batters finish. It's a learning curve for everyone."
Sri Lanka received a timely boost with all-rounder Milan Rathnayake declared fit after missing the second Test against Bangladesh due to a side strain. However, his inclusion will depend on the team's balance, with spin-bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage also in contention.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, arrive with a fresh look. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz has taken over the reins from Najmul Hossain Shanto and the side is clearly in a rebuilding phase with veterans like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar either retired or out of favour.
"We'll definitely miss our seniors," said Mehidy. "They've served Bangladesh cricket for a long time, and their absence leaves a big gap. But this is a chance for the younger boys to put their hands up."
With the next World Cup two years away, the visitors see this series as a springboard to blood fresh talent.
"This is a good platform to test our bench strength," Mehidy added. "We've brought some exciting young players here and it's an opportunity for them to establish their spots."
While Sri Lanka sit comfortably at number four, Bangladesh — languishing in 10th — have plenty to play for. A series win would see them leapfrog West Indies into ninth place, keeping their hopes alive for automatic qualification to the next World Cup to be staged in Africa in 2027.
"Every game is important," Mehidy said. "We know what's at stake. A series win here will go a long way in our qualification push."
The second ODI will also take place in Colombo on Saturday (5), before the action shifts to the hill capital of Kandy for the final game at Pallekele on Tuesday (8).
The tour will conclude with a three-match T20I series.
(AFP)
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Yashasvi Jaiswal fends off a delivery from Brydon Carse during day one of the 2nd Test between England and India at Edgbaston on July 02, 2025 in Birmingham.
ENGLAND won the toss and chose to bowl in the second Test against India at Edgbaston on Wednesday. India made three changes to their line-up and rested fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah to manage his workload ahead of the rest of the series.
Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur were left out, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep came into the playing 11. Bumrah is expected to return for the third Test at Lord’s, which begins on July 10.
“This is an important match for us but the third match at Lord’s — there may be something more in the wicket and we thought we’ll play him (Bumrah) there,” India captain Shubman Gill said.
“We were very tempted to play (Kuldeep Yadav) but looking at the last match we wanted to add some depth to the batting. This year has been a year of chaos, a lot of teams who haven’t won a lot have won, so maybe that’ll change fortunes for us.”
England fielded the same playing 11 that won the first Test by five wickets. Fast bowler Jofra Archer, who was named in the squad, was not included in the team.
“When you bring Jofra Archer back you consider everyone in your squad. It was a really good team performance last week and the bowlers performed well,” England captain Ben Stokes said.
“With the ball you understand the conditions a bit more. We’re in good order here.”
Teams
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir