England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson may be 36, but coach Trevor Bayliss believes he’s still got several years of international cricket left in him.
Swing bowler Anderson made the most of helpful conditions with a match haul of nine for 43 as England overwhelmed India by an innings and 159 runs in the second Test at Lord’s on Sunday.
In the process, he became the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets at Lord’s and took his career tally to 553 — just 10 shy of Australia great Glenn McGrath’s record of 563 for the most taken by any pace bowler in Test cricket.
Anderson is also currently top of the International Cricket Council’s Test bowling rankings.
“I don’t think there’s any age — he keeps surprising everyone,” said Bayliss.
“As long as he keeps his body fit there’s no reason why he can’t go on for three or four years,” he added of Anderson, who has been managing a shoulder injury.
“A lot of other bowlers do start to drop off mid-30s or so. It’s only the very, very best that are able to keep it going.
“I think he’s showing that he is the very, very best.”
Anderson has an even better record at Trent Bridge, where the third Test starts on Saturday with England looking for another win that would give them an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
“He’s not just good when the conditions suit him, but in these conditions he’s the best in the world,” Bayliss said.
“It’s a test for any batsman in the world to try to face him in these conditions.”
Even India captain Virat Kohli, who made 200 runs off his own bat including a superb century in England’s narrow 31-run win in the first Test at Edgbaston, struggled at Lord’s.
Bayliss said adjusting to the local environment was a problem for all touring teams.
“When the ball is swinging around they (India) have some difficulties, as when it’s spinning and we go to the subcontinent,” the Australian explained.
“They have some extremely good players, so our job is to try and stay on top.”
England were without Ben Stokes at Lord’s because of his ongoing trial for affray.
But fellow pace-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes turned in a man-of-the-match display in his absence, returning from injury to score a maiden Test century and take four wickets as well.
His runs, mainly made during a sixth-wicket stand of 189 with Jonny Bairstow, helped England recover from 131 for five to 396 for seven declared.
“He has done a lot of hard yards, not just with the ball but with the bat over the last few years too,” Bayliss said of Woakes.
“He’s a lovely bloke, and one of those guys who everyone genuinely wants to do well, so to see him go out there and do so well when we thought we were in a bit of trouble, to go and play the way he did with Jonny, was fantastic.”
England named an unchanged squad on Monday, with Stokes again omitted, although the selectors said they would assess his position at the end of the trial.
Bayliss, speaking before the squad announcement, said England’s victory at Lord’s proved they were not being distracted by the case.
“The guys are able to put anything off-field out of their mind and concentrate on what they’re doing, and this was the perfect example,” he said.
James Anderson can go on until he is 40, says England coach Trevor Bayliss
James Anderson can go on until he is 40, says England coach Trevor Bayliss
Marmoush fires Frankfurt to victory amid Man City link
- Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed “a club had got in contact” about Marmoush
- Marmoush was on target in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before firing a shot into the top corner to give Frankfurt the lead
BERLIN: A first-half goal from Omar Marmoush took Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1-0 Bundesliga win at St. Pauli on Saturday amid growing speculation that the Egyptian star is on the brink of a move to Manchester City.
Before the game, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed “a club had got in contact” about Marmoush, with Sky Germany saying the forward had already agreed personal terms with the struggling English champions.
Marmoush was on target in the 32nd minute against his former club, calmly turning inside the box before firing a shot into the top corner to give Frankfurt the lead.
The goal was Marmoush’s 14th in 16 Bundesliga games this season, taking him level with Harry Kane at the top of the scoring charts. The 25-year-old also has eight league assists.
Victory kept Frankfurt in third place, six points behind leaders Bayern who visit Borussia Moenchengladbach later Saturday.
Elsewhere, Freiburg leapfrogged Borussia Dortmund into sixth with a 3-2 home win over Holstein Kiel highlighted by a stunning free-kick from captain Christian Guenter.
Kiel’s Nicolai Remberg unwittingly diverted an Eren Dinkci cross into his own net on 23 minutes, before Guenter sent an excellent dipping shot into the top corner from wide on the right-hand side.
Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo added a third although Kiel’s Phil Harres made the home side sweat with two goals in the final five minutes.
Union Berlin’s miserable week went from bad to worse, going down 2-0 with 10 men at Heidenheim just days after a German FA (DFB) sports court punished them for unruly behavior by their fans.
The DFB court decided Union’s 1-1 home draw with Bochum in December should be considered a 2-0 win for the away side after a home fan threw a lighter at the head of the visiting goalkeeper.
Union president Dirk Zingler slammed the decision pre-match as an “unfair scandal,” saying the court was trying to make a “political example” of the club who have appealed the decision.
Bayern Munich loanee Frans Kraetzig gave the hosts the lead on the counter after 17 minutes in his first Heidenheim game before Union’s Tom Rothe was red carded for a last-man foul.
Adrian Beck sealed the result with seven minutes remaining, giving his side a first win since September.
Mainz climbed past RB Leipzig into fourth with a 2-0 home with over lowly Bochum, with Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt scoring in each half.
A 29th-minute Mohamed Amoura goal took Wolfsburg to a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.
Later Saturday, Bayern can restore their four-point lead at the top of the table from second-placed Bayer Leverkusen when they travel to Gladbach.
Shami returns to India squad for England T20s after year absence
- Shami, 34, last played for India in the 50-over World Cup final in November 2023
- Shami, who underwent heel surgery, was expected to join India in Australia in December but missed the 3-1 Test series loss
NEW DELHI: Fast bowler Mohammed Shami on Saturday returned to India’s squad for the upcoming T20 international series against England after more than a year’s break due to injury.
Shami, 34, last played for India in the 50-over World Cup final in November 2023 and recently participated in a few domestic matches to mark his return to competitive cricket.
Shami, who underwent heel surgery, was expected to join India in Australia in December but missed the 3-1 Test series loss.
He is part of a 15-member squad for the five T20 matches against England starting January 22 in Kolkata.
White-ball star Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team with spin bowler Axar Patel as his deputy.
Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah is missing with doubts over his participation in the following three ODI matches with the touring England team due to an injury he suffered in the final Australia Test.
India are yet to announce the squad for the ODI Champions Trophy starting next month with the deadline to announce the provisional squad for the tournament on Sunday.
India T20 squad to face England: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk).
New-look Pakistan squad announced for West Indies Test series
- Pakistan will host West Indies for the first time in 19 years, with both Tests held in Multan
- Shan Masood is retained as skipper despite Pakistan losing both the Tests in South Africa
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan selectors Saturday recalled opener Imam-ul-Haq in a new look squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies starting next week.
The 29-year old Imam has played 24 Tests for Pakistan but was dropped over poor form after a 3-0 defeat in Australia early last year.
The selectors have also named three uncapped players in opener Muhammad Hurraira, wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir and pacer Kashif Ali on the back of their good performances in domestic matches.
Pakistan will host the visitors for the first time in 19 years, with both Tests held in Multan, starting from January 17 and January 25.
Shan Masood is retained as skipper despite Pakistan losing both the Tests in South Africa last week.
Besides Masood, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, and Salman Ali Agha kept their places from the South Africa series.
Off-spinner Sajid Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have been recalled to partner with left-arm spinner Noman Ali.
Noman and Sajid took 29 wickets in Pakistan’s 2-1 win over England last year.
Injured opener Saim Ayub is also left out of the Pakistan squad for the West Indies Tests.
Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha.
Captain Alexander-Arnold leads Liverpool cruise into FA Cup 4th round
- The England international was named captain in the absence of Virgil van Dijk
- Slot made eight changes after suffering just his second defeat in charge of the Reds
LIVERPOOL: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning strike lit up Liverpool’s 4-0 win over League Two Accrington Stanley to cruise into the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
The England international was named captain in the absence of Virgil van Dijk in a much-changed side named by Arne Slot and led by example after a being criticized for his display in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United last weekend.
Slot made eight changes after suffering just his second defeat in charge of the Reds in Wednesday’s League Cup semifinal first leg against Tottenham.
The Dutchman had warned the Premier League leaders that a trip to Anfield would be Accrington’s “Champions League final.”
A mammoth 86 league positions behind Liverpool in the 92-team English league system, Stanley held out for nearly half an hour.
Diogo Jota was left with a simple task to tap in from Darwin Nunez’s low cross to open the floodgates.
Alexander-Arnold then stepped forward to double the lead with a sumptuous hit into the top corner from outside the box.
Jayden Danns made the most of just his second appearance of the season to fire in the third 14 minutes from time.
Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool career has so far failed to get going due to injury problems.
But the Italian took advantage of some rare game time to net his first goal for the club with a long range strike in off the far post.
“It was surreal,” said Accrington forward and Liverpool fan Josh Woods.
“They are world-class players and on the counter it is hard to stop.”
Manchester City also face fourth-tier opposition later against Salford City, who are owned by a group of former Manchester United greats.
Investment from David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt have helped Salford rise through the non-league ranks since their involvement began in 2014.
Chelsea host Morecambe of League Two in another David against Goliath tie.
Another celebrity co-owner in the lower leagues of English football is already into round four as NFL legend Tom Brady’s Birmingham beat Lincoln 2-1.
Wolves’ bright start under new boss Vitor Pereira continued as early goals from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rodrigo Gomes secured a 2-1 win at Bristol City.
Blackburn won an all-Championship clash 1-0 at Middlesbrough thanks to Andi Weimann’s winner.
New Red Bull football boss Klopp in stands for Paris FC game
- Klopp happily posed for selfies alongside Pierre Ferracci, the president of the Parisian club
- The former solid Ligue 1 leaders, Paris FC have had a bad start to the year
PARIS: Jurgen Klopp, the new global head of football at Red Bull, a minority shareholder in French club Paris FC, on Saturday watched from the stands during a French Ligue 2 game against Amiens.
Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp has just started a new role with Red Bull which owns clubs RB Leipzig, Salzburg and New York Red Bulls.
Klopp happily posed for selfies alongside Pierre Ferracci, the president of the Parisian club which was sold to the family of France’s richest person Bernard Arnault and Red Bull two months ago.
The former solid Ligue 1 leaders, Paris FC have had a bad start to the year with consecutive defeats and are now third.
Klopp is due to speak for the first time since taking office on Tuesday at the Red Bull headquarters near Salzburg in Austria.
The 57-year-old won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Dortmund before moving to Liverpool. At the Reds, Klopp won several major trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League.
Klopp’s appointment has however caused controversy, particularly in Germany where some fans are critical of the energy drink brand’s ownership of Leipzig, as well as multi-club models in general.
