Joe Root’s 500-plus runs for England lifted him to second on the all-time test runs list behind only Sachin Tendulkar. Fast bowler Jofra Archer returned after four years with venom and was keen to be available for the year-ending Ashes.

England captain Ben Stokes took his side’s agonising six-run loss to India on the chin at the Kia Oval, accepting a 2-2 draw was the right result for one of the hardest-fought series in memory.Nearly seven weeks of intense battle,