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England vs India – 2nd Test at Lord’s

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Despite some of the best heroic performances from players of both sides, the first test between England and India was drawn at Trent Bridge.

Both sides are now preparing for the second test at Lord’s, starting on Thursday. England has recalled Lancashire left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan for the second Investec Test.

Lord’s is known for seamers’ track, where India has won only once in 16 tests.

COOK Off Form: 

Alastair Cook was out for 5 in the first test, his average this year has dropped to 14, with a top score of 28. However, his captaincy decisions were better than before.

BROAD AND ANDERSON Key Player: 

The duo, Broad and Anderson bowled above 60 overs each on the Nottingham track.

KOHLI Off Form:

The veteran batsman Virat Kohli was identified as India’s key batsman ahead of the first test. The 25-year-old could manage only nine runs across two innings at Trent Bridge. Broad took his wicket both times.

India will consider a few changes for the second test and regular spinner Ravichandran Ashwin looks to be in a good form to display his best performance into the starting eleven.


Big Bash League: Kevin Pietersen joins Melbourne Stars

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Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has joined Big Bash League after signing a two-year contract with Australia Twenty20 franchise the Melbourne Stars.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia will pay Pietersen a bonus around AUS$100,000 on top of his salary to promote the Big Bash League.

The South Africa-born cricketer will arrive in Australia in early December and join his countryman all rounder Luke Wright along with Australian stars Cameron White, David Hussey, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner in the team.

“I’m very excited about joining the Melbourne Stars and look forward to playing with some of Australia’s best T20 cricketers,” said the 34-year-old.

“Joining this team was an easy choice for me when you look at the players we have and the amazing off-field support staff; and don’t forget our home ground, the MCG.”

The tournament gets under way on 18 December this year.

Frank Lampard joins Manchester City on six-month loan spell

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Former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has joined Manchester City on a short-term loan deal from his new club New York City FC, the Premier League champions have confirmed on Twitter.

The 36-year-old veteran midfielder, who spent 13 glittering years at west London, recently signed for New York City on a two-year deal and now he will spend the next six months at the Etihad Stadium until January in order to maintain his fitness before start of the 2014 MLS season in March.

The England international told City’s official website: ‘Joining up with Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue to train and play at the top level and make sure I am in top condition for New York City.

‘It has been an amazing few days for me since the unveiling in Brooklyn and everyone connected with both clubs has been fantastic to me. This is a new chapter of my career and I’m really excited about the experience.

‘I met Manuel and some of the players in New York and I’m looking forward to getting into training and making a contribution for Manchester City ahead of my move over to New York.’

Lampard will wear the No. 18 shirt and will be available for all domestic and European games.

Twitter reacts as India humiliate England in fourth ODI

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The World champions India clinch the five-match one-day international series 3-0 after beating England by nine wickets in fourth ODI at Edgbaston.

India’s opening batsman Ajinkya Rahane scored a majestic 106 as India chased down England’s 206 with an ease.

Here is a twitter reactions from the well-known cricket players, former and present, as well as celebrity.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen

Former England women cricketer Isa Guha

Sky Sports presenter Simon Thomas

Football legend Ian Wright 

British journalist Piers Morgan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan

Mark Ramprakash named as England batting coach

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The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that former England batsman, Mark Ramprakash has been appointed as the new batting coach of England across all three formats.

The former Middlesex and Surrey batsman, who played 52 Tests and 18 ODIs for his country before his retirement at the age of 42, has succeeded Graham Gooch – who was sacked from his coaching stint earlier this year.

The 45-year-old is expected to join up with head coach Peter Moores for the upcoming ODI’s series against Sri Lanka and next year’s ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

“I am hugely excited to have been appointed England batting coach and am looking forward to building on the relationships I have established during the summer,” said Ramprakash.

“I will draw on my 25 years of experience as a cricketer but also am open to learning all the time. I feel we have a very exciting group of players and am relishing the opportunity to continue working with them.”

Ramprakash took twitter to express his feeling after appointing as a new batting coach.

England Need Stability

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With just a few months to go before the 2015 Cricket World Cup England’s One Day tour to Sri Lanka will give the selectors the perfect opportunity to see how their side goes when given the chance to get in to the groove of one day cricket. The hectic global cricket schedule means that it is a rarity for a side to be given the opportunity to concentrate on ODI cricket without being pulled into T20 matches or test series’. The seven match tour of Sri Lanka consists of 50 over cricket only and is long enough for players to be given the chance to prove their worth and to find their form.

Poor Form

England last won an ODI series of more than three games back in 2012 and have struggled to find any sort of form since that Natwest Series win over Australia. This summer England were beaten comfortably by India (3-1) and by their current hosts Sri Lanka (3-2), and their lack of consistency in recent years justifies their long odds with the bookmakers and the lack of confidence that experts like those at Bluesq have shown in their World Cup chances.

Batting Disappointment

England’s biggest problem in recent series’ has been their batting, with the top order failing to score runs quickly enough to allow the team to lay down a competitive total. Indeed in the series’ against India and Sri Lanka the hosts scored over 250 just twice. The series in Sri Lanka will give the selectors the opportunity to find the right man to partner Alistair Cook at the top of the order and get England off to the kind of flying start that they need. Seven games should be enough for the likes of Moeen Ali to really make his case and to play his way into consistent form.

Chance for Finn

England’s poor batting has taken the attention away from their bowling which, although the stronger of their disciplines has not been good enough to challenge at the World Cup. The seven match series in Sri Lanka will really challenge the bowlers and force them to be inventive in order to take wickets in the batsman-friendly conditions. The series will give Steven Finn the chance to show that he is capable of leading the line and much will be expected of him in the absence of James Anderson.

Tough Test

The series in Sri Lanka will be tough but if England can find their form and win there then they can be confident of making a good showing at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.  

Twitter reacts to Jack Wilshere’s injury set-back

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Arsenal have confirmed midfielder Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for around three months, after undergoing ankle surgery on Thursday.

The 22-year-old England international hurt his ankle during the 2-1 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday.

The midfielder had been in stunning form for the Gunners and for his country recently, so the news of his latest injury setback from first-team football will come as a huge blow to the north London club and fans both.

Arsenal fans have been left frustrated with the news of Wilshere’s latest injury complaint and took to Twitter to share their feelings.

Twitter reacts to the news – Steven Gerrard’s departure from Liverpool

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After spending 17-year career at Anfield, Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is set to leave his boyhood club in summer.

The 34-year-old is expected to complete a move to the Major League Soccer side La Galaxy in the summer, according to BBC Sport.

Gerrard, who notched 13 goals along with 13 assists last season, has won the Champions League title, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups during his Reds career.

The news was a big shock to the Liverpool fans, and here is a selection of our favourite reaction from twitter to Gerrard’s exit news.


Carlton Mid ODI Tri-Series Schedule: Australia, India and England

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The Carlton Mid One-Day International Tri-Series to be played between Australia, India and England from 16th January, just a month before ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Australia, with full of confidence after their memorable 2-0 Test-series victory over India last week.

India, it will be an opportunity to boost their World Cup charge.

Meanwhile, England come with a new leadership, after sacking Alastair Cook following a pathetic ODI campaign last year and gets a new appointment of Eoin Morgan as a skipper.

Full Schedule:

Jan 16: Australia vs England at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Jan 18: Australia vs India at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Jan 20: England vs India at Brisbane Cricket Ground.

Jan 23: Australia vs England at Bellerive Oval (Hobart).

Jan 26: Australia vs India at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Jan 30: England vs India at W.A.C.A. Ground (Perth).

Feb 01: TBC vs TBC, Final at W.A.C.A. Ground (Perth).

Timing: 15:20 Local Time (Day and Night)

Where does English cricket go from here?

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Three World Cup games in and all England have to show is a win over Scotland. Next up for the struggling side is Sri Lanka as they continue their battle to reach the quarter-finals of a tournament we know they won’t win.

Best finish?

With four teams qualifying from this group, it’s entirely possible that three wins over non-test playing opposition will see England reach the last eight. That’s not exactly going to instil too much confidence into a team that has done little to cheer its fans so far.

The loss against Australia was bad enough as England’s bowlers were hit all over the place by a dominant Australian team who many feel are unstoppable. Sure the Aussies are favourites to win another World Cup, but they shouldn’t have been allowed to score so many by the woeful English attack.

If that wasn’t bad enough then the New Zealand game was a total disaster. The World Cup began in the 1970s and I’ve watched England lose plenty of matches since… but this was the worst I’ve ever seen. A team that is so used to coping with swing bowling just fell apart against Tim Southie. Could the England bowlers do the same? Of course not, Brendon McCullum treated their attack like a group of schoolchildren who had somehow wandered onto the pitch.

Scant consolation

True, they did manage to beat Scotland, but again the nature of the performance was disappointing. Facing an attack that included a spin bowler whose deliveries were slower than the Post Office, they should have scored more than 350 but ended up struggling to make 300. The bowlers fared a bit better against a side that would struggle in Division Two of the County Championship. Shipping 131 runs from the last 20 overs simply isn’t good enough.

With three games remaining, England know they can still qualify for the quarter finals and a possible tie against India or the West Indies. But the thought of our bowlers taking on Chris Gayle is enough to give anyone sleepless nights.

Waiting

Next up for England is Sri Lanka on Saturday and that’s followed by games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The game against Sri Lanka isn’t entirely a must-win fixture and it’s beginning to look as if it will be the Bangladesh match that will decide which of the two teams makes it out of the group.

What can England do to improve their performances? Confidence is a big problem in the side at the moment and even though Moeen Ali and Ian Bell put on 172 for the first wicket against Scotland, they still don’t strike terror into the opposition. Bell isn’t in the best of form at present and really should have dominated the Scottish attack more than he did. He hit 54 in 85 balls with just two fours, not exactly what you need at this level of the game. England have to accept that other countries have moved up to another level in ODIs. Somehow they have to make that step up too.

Having Gary Ballance at number three isn’t working either. It’s always good to be consistent, but three scores of 10 isn’t going to scare anyone. Surely it’s worth giving Alex Hales a try-out in at least one of the remaining three games. At least Eoin Morgan showed some form against Scotland, but the way even the Scots reduced England from 201-1 to 203-4 doesn’t bode well for the future.

If England are going to achieve anything in this World Cup, they have to find some way of striking fear into the opposition. Out-of-form batsmen and bowlers who are prone to putting the ball just where the batsman wants it, isn’t going to achieve that in a million years let alone the next month.

Arsenal plotting summer move for Chris Smalling?

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reportedly planning to make a shocking £12m bid for Manchester United defender Chris Smalling this summer transfer window.

View image | gettyimages.com

The north Londoners are keen to bring the centre-back at the Emirates amid reports that Manchester United are unlikely to offer him a new contract.

The England international has 12 months remaining on his current contract with the Red Devils, while the report has suggested that Louis van Gaal is reportedly planning to recruit another centre-back during this summer.

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Focused on West Indies tour, not Pietersen says Peter Moores

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England head coach Peter Moores has insisted to focus on rebuilding their confidence in the upcoming four-test match tour to West Indies, rather than on Kevin Pietersen.

The South Africa-born batsman, who signed a contract with Surrey to play in the County Championship has allegedly interested to regain his place in the England side following he was axed by the ECB in February 2014.

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James Taylor to lead England against Ireland next month

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The Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor has been named as England’s skipper for a one-day international encounter against Ireland next month.

The 25-year-old will lead the squad for the first time after replacing the regular captain Eoin Morgan, who is currently on Indian Premier League duty with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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Laura Robson withdraws from French Open 2015

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The former British number Laura Robson has confirmed that she will not be featuring at the upcoming French Open 2015 as she continues to recover from a long-standing wrist surgical treatment.

The 21-year-old, who last featured at the Australian Open 2014, is now unlikely to play before the summer’s grass court season due to her long-standing wrist injury.

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Twitter reacts to Kevin Pietersen England snub

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The cricket world reacted immediately after the news that Kevin Pietersen will NOT be returning to England squad.

England’s director of Cricket, Andrew Strauss said Pietersen was “not part of our plans for the Tests against New Zealand and Australia this summer”, saying there was a trust issue between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the 34-year-old batsman.

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Ashes 2015: Can England spring a shock and beat Australia?

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England’s national cricket team have disappointed in recent years across all forms of the game. Their recent group stage exit at the 2015 Cricket World Cup was nothing short of diabolical and they have been a team in turmoil throughout the last few years. The English Cricket Board (ECB) sacked head coach Peter Moores, while they also employed former captain Andrew Strauss as director of cricket. Strauss, who featured in 100 Test matches for his country, recently ruled out the return of Kevin Pietersen to the England set-up until after this summer’s Ashes series against Australia – a decision that has been extremely controversial and splitting opinion across the cricket world.

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Twitter reacts as Bayliss tipped for England coach

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The 52-year-old Australian – Trevor Bayliss has reportedly been offered the role of England new head coach, according to Sky Sports.

However, there has been no official announcement as yet from the England and Wales Cricket Board, but it is thought the governing body is in talks with the contender for the role of England coach and there may be announcement within the next 24 hours.

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Alastair Cook returns to Essex to play Surrey

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England Test skipper Alastair Cook has been named in the Essex squad for his first appearance of the summer ahead of Friday’s NatWest T20 Blast match against Surrey at The Oval.

The 30-year-old last represented the Eagles in T20 cricket more than 12 months ago, he is also due to play for his county in their next LV= County Championship against Derbyshire and Gloucestershire.

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England wicketkeeper Matt Prior announces retirement

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England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect due to achilles injury.

The 33-year-old Sussex wicketkeeper has helped his nation to three glorious Ashes series victories between 2009 and 2013.

Prior has scored 4099 runs in 79 Tests matches at an average of 40.18 across a seven-year international spell.

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World Number One Smith the key figure in Ashes battle

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After a stunning 12 months in international cricket, it was no surprise to see Australia’s Steve Smith confirmed as the number one ranked test batsman. The 26 year old saved Australia in his most recent test with a brilliant 199 against the West Indies and he is one of the key reasons why his side will start as Ashes favourites in this English summer.

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