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That burden has now been laid to rest, leaving Cook with a final opportunity to produce a major Ashes innings, one to add to his 27 Test centuries, an England record.

Cook this week said he considered quitting as skipper during the first Test against the West Indies in April, shortly after being replaced as captain of the one-day side.

England’s all-time leading wicket taker missed the fourth Test with a side strain suffered during his team’s eight-wicket win in the third Test at Edgbaston.

The team’s fast bowlers have reacted wonderfully, as if sending down a thank you note with every ball.

Having won the curtain-raiser match of the current series against India at Galle, the second Test starting at the P Sara Oval on Thursday is one game the Lankans cannot afford to lose.

As Sri Lanka prepare for a memorable farewell for veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara, India will look to regroup and avenge the loss in the first Test when they square up for the second of the three-match series at the P. Sara Oval from Thursday.

In his absence, England regained the Ashes – winning by an innings and 78 runs to take an unassailable 3-1 lead, with just The Oval to come.

Board would write himself into English cricket folklore by bowling out Australia for a meagre 60 runs in their first innings.

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri has showered praise on Sri Lankan veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara who will retire after the 2nd Test match between India and Sri Lanka, BCCI.TV reports.

England’s Ben Stokes, 2nd right, is congratulated by Mark Wood, right, and teammates after catching Australia’s Adam Voges, bowled by England’s Stuart Broad for 1 run during day one of the fourth Ashes Test cricket match, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England.

India continued their fine bowling display and made giant strides towards victory by reducing a clueless Sri Lanka to 108 for five at lunch on the third day of the opening cricket Test here today.

Rahane thus shaded Greg Chappell, Hashan Tillakaratne, Stephen Fleming, Matthew Hayden and compatriot Yajurvindra Singh, all of whom had seven catches. Now I know how to deal with situations when something happens to me.

At lunch, Australia were 14 without loss in their second innings – still 317 runs behind – as England eyed a win that would put them 3-1 up in the five-match series and see them regain the Ashes.

The speed at which Australia succumbed to England’s onslaught made it the quickest any team had been bowled out in the first innings of a test match.

Australian coach Darren Lehmann has brushed off a devastating Ashes series loss with an outing to Britannia Stadium to watch Stoke City against Liverpool in the English Premier League.