Playing a starring role in England's third Ashes Test victory over old rivals Australia, seamer Mark Wood has shown what impact he can still make at the highest level.

After what has been a frustrating spell out on the sidelines, Wood has battled through various injuries and will be hoping to play an influential role for the remainder of what has so far been a thrilling series.

Wood Looking To Put Injury Woes Behind Him

It has been a tough year for Wood on the injury front, as hip and elbow injuries meant the 33-year-old spent a frustrating spell away from the field. England, who are 4/1 in the cricket odds to win the Ashes this summer, were delighted to have Wood back for the third Test at Headingley. Missing Wood's raw pace during defeats at both Edgbaston and Lord's, Wood gave the Australian batting lineup plenty to think about over their two innings in Leeds.

After the injury problems Wood has had, it will be up to head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes to try and manage the bowler's workload for the remainder of the summer. Fast bowling takes its toll on the body and approaching his mid-30s, it will be a fine balance for the England management team to get the most out of Wood while also trying to avoid any further injury setbacks.

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Wood Brings Pace To The Table

While the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad were doing much of the heavy work in the opening two Tests in Birmingham and London, Wood was a breath of fresh air at Headingley. Some of the Australian batters were able to settle into big innings in the matches at Edgbaston and Lord's, but Wood was able to bring something different to the table in Leeds. Bowling consistently over 90mph, the Aussies were being battered with both short and full deliveries at a tremendous pace. For a player who was not sure how much Ashes cricket he would play this summer, Wood's pace would seemingly make him indispensable for the remainder of the series.

Wood was named player of the match for his efforts at Headingley, as he claimed seven wickets over the course of the third Test. Hardly an unknown entity for the Australian order, Wood's pace seemed to catch the tourists off guard and they will be hoping to be better prepared for the remainder of the series. Putting plans in place to try and cope with Wood's speed will be one thing but executing will be another entirely. While also being able to provide runs at the tail of England's batting order, Wood can play an influential role over the final two Tests in what has been a thrilling 2023 Ashes series.

England have not tasted Ashes success since back in 2015 but Wood could play an important role in trying to bring the urn back to English soil after a lengthy stay Down Under.

Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has suddenly returned to India, citing a family emergency as the reason. A BCCI source has given this information to news agency PTI.

The source said that Gambhir had to return to take care of his mother, who has been admitted to a hospital in New Delhi due to health complications. The Shubman Gill-led Indian Test team is in England to play a five-match IND vs ENG series, starting June 20 in Leeds.

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Doeschate will look after the team for now

In Gambhir's absence, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will oversee the team during the four-day intra-squad match between India and India A starting from Friday. He will be assisted by other coaching staff like bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Shitanshu Kotak. If all goes well at home, Gambhir is expected to return to England within a week.

Indian team would like to test its preparations

The Indian team will play intra-squad matches to finalise its preparations ahead of the IND vs ENG five-match Test series. India A played two unofficial Test matches against England Lions and the batsmen showed their prowess in them. Such matches are important for the preparation of the team before any series. India has opted to play this match in an empty stadium so that the opposing team does not get a clue of their strategy.

All eyes will be on Kuldeep-Jadeja

In this match, the performance of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will be watched and an interesting competition is expected between these two to make a place in the final eleven of the Indian Test team.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel had said on Wednesday that the match is crucial for India's preparation as it is difficult to develop the ability to bowl and field 90 overs in a day through normal practice sessions. This match will give the Indian team management a good opportunity to assess its players, especially the bowlers, in match situations.

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This will help ensure that the bowlers, be it spinners or pacers, are in the required rhythm in the actual match. Gambhir will have to do some brainstorming to pick the only specialist spinner for Headingley.

Jadeja has a good batting record abroad but if India has to take 20 wickets then Kuldeep's role will become important. Kuldeep can prove to be a good partner of fast bowler Jaspreet Bumrah in the conditions here. Jadeja vs Kuldeep is the biggest puzzle for the playing XI that the team management will have to solve.

Eyes will be on fast bowlers as well

Similarly, this match will give the team management and captain Shubman Gill a chance to see which ball works better in these conditions - Akash Deep's full length or Prasidh Krishna's back of the length. Bumrah, who will be playing a red ball match after six months, will get a chance to bowl multiple spells and test his fitness. He has played only IPL since returning from a lower back injury.

The England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday announced a 14-member squad for the first Test of the five-match series against India. The ENG vs IND five-match Test series is starting from June 20. The first match will be played at Headingley on June 20, 2025.

Also Read: Youngest Cricketers to lead India in Tests

Overton replaces Atkinson

Fast bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton has returned. He has been included in the team in place of injured Gus Atkinson. Jamie has returned after the match against New Zealand in June 2022.

Atkinson was unavailable for selection due to a right hamstring injury suffered during the Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

Carse, Woakes included in the squad

Fast bowlers Brydon Carse, Jacob Bethell and Chris Woakes have also been named in the squad, who last played during the New Zealand Test tour in December. The India A side are already in the United Kingdom, playing warm-up games against England Lions.

Woakes, known for his effectiveness in home conditions, especially at Lord’s, last featured prominently in 2018 against India, where he claimed four wickets and smashed an unbeaten 137.

Young spinner Shoaib Bashir, who starred with nine wickets against Zimbabwe, retains his spot as the lone specialist spinner. IPL winner Jacob Bethell and seamer Sam Cook, both of whom impressed recently, have also earned call-ups.

Ben Stokes to lead the team

England will field a significantly altered team compared to the last time they faced India in early 2024. James Anderson has since retired, while Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson are the other notable absentees from the squad.

Ben Stokes, who returned from a hamstring injury in that Zimbabwe Test, will lead England against India in a five-match series that marks the start of both teams’ campaigns in the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Also Read: Most runs vs England in England for India in tests

ENG vs IND Test Series Schedule

• 20-24 June 2025 - 1st Test, Headingley
• 2-6 July 2025 - 2nd Test, Edgbaston
• 10-14 July 2025 - Third Test, Lord's
• 23-27 July 2025 - Fourth Test, Emirates Old Trafford
• 31 July-4 August 2025 - Fifth Test, Kia Oval

ENG vs IND | England full squad

Ben Stokes (c), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

India A started their England tour on a great note with a solid Day 1 display against the England Lions in Canterbury. Karun Nair headlined the day with a solid, unbeaten 186 with the bat for India A.

England Lions captain James Rew won the toss and decided to bowl first on a greenish pitch at the St. Lawrence Ground. 

India A lost captain Abhimanyu Easwaran early on 8 while Yashasvi Jaiswal went back to the dressing room after adding 24. 

When it looked like that, Rew took the right decision of bowling first, Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair put up a 181-run partnership for the third wicket to give India A the advantage after Day 1’s play. 

Karun Nair, who last played a test match in 2017, continued his great form and completed his fifty in 85 balls. 

Soon, Sarfraz Khan, who was dropped from the test squad, completed his fifty in 84 balls as well. When both batters were looking to get to the hundred mark first, Sarfraz was caught down the leg side on 92 off 119 balls and missed his ton.

Sarfaraz Khan gets dismissed 8 short of a well-deserved hundred.

Sarfaraz was looking good but was eventually caught down the leg side on 92.

Karun Nair is batting on 97!

India A 233/3 in the first inning!#ENGAvINDA #SarfarazKhan pic.twitter.com/pY7pCRmwZP

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) May 30, 2025

Nair, who was dropped on 89 off Ajeet Singh Dale, completed his 24th first-class ton off 155 balls.

Post that, incoming batter Dhruv Jurel and Nair started smashing the bowlers and changed their gears. Nair reached the landmark of 150 in 205 balls while Jurel reached his fifty in just 68 balls.

At the end of Day 1 of the 4-day unofficial test match, Jurel remained unbeaten on 82 off 104 balls while Nair remained unbeaten on 186 from 246 balls, with India A finishing with 409/3. 

Harry Brook was recently named England's white-ball captain, succeeding Jos Buttler, who stepped down in February 2025 following a disappointing Champions Trophy campaign. Brook now has become the 38th ODI captain for England and 15th to be named as T20I captain of the country as well. 

Ray Illingworth was the first-ever ODI and white-ball captain of England, who was also part of the first-ever men's One-day cricket match in 1971. Mike Denness and Tony Greig followed him on the list.

Michael Vaughan was the first T20I captain of England as he led the team in the shortest format of the game for the first time in 2005. Stuart Broad and Craig Kieswetter are a few of the players who captained the team only in T20Is. In the meantime, Michael Vaughan, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, and Jos Buttler led them in both ODIs and T20Is. 

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Australia started their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on a winning note as they chased down the highest successful chase in tournament history. Australia chased down England's 352-run target with 15 balls remaining in the match. Jos Inglish was the star of the show with his maiden ODI ton during the chase. 

Ben Duckett dismantled the Australian bowling lineup with a recurrent breaking 165, the highest score by a better in Champions Trophy history. But, Australia ensured they made the highest successful chase in ICC Men's ODI events. Here's everything you need to know from the England vs Australia ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match.

Smith decided to bowl keeping the dew in mind

Steve Smith won the toss and decided to field first keeping the dew in mind. Ben Dwarshuis dismissed Phil Salt early in the second over. Despite a flying start to the innings, Dwarshuis was able to send back Jamie Smith for 15 in the sixth over as England found them at 43/2 after 5.2 overs.

But, then it was the partnership between Ben Duckett and Joe Root that took them to a record-breaking score. They first accumulated well to get their first fifty from 48 balls while Ben Duckett completed his fifty off 49 balls.

Root and Duckett build a solid partnership for England

Joe Root did his part by completing his fifty from 56 balls as they reached the 100-run mark for the third wicket in 94 balls. But, post his fifty, Duckett changed his gear instantly and his skill against the Aussie spinners was a masterclass from the southpaw opener.

But, after Root was trapped in front of the wicket by Adam Zampa, Ben Duckett lost support from the other end and England missed out on maybe 10 or 15 runs at the end.

Duckett's 3rd ODI ton gave England the momentum

Duckett went on to get his 100 off 95 balls, his 3rd ODI ton. Then he changed to fifth gear alongside captain Jos Buttler. Although Buttler was caught in the deep by Nathan Ellis off Glenn Maxwell, Duckett continued his slog and soon reached 150 off 134 balls.

He was finally dismissed by Marnus Labuschagne on 165 off 143 balls. Archer added a quick 21 from 10 balls to take England's total to 351/8 in the first inning.

Australia got off a flyer but lost wickets early

Just like England, Australia got a quick start but lost two wickets early. Travis Head was dismissed on 6 off 5 by Jofra Archer in the 4th over while Steven Smith was dismissed by Mark Wood for 5 in the next over. But, then, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Short stitched a 95-run partnership to give others a platform to chase down the total.

With both Labushcagne and Short finding the gaps easily, they reached the 100-run mark in the 15th over and kept themselves in the chase. Meantime, Short reached his fifty in 47 balls but Marnus was outfoxed by Adil Rashid on 47 off 45 balls in the 20th over.

Though it looked a bit tough for the Aussies, who had not won a game in the ICC Champions Trophy in 16 years, they had batters with immense talent in the middle order.

Carey and Inglis steadied the ship

Jos Inglis, born in England, always had the game to win games for Australia, but needed to prove that now. Meantime, they had their most in-form batter in Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell to come as well.

Livingstone dismissed Short (63) with a sharp caught and bowled chance in the 23rd over and it was then the partnership between Inglis and Carey that took Australia near to home. For the 5th wicket, they put up 100 runs in just 78 balls while Inglis completed his fifty. Australia reached the 250-run mark in the 38th over and Carey also completed his fifty off 49 balls.

Maxwell and Inglis finished things off

However post Carey's (69) dismissal in the 42nd over, things could have gone either way but Glenn Maxwell made sure he made things easier for them. Inglis eased to his maiden ODI ton while Maxwell started hitting the ball powerplay from the other end.

In the end, it was a comfortable win for the Aussies as Inglis remained unbeaten on 120 from 86 balls while Maxwell was undefeated on 32 from 15 balls. All the English bowlers except for Adil Rashid went more than 6 runs an over and that made it hard for Jos Buttler to control the game.

Buttler accepted that the score was good from but the dew affected more than he had expected. "Both sides played well, credit to Australia. fantastic innings from Inglis. 350 is a pretty good score, but it was wet and the dew was a worry," Buttler said.

"The guys were outstanding. Matt Short played beautifully, Travis and I the only two to miss out," Australian captain Steve Smith said in the post-match presentation.