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Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket ahead of England's huge third Test against India at Lord's.
Before the first day of the third Test at Lord's, RICHARD GIBSON discusses an ongoing battle between Yorkshiremen, Rishabh Pant's frustration at the Test balls and India's head coach Gautam Gambhir cracking a rare smile.
Battle of the Yorkshiremen
Harry Brook will walk out at Lord’s on Thursday as Test cricket’s No 1 batsman, replacing his fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root at the top of the world rankings.
Brook's 158 against India at Edgbaston last week - the ninth hundred of his career, but only second on home soil - triggered the latest flip.
The 26-year-old first hit the summit last December after striking an audacious 123 plus 55 in a huge win over New Zealand in Wellington.
Root regained his supremacy a week later, but a six-month reign came to an end in Birmingham when, during a triple century stand with Jamie Smith, Brook briefly went past another famous Yorkie, surpassing Herbert Sutcliffe's England-high Test career average of 60.73 shortly before being castled in Akash Deep's second new-ball spell.
Harry Brook is back at the top of the Test batting rankings, replacing Yorkshireman Joe Root
Root's six-month reign came to an end in Birmingham after Brook hit a century against India
Rishabh Pant, India's vice-captain, says he has never seen so many balls replaced in a series
However, the pair will soon have another challenger breathing down their necks, it seems.
India captain Shubman Gill has surged up to sixth after stacking up 585 runs in just two matches.
Rishabh Pant picks on 'irritating' balls
Rishabh Pant, India's vice-captain, says he has never seen so many balls being replaced in a series, branding the constant interruptions to check whether they have gone out of shape 'irritating.'
Checks by the umpires have been a regular feature of the matches in Leeds and Birmingham.
England captain Ben Stokes even questioned whether the universal rings used by the officials to determine their spherical nature of otherwise were suitable for both the Dukes balls used in this country and the rival Kookaburra which is the staple of overseas Tests.
Pant said: 'I think the ring can be the same for both the balls. But in this series, what I've seen, the ball is getting de-shaped too much. That has never happened before.
Ben Stokes even questioned whether the universal rings used by the officials were suitable
Ex-England captain David Gower is selling a collection of his career memorabilia via eBay
'It's definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays differently. Because when it becomes softer, sometimes it's not doing too much, but as soon as they change the ball, it starts to do enough.'
ECB pleased with diversity drive
A third of the England Under-19 Test squad to face their Indian counterparts at Beckenham from this Saturday are from South Asian backgrounds.
The ECB are extremely pleased with the development, seven years after they launched Cricket Unleashed - an action plan to improve engagement with British Asian communities.
Hamza Shaikh, of Warwickshire, returns as captain after spending last winter with England Lions.
England have named 15 players for the first Test, but will pick a new squad for the second match in Chelmsford from July 20-23 following consultation with the counties, who will have a say in whether the likes of Shaikh, Archie Vaughan, the man who took the armband in South Africa earlier this year, and Rocky Flintoff are better served representing their country or playing first-class cricket.
David Gower's bats for £1,000 a pop
Ex-England captain David Gower, 68, is selling a collection of his career memorabilia via eBay auction this month.
Amongst more than 100 items on the online site are several bats used by England's fifth most prolific Test run scorer - available at a reserve price of £1,000 apiece.
Ashley Giles has written his own autobiography. It is titled The King of Spain and I himself
Jofra Archer has been named in England's Test side at Lord's for the first time in four years
There is also a bat signed by members of both teams from 1981's Botham Ashes, starting at £500, and Gower's debut MCC winter tour blazer from 1978-79.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott, two rungs below Gower on the ladder of most prolific players, made more than £200,000 when Christie's, of London, ran a three-week auction five years ago.
The King of Spain... and Warwickshire
Ashley Giles is releasing an autobiography with a twist this month.
The twist being that unlike the majority of former international sportsmen, Giles has written The King of Spain and I himself.
The July 28 publication date coincides with the 20th anniversary of the 2005 Ashes - a series in which Giles, now 52, was ever present.
It is set to chart the events of that seismic summer in the words of a man who suffered from imposter syndrome as an emerging player.
Battling that, he finished up with 116 international caps, had a strained time as England's director of cricket and is currently chief executive of Worcestershire.
Gautam Gambhir has had few reasons to change his grumpy persona since replacing Dravid
The King of Spain title comes from the height of Giles' fame as a player when Warwickshire sold mugs in tribute to their, er, king of spin. He never lived down the misprint.
Gautam Gambhir cracks a rare smile
Gautam Gambhir has had few reasons to change his grumpy persona since replacing Rahul Dravid as India's head coach a year ago.
The first Rothesay Test at Headingley represented his seventh defeat in 11 matches during that period.
But his spirits have clearly been lifted by the landslide win over England at Edgbaston.
Photographers even had pictures of him smiling as India practised on the nursery ground yesterday - rare birds indeed.
