Root has not won any of his three Ashes series in charge, despite All-rounder Chris Woakes has backed Joe Root to stay on as England's Test captain. "Joe is a great cricketer with a great cricketing mind. Hopefully he can continue," Woakes told BBC Sport.

KL Rahul, while addressing a press conference on Friday, was asked in Rohit Sharma's absence whether India would find it difficult to manage the workload of their bowlers if they only make four-attack. KL RAHUL: "I think more teams have started playing [five bowlers] because, you know, every team wants to take 20 wickets, and that's the only way you can win a Test match," he added . "We've definitely used that strategy, and it's helped us in every Test match we've played outside India. I think with five bowlers the workload also becomes a little bit easier, and when you have That kind of quality is there, so you can use that too."

Tom Latham has been named the captain of New Zealand for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, while regular captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the match due to an elbow injury. Squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Will Young

ICC Rankings: Marnus Labuschagne named No.1 Test batsman Earlier this title was with England captain Root, he was at number one since August this year. Root has now slipped to second in the standings, with Labuschagne's teammate Steve Smith, New Zealand's Kane Williamson and India's Rohit Sharma making the top five.

India spinner Ashwin spoke about how much he prepares for his cricket, his physique is not the most athletic, and he has suffered a fair share of injuries since childhood. R Ashwin: I want to focus on how you prepare for a big series because I believe you are one of the best prepared cricketers in the world. I remember you once said that it is easy for someone like Ravindra Jadeja, who is such a natural athlete, to bowl and bowl 30 overs in a day, whereas someone like you has to fight with his body. When does your preparation for the series start?

Archer 26, had surgery to correct a stress fracture in London on 11 December and was ruled out of the home summer, including the high-profile Test series against India. The England and Wales Cricket Board said Archer would not be available for the rest of England's winter series.

Australia name unchanged squad for remainder of Ashes series New Zealand to return to Pakistan twice in 2022-23 after abandoned 2021 tour