Labour MP Kevin Brennan comes to Azeem Rafiq’s aid, wants Yorkshire to publish the racism report

ENG vs IND | 3rd Test, Day 4: Robinson's fifer help hosts level series against brittle India batting

The fourth day of the Leeds was nicely poised to have a cracking contest between Indian batsmen, who were working hard to make up for the disaster in the first innings and England bowlers, who were putting their all to square the series. England had abandoned the plan of bowling with the older ball to Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli late on the third day and decided to wait for the new ball at the start of the fourth day. Joe Root in his mind would have hoped for a similar bowling performance to that of the first-morning session of the game with the fresh duke ball in the hands of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson in the morning session of the fourth day. His bowlers heard his call and unleashed a relentless spell of swing and seam bowling to dismantle India for 278 runs after they started the day on 215/2. Never-ending streak of Indian collapses When India were bundled out for 78 runs in the first innings, it was rated as an aberration and it was hoped that the batting group will rise to the occasion in the second innings. There was some welcome signs as first the partnership between Pujara and Rohit and then Kohli’s partnership with Pujara provided the glimpse of what an Indian batting unit batting at their best look like on the third day. There was sense of urgency to score on loose balls while tough balls were negotiated with good leaves and nudge with soft hands. Skipper Kohli appeared to be coming close ot his best and there were some high hopes of them to replicate all the same on the fourth day. However, even before the team could add one run to the total, Pujara misjudged one delivery from Robinson and offered his pad. He was set up beautifully by the pacer and Pujara left the ball thinking it was going to swing away from him. As soon as he went back to the pavilion, the floodgates were open for England. Kohli hit one crisp on the drive between midwicket and mid-on to bring up his first fifty of the series, but continuous examination from Anderson at one end paralysed his decision making. In the end, he was again caught in the slips while defending a ball he could have easily let it go. The story was not any different for Ajinkya Rahane, who once again poked at a ball that straightened from the line of the fifth stump and Rishabh Pant, who offered catching practice to Craig Overton at third slip to leave India in tatters inside the first hour itself. Robinson’s masterclass When the conditions offer a lot of assistance, the best bowler is the one who is disciplined and bowls good length (specific to pitch and conditions) and let the ball decide how it behaves in order to get the best and maximum results. Ollie Robinson seems to be a perfect student of that school of thought. When the partnership between Pujara and Rohit was flourishing in the afternoon session of the third day, he was the best England bowler who kept on asking the batsmen to play at deliveries around off stump. He was rewarded with the big wicket of Rohit when the right-hander saw an opportunity to score runs against a ball that was coming into him. Kohli and Pujara batted with discipline to save the final session for India and England needed big efforts from him. He had to put his hands up as Anderson has not been having the best of performances in the second innings of Test matches of late. Both he and Anderson was not straighter to either Kohli or Pujara in the first few overs, but he corrected his line of attack quickly in his second over of the day. He got Pujara in front of the stump and then earned the big valued edge of Virat Kohli’s bat to leave India gasping for air in the first half an hour. There was no looking back for either him or India as Pant, who has turned out to be his bunny in the series offered him another easy wicket. He picked up his second five-wicket haul of the series and dismantled India’s resistance albeit Anderson could scalp out just one wicket in the second innings. England were desperate after Stuart Broad missed the last two Tests due to injury and Joe Root will be delighted to see his youngest pacer in terms of experience at the highest level putting on match-winning performances one after another. He was adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliant bowling figure of 81/7 in the Leeds Test. If India would be honest to themselves, they would be eager to have a conversation about the frequent batting collapses they have had in the recent past. If they will choose to see the collapses in both innings of the Leeds Test, the issue will not be buried under the carpet and now, England will be emboldened to play on livelier pitches to ask more questions of this brittle batting lineup.

Still fit to play for MI: Watch Mumbai Indians wish franchise legend Lasith Malinga Happy Birthday

Mumbai Indians and Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga turned 38 on Saturday, August 28 and his former teammates at the Indian Premier League side wished the master with the ball a very happy birthday through a video message. The video was uploaded by the Mumbai Indians’ official Twitter handle. Players like Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav and Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal along with former MI players turned player scouts in Parthiv Patel and R Vinay Kumar also wished the Galle born on his 38th birth anniversary. Malinga, who has played 122 matches in 12 seasons for the Mumbai team is still the leading wicket-taker with 170 wickets in the IPL even after not taking part in the last two seasons. Currently, the champion bowler engages in cricket analysis and commentary through his Youtube channel by the name of Lasith Malinga. In international cricket, the right-arm fast bowler with a slinging action has so far taken 546 wickets in all formats combined including 107 wickets in T20Is, the format in which he has still not announced retirement. He retired from Tests very early and announced his retirement from ODI cricket in 2020.

3rd Test, Day 4: England square series decimating India by an innings and 76 runs in Leeds

India started the fourth day at 215/2 with the skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara resuming their innings from 45 and 91 respectively. As expected, England opted for the new ball as soon as it was available and tasked James Anderson and Ollie Robinson to come attacking against the Indian duo. The first session, especially the first hour will set the tone for both sides and while batsmen have stabilised tourists to some extent, they are still trailing behind a big margin of 139 runs.

CPL 2021 Preview: Depleted Barbados Royals seek redemption against in-form Jamaica Tallawahs

Jamaica Tallawahs will be up against Barbados Royals on Sunday, August 29 Indian Standard Time in St Kitts. The two teams are in some contrasting form as Barbados have suffered defeats in both the games that they have played with some comprehensive margins while Jamaica batting lineup is in some incredible form having posted 255/5 in 20 overs against Saint Lucia Kings. While the Jamaican team’s top-order was in among runs, it was Andre Russell who showed his power and skills with the bat and went all guns blazing to notch up an unbeaten 50 off 14 that include six maximums. While Tallawahs batsmen did the job, their bowlers too got into action and never let the opposition dominate during the course of the chase. The Kings were bundled out for 135, courtesy of a four-wicket haul from Pretorious and three-for from Imran Khan. Barbados on the other side faced different struggles in both the matches that they have played. While the batsmen haven’t been able to leave a mark, the bowling unit has also failed to capitalise on the starts it has got and eventually failed to put a halt to the scoring rate of the opposition. This was visible during the clash between Barbados and Trinbago Knight Riders where Holder, who had given just 8 runs in his first three overs, went for 22 in his last that included three sixes and a couple of no-balls. Nevertheless, the Royals do have some work but the tournament has just started and they can still make a turnaround. With the kind of batsmen present in both sides, a high-voltage drama can be expected especially after the way Jamaica performed with the willow in the last match. On the other hand, Barbados would be in search of their first win in the tournament. Match Details Match: JT vs BR, 6th Match, Caribbean Premier League 2021 Date: Sunday, August 29, 2021 Time: 12:00 AM (Aug 29) Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Telecast: Star Sports Network, FanCode App Pitch Report The track in St Kitts would have something on offer for the batsmen in the evening match. The pitch might assist the batters to score runs quickly as the game progresses. The dew can also play a factor during the match, so, if you win the toss, bowl first. Probable XI Jamaica Tallawahs – Chadwick Walton, Kennar Lewis, Haider Ali, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russel, Shamarh Brooks, Chris Green, Migael Pretorius, Imran Khan, Veerasammy Permaul. Barbados Royals – Johnson Charles, Glenn Phillips, Shai Hope, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Azam Khan, Thisara Perera, Oshane Thomas, Mohammad Amir, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse. Fantasy XI C Walton, S Hope, G Philips, R Powell, H Ali, J Holder (VC), C Brathwaite, A Russell (C), O Thomas, M Amir, M Pretorius