In the 14th match of The Hundred 2025, Northern Superchargers took on Birmingham Phoenix at Headingley, Leeds. Phoenix captain Liam Livingstone won the toss and chose to bowl, thinking the pitch would be better for batting later. David Miller came in for Graham Clark for the Superchargers, while Chris Wood replaced Dan Mousley for Phoenix.

Zak Crawley got the hosts off to a flying start with 45 runs from 23 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. Dawid Malan followed with a classy 58 from 34 balls, including seven boundaries and a six. Captain Harry Brook finished strong with 31 off 14 balls, and Dan Lawrence chipped in with 15 runs, helping the team post a big total of 193/5 in their 100 balls.

Phoenix had a terrible start, losing three wickets in the first 16 balls. Ben Duckett’s poor form continued, but Livingstone and Jacob Bethell fought back with an 80-run partnership. Bethell hit 48 off 23 balls with three fours and three sixes, while Livingstone scored 46 off 31 with one four and four sixes. Once they got out, the chase lost momentum, and Northern Superchargers wrapped up a 36-run win to move to the top of the points table.

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Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix met in the seventh match of The Hundred 2025 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The Brave got a big boost with the return of star pacer Jofra Archer, who missed the last game. Birmingham, even after a poor batting show in their first match, stuck with the same playing XI. Brave captain James Vince won the toss and chose to bowl first, expecting the pitch to get better for batting later on.

Birmingham’s batting never really got going. The opening pair of Bn Duckett and Will Smeed failed to build a stand, with Duckett battling against Archer’s short balls before getting out for 20 from 21 balls. Joe Clarke scored 36 from 27, but no one else could lift the run rate. Michael Bracewell bowled brilliantly, taking 3 wickets for just 10 runs, while Archer picked up 2/16 with 14 dot balls. Chris Jordan and James Coles got one wicket each.

Chasing 109, the Brave openers made it look easy. Leus du Plooy stayed unbeaten on 48 from 29 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Skipper James Vince scored 41 from 30 balls with four boundaries. Jason Roy added 18 not out as Brave crossed the target with 19 balls left, winning comfortably by 9 wickets.

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One of the most interesting events from the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 took place at Kennington Oval between England and India when Akash Deep, after dismissing Ben Duckett, walked up to the batter and put his arm around the opener’s shoulder. The England batter handled the situation pretty well and went back to the dressing room calmly.

Many former players, including Michael Atherton and the former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri, reckoned that these acts should be avoided. A week after the conclusion of the contest, the Bengal pacer expressed the words Akash Deep exchanged with Duckett on that morning session of the second day.

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“I have a good record against Duckett and have got him out a few times. I have always fancied my chances against the left-handers, and he is no different. On that day, he was trying to throw me off my line and length and had played several unconventional shots. That’s when he said to me that it was his day and I would not be able to get him out.” Akash said on Revsportz.

Watch: Akash Deep reveals reason behind send-off to Ben Duckett during ENG vs IND 5th Test

The wicket, which broke the opening partnership of the home side, worked for the Blue Brigade as the Ollie Pope-led side collapsed to 247 after finding themselves at a dominating position.

“The truth is, if a batter moves around the pitch and plays these shots, your line and length do get impacted, for you don’t know what he will do next. That’s what was happening. Also, England were off to a quick start, and we needed a wicket. We were defending a modest score, and wickets were critical.” The Bihar-born shed light during the same interaction. 

“When I got him out (smiles), I said to him: ‘You miss, I hit. Not always will you win. This time, I win. It was a continuation of what he was saying to me, and it was all done in good spirit,” Akash Deep concluded.

The Anderson-Tendulkar trophy for this year is over, but a few instances keep the memories of the series alive. It was some 1 v 1 rivalry moments that spiced up the competition more. In a recent interview, England opener Ben Duckett's coach, James Knott, highlighted the moment when India pacer Akash Deep kept his arm around Duckett after taking his wicket in the fifth match.

The action made by Akash annoyed multiple cricket fraternities. The fifth and the last match of the series was shaped like a final, after the fourth match ended in a draw. At The Oval it was a must-win game for Team India, as England was leading the scoreline 2-1. When the series was on the line, the Indian bowling line-up stunned the home team in London.

In the first innings of the fifth match, there were some intense moments between Duckett and Deep. The English opener was looking confident and tried to make some aggressive shots. Duckett even said to Akash, "You cannot get me out here." That comment from the batsman pumped up the Indian pacer, and shortly, he dismissed Duckett. A reply in style from the pacer. The controversial moment was staged in the middle when Duckett was making his strides towards the dugout. Akash Deep placed his right arm around the batsman's shoulder and exchanged a few words with a smile. That act from the bowler was heavily criticized.

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James Knott is not happy enough about the incident

"It was part of a competitive series but certainly needs a sanction to discourage young stars. At the same time, it doesn't bother me personally," James Knott said. 

Duckett was a constant threat for India throughout the series. With a century in the first Test and three half centuries, Ben Duckett emerged as one of the leading run scorers for England in the series against India. 

Team India youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal's playful but strategic sledging was used to unnerve England opener Ben Duckett during Day 4 of the fifth Test at The Oval. As Duckett looked to settle in at the crease, building on his overnight score amid a fiery spell from Mohammed Siraj, Jaiswal kept the pressure on with a series of verbal jabs from close in. Siraj bowled a testing maiden early in the session, beating Duckett’s bat five times, as the Indian fielders around the bat remained aggressive and vocal.

Amid the intensity, Jaiswal was caught by the stump mic (via Star Sports) trying to provoke Duckett into a false shot. "This is not your game, man. Show some shots. I want to see your reverse sweep. Why are you defending? There's no point," Jaiswal said, attempting to shake Duckett’s focus. Duckett, however, remained composed and replied calmly with a "Later." The banter came in light of Duckett’s aggressive strokeplay in the first innings, where he had played multiple reverse scoops and was eventually dismissed by Akash Deep after scoring 43 off 38 balls.

India’s energy and strategic field placements paid off soon after. Duckett, who brought up his third fifty of the series early on Day 5, was dismissed in the 23rd over when Prasidh Krishna found his edge, and KL Rahul completed a sharp catch at second slip. It was a big wicket for India at a crucial juncture in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

England Fights Back After Quick Wickets

Following Duckett’s dismissal, Mohammed Siraj struck again to trap Ollie Pope LBW in the 28th over. However, the home side regained momentum as Harry Brook launched a counterattack. At the time of writing, England is 198/3 in 43.4 overs on Day 4, chasing 247.

Watch the video here

Your turn to subtitle this reel! ⬇️ #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @ybj_19 pic.twitter.com/6QKL4370lR

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 3, 2025

See Also: WATCH: Mohammed Siraj apologizes to Prasidh Krishna after dropping Harry Brook in ENG vs IND 5th Test at the Oval

Prasidh Krishna took the much-needed wicket in the early hours of Day 4 of the England vs India 5th Test. Dangerous Ben Duckett departed without troubling India too much, thanks to Prasidh Krishna. He got his first wicket of the innings.

Krishna lured the left-handed opener to go for a cover drive. Duckett took the invitation and swung the blade only to fall in a well-set trap. The wicket of Ben Duckett was a perfect execution straight from the blueprint. Captain Shubman Gill protected the slip cordon, and Krishna delivered according to that.

A full-length delivery around the off-stump region, and then some movement. Because of the movement, Krishna was able to get the thick edge. KL Rahul was waiting for his moment at the first slip, and he grabbed the ball with a pair of smooth hands. Team India erupted in joy, as they knew the importance of the wicket.

Prasidh Krishna with the big wicket of Ben Duckett !!

Lage raho Team India #INDvsENG #INDvENG #ENGvsIND #ENGvIND

pic.twitter.com/aBqFdpjE43

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) August 3, 2025

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Krishna struck on time!

The southpaw went back to the pavilion after scoring 54 off 83. England needs 374 runs to win the match and the series as well. And India has to win the match to save the series. As of now, Team India is looking in a comfortable position, nicely settled for a dominating victory. But it will be too early to predict the result of the match, as England has a good amount of batting depth and plenty of time to stick on the track. When Krishna took Ben Duckett, England was on 82. 

The green deck of The Oval still has something left to offer the pace bowlers. The touring team will be trying to wrap up the match before prolonging the match to Day 5, the last day. 

The incident happened just after Akash Deep dismissed the England left-handed opening batter, Ben Duckett, who, before that, was smashing the Bengal pacer all around the park. A few balls ago, the southpaw nailed the bowler for a huge six before getting an outside edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper, as Deep walked up to the batter and put his arm around the batter's shoulder.

The umpires had a word with the bowler after that, while KL Rahul tried to pull him off the moment. The former England captain, Michael Atherton, didn’t enjoy the incident at all. He questions whether a bowler would have thought of doing the same with a feisty batter, and it was excellent from Ben to fully avoid any heat in that moment.

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‘Can you imagine doing that to Viv Richards? Or anyone? I would have hated that, having put an arm around me after dismissing me. Stay out of my way. This is a serious point. I understand it was in good nature, and I love giving players maximum leeway on the field.’ Atherton expressed on Sky Sports Cricket.

Watch: Former players react to incident between Akash Deep and Ben Duckett during ENG vs IND 5th Test

‘Because it’s an emotional and passionate game, I like to see them getting stuck in and don’t love to see the match referees always. But it’s a non-contract spot. Something like that will end in a problem. So this is something that the match referee had to stamp out.’ Atherton felt that the match referee would need to discuss with the pacer.

"If Athers had put his hand around me getting me out, I would've said 'Get out of the way!'" 😅

Ravi Shastri and Michael Atherton share their thoughts on the incident between Ben Duckett and Akash Deep 💭 pic.twitter.com/UyQzCX6uJL

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 2, 2025

Even Ravi Shastri, the former Indian coach, supported the view and felt that it would have gone in an ugly way had Ben not handled the situation in the right way.

‘No physical contract. What it may lead to is that Duckett might have been thinking something else at that moment in time. Another player with the feisty character wouldn’t have liked it and could have done something that he would have regretted. Just because it has been seen by millions, the match referee would be forced to take action because of the rules.’ Shastri observed.

Indian speedster Akash Deep and England top-order batter Ben Duckett engaged in a very animated exchange after the fall of the first wicket. Duckett, along with Zak Crawley, quickly raced out of the blocks to give England a blazing start in the early hours of day two. The duo put on a blistering 92-run stand in only 77 balls, with Duckett adding a rapid 43 off 38. He went hard against the likes of Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and did not even spare India's senior paceman, Mohammed Siraj.

Duckett's entertaining stay finally came to an end during the penultimate ball of the 13th over. In an effort to scoop Deep over the slip cordon, Duckett got himself into a tangle. He opened up his stance far too early and completely got wrong-footed. As a result, his body weight tilted more to the leg side, which effectively moved him away from the line of the ball. In the end, he could only manage to get a faint glove on it, giving Dhruv Jurel a regulation catch behind the stumps. 

See also: Twitter Reaction: India experience batting collapse at Oval

Watch the video:

Charge halted! 🔥#AkashDeep strikes as #BenDuckett falls trying to get cheeky, ending his aggressive knock! 💪🏻#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST, DAY 2 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/TY23MOyDXC pic.twitter.com/Z8dFP8kS01

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 1, 2025

Following Duckett's demise, Deep let his emotions run loose. After being belted for a few runs, Deep was in the mood to share his departing thoughts with the dismissed batter. He went and put his right arm around his shoulder. A brief animated exchange ensued between the two, where the two were seen having a chat with Deep, having a cheeky smile on his face. Although the exchange appeared to be friendly for the most part, the players did make physical contact. Jeff Crowe, the designated match referee for this game, must have had a close look at this encounter. 

Meanwhile, the on-field umpire Ahsan Raza wasn't too far away from the action. He quickly jumped into the scene and had a quiet word with the Indian pacer, following the brief encounter. Duckett's whirlwind 38-ball innings saw him smash five fours and two sixes. The 30-year-old certainly had an appetite to punish the Indian bowlers further, but was removed just at the right time by Deep, thus giving India some respite before lunch. 

By lunch, on day two, England find themselves in a very commanding position. Just 16 overs into the innings, the hosts have wiped out a deficit of 109 runs at the expense of just one wicket. At the time of writing, England still trail by another 115 runs with Crawley looking very composed on 52 (43).

It took England just short of half an hour to pick the last four wickets of the Indian side for 20 overs on the second day of the fifth Test between England and India at Kennington Oval in South London. The pitch and conditions looked the hardest to bat with the ball nipping around as Gus Atkinson picked up a five-wicket haul. 

But both England openers, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, smashed the Indian bowlers on the floor in the first innings in nearly 40 minutes. It was the fourth over when a delivery from Akash Deep hit the former on the box, which made him uncomfortable. But that was when he switched his mindset and took the ultimate Bazball mode.

See Also: Why are England players wearing headbands on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval?

Duckett reverse scooped the Bengal pacer over the wicket-keeper’s head for a huge six as the bowler had nothing to do apart from getting shocked. India used a review early in that over, which the replays didn’t put in their way. Crawley, on the other hand, kept nailing the big shots.

Watch: Ben Duckett reverse sweeps Akash Deep for maximum on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

Duckett shuffled across to smash Mohammed Siraj for another six with a ramp shot. They made 936 runs in 18 innings as an opening pair against India, which is the most by an England opening stand against these opponents, surpassing 932 runs in 20 innings between Sir Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss. They put their eighth fifty-run stand in Tests as the opening pair against India, which is the most around the world.

Errm what? 😂

Ben Duckett that is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/77CKcux82U

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 1, 2025

Akash Deep finally won the battle against the southpaw, who looked to reverse scoop the bowler for another big shot over the keeper’s head. But he didn’t get the full elevation as the outside edge ended up in the hands of the keeper to send the batter back for 43 runs in 38 balls.

Deep put his arms on the shoulder, which was not needed given how the series has unfolded in the last few weeks. England had already smelt the 100-run mark by the time they lost the opening wicket with just 127 more runs to wipe out the deficit.

Rishabh Pant’s courageous innings on Day 2 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford drew widespread praise, including a heartfelt message from his sister, Sakshi Pant. Despite suffering a fractured right toe on Day 1 while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes, Pant displayed remarkable grit by returning to bat. With India already missing his services behind the stumps, Dhruv Jurel took over wicketkeeping duties as announced by the BCCI, Pant’s decision to contribute with the bat showcased his determination and resilience during a high-stakes match against England.

See Also: [WATCH] ENG vs IND 4th Test: Ben Duckett's quick sharp catch at gully dismissed Shardul Thakur

Pant walked in at No. 8 to a loud reception from the Manchester crowd after Shardul Thakur’s dismissal. Resuming on his overnight score of 37 from 48 balls, the left-handed batter pushed on to complete his 18th Test half-century. He ended with a valiant 54 from 75 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes. His fighting spirit, despite the injury, served as an inspiration and underlined his value to the Indian Test side in challenging conditions.

“Zakhmi hoon, magar khel raha hoon. Kyunki haar maanna meri fitrat mein nahi.” (Despite being injured, I am playing. Because giving up is not in my nature), Sakshi Pant posted on Instagram.

England trail India by 133 in the ongoing ENG vs IND 4th Test

At the close of play on Day 2 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, England finished strongly at 225/2 in 46 overs, trailing India by 133 runs. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave England a flying start, putting up a commanding 166-run partnership. Crawley scored an aggressive 84 off 113 balls before falling to Ravindra Jadeja, while Duckett followed shortly after with a fluent 94, caught by substitute Dhruv Jurel off debutant Anshul Kamboj, who picked up his maiden Test wicket. England's top order looked in complete control on a batting-friendly surface.

Following the dismissals, Ollie Pope and Joe Root steadied the innings, ending unbeaten on 20 and 11 respectively. The Indian bowling attack struggled to maintain pressure, with Siraj and Thakur going wicketless and expensive. Bumrah remained economical, but lacked breakthroughs. England capitalized on India’s ineffective bowling to set up a solid foundation heading into Day 3. With Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and a deep batting lineup yet to come, the hosts are well-positioned to push for a first-innings lead.