Allan Lamb

At the fourth India-England Test in Mumbai to be played from December 8 to 12, Lamb - who has traded his cricketing gear for a formal wear now - will be in attendance escorting a group of about 50 tourists.

"It's just a case of poor preparation. England go to Australia and play two First-Class games and then get hammered in the first Test. So it's imperative that the preparation has to be spot on when you are going out of your comfort zone," Allan Lamb told TOI during an exclusive chat.

Former English batsman Allan Lamb has said that though Sachin Tendulkar was a brilliant cricketer, Australian captain Ricky Ponting was closely chasing his world record.

Rubbishing Lillee's claims that Australia have a better bowling attack and will win back the Ashes, Allan Lamb termed the statement as 'absolute nonsense'.

Jofra Archer's initiation into the England set-up on Thursday was not the first time a 'foreigner' has played a World Cup game for England. Born in Barbados to a Bajan father and an English mother, Archer even played for the West Indies Under-19 team before switching sides.

England will hope that Jason Roy brings his white-ball form into the Tests when they face Australia in the Ashes opener at Birmingham from Thursday. Roy’s credentials in the shorter formats of the game are unquestionable and the recently-concluded World Cup was a validation of that — scoring 443 runs from 7 innings at an impressive average of 63.29.

Former England skipper Allan Lamb, who represented the Three Lions in 79 Tests and 122 ODIs, believes Cook's side will not have it easy as the series heads to Visakhapatnam for the second game.

The pitch was a talking point in the first two England-India Tests. With the series tied 1-1 – the focus now shifts to the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad which will host the third and fourth Test. Yet again, the wicket has come into prominence.

India haven't tasted success in a Test series in England since 2007, when Rahul Dravid & Co. triumphed 1-0 against the hosts. On their previous two tours to England in 2011 and 2014, they were in fact on the receiving end of 0-4 and 1-3 drubbings respectively.

There may be many brilliant innings, a dozen batting cameos that still inspire awe, but do you remember five unforgettable deliveries that changed the course of these WC matches?

Allan Lamb, the former England cricketer, declared Sachin Tendulkar as the best Indian batter, even placing him above Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli. Lamb humorously recalls dropping Tendulkar early in his career, jokingly claiming responsibility for his success.

Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain, successfully won a libel case in London against England cricketers Ian Botham and Allan Lamb in 1996. They accused him of calling them "uneducated racists" and ball-tampering. The court ruled in Imran's favour, and Botham and Lamb had to cover court costs of £500,000.

Australia clinched their first World Cup title 37 years ago, defeating England by seven runs in a thrilling final at Eden Gardens. David Boon's 75 and Mike Valetta's quickfire 45 propelled Australia to 253/5. England's chase was dented by crucial wickets, leading to a nail-biting finish.

If England wants to prevent Andrew Flintoff from drifting off, they should make him a part of team management, suggested former player Allan Lamb.

Cheteshwar Pujara on Monday entered an exclusive club when he came in to bat during the Day 5 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka underway at Eden Gardens.

As per indications, Ben Stokes will also play the next match even though the two other pace bowling all-rounders Sam Curran and Chris Woakes have won Man of the Match awards in the first two Tests against India.

Cricket matches between England and Pakistan have often been a fraught affair, with rows over umpiring, ball-tampering, abandoned fixtures and a spot-fixing scandal all contributing to a tense relationship.

Lifelong United fan Rory McIlroy is thrilled at the prospect of playing alongside three of his Old Trafford heroes in PGA Championship pro-am at Wentworth.

World number 16 Graeme McDowell has withdrawn from next week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth because he wants to spend time with his wife Kristen who is expecting their first child.

Former England skipper Allan Lamb, who represented the Three Lions in 79 Tests and 122 ODIs, believes Cook's side will not have it easy as the series heads to Visakhapatnam for the second game.