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The highly anticipated five-match Test series between India and England is set to commence on Friday, June 20, at Headingley in Leeds, marking the beginning of both nations’ campaigns in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
India and England set to clash in crucial WTC series opener at Headingley
This series holds added significance for India as it marks a new era under the leadership of Shubman Gill, following the Test retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While England will be hoping to maintain their formidable home record under the aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach, India are relying heavily on the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja with the bat, and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj with the ball to spearhead their challenge.
England, who have won five consecutive Tests at Headingley, will look to extend that record, especially after their emphatic innings-and-76-run victory over India at this very venue last time in 2021. With both sides packed with quality and fresh leadership dynamics, the series is expected to be an explosive battle of skill, temperament, and momentum.
Ben Stokes reveals a proud Hollywood family connection
In a relaxed pre-series outing, Ben Stokes took some of his England teammates for a night out at the movies to watch Final Destination: Bloodlines, the latest addition to the cult horror franchise known for its graphic and suspenseful plot twists. “Final Destination is one of those childhood, sounds a bit rogue, films you watch,” Stokes said, reminiscing about his early memories of the franchise. “Threw it out there if anyone wanted to go and there were seven of us who went down. Interesting watch,”
The atmosphere in the theatre was a mix of fun and fright, particularly for fast bowler Brydon Carse, who according to Stokes, had a tough time containing his nerves during the film. “Carsey’s a very jumpy character. So there were a few moments in there where he flinched a little bit,” Stokes added with a laugh.
However, it wasn’t the film’s gory narrative that left the biggest impression on Stokes. Instead, it was a surprising personal revelation prompted by a movie trailer that aired before the feature.
Stokes described the moment he saw a trailer for an upcoming movie titled ‘Together’, and was stunned to see the credits flash: “Written and directed by Michael Shanks,” Intrigued and caught off guard, Stokes immediately turned to his phone. “I was like, no, it can’t be. So I googled the film and it’s my cousin who has written and directed the film and I did not know this until the film came out,” he said, visibly proud. “He was studying film and doing all this kind of stuff. And now he’s made a Hollywood film. That’s what I got out of Final Destination: I realised that my cousin has directed and written a film that’s meant to be very, very good. Pretty proud moment there,”
In a moment of humility and humor, Stokes concluded by acknowledging his cousin’s achievement with a smile: “I might be the ‘cousin of’ if he takes off and makes some big movies,” While Stokes leads his team into a defining Test series that will be watched across cricketing nations, this unexpected Hollywood connection added a touch of cinematic serendipity to England’s preparations. Whether on the field or off it, Stokes seems poised for big moments, just like the ones that play out on the silver screen.
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