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By Beth Rigby, political editor
Jul 17
Starmer is replaced as Labour leader today - and there is some trepidation as he leaves

That he chose to spend his last full day as his party's leader in Kyiv – he will be back in London shortly before Andy Burnham succeeds him later – is befitting of a prime minister who saw resetting Britain's place on the world stage as one of his crowning achievements. Burnham to become Labour leader - follow live For Starmer, Ukraine has been of particular importance. He, together with Emmanuel Macron, set up the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine as the US stepped back and the EU struggled to step up and lead the charge due to divisions in the bloc. For a prime minister wanting to secure his legacy before being booted out of office after just two years, there was a point in making a trip to Kyiv his final public act. Do allies fear change of leadership? When Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the gardens of the presidential palace in the centre of Kyiv, awarded Starmer Ukraine's Order of Freedom, the PM looked close to tears. It was his second international honour of the week after he was given the Legion d'honneur following a final summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Monday. Starmer might not have been much liked at home, but among these leaders, he has been an ally and friend, and there is trepidation as he leaves. Zelenskyy, when I asked him about these concerns about a new prime minister at the news conference in the gardens of the presidential palace, admitted that, of course, he was "afraid" of a change of leadership. Starmer, for his part, insisted that while he was standing down, the UK's support for Ukraine would endure. "I would not have said what I said to President Zelenskyy, which is really important, if I wasn't confident about what I was saying," he told me when I asked him if he had assurances from Andy Burnham about support for Ukraine. "I believe Ukraine will win this war." This was his final act as PM, and our conversation on the stands of a football ground where war veterans had been playing a match was his final interview as prime minister. Starmer did not want to leave office and had insisted, even days before he announced he was standing down, that he would fight on. Instead, having taken the party to victory in 2024, he is being turfed out of office after two years, with a party convinced that he is a winner no more. He could be forgiven for feeling bitter, aggrieved, angry. But the Starmer I encountered in our interview was none of those. He seems to have come to terms, for now, with his fate, clear that while it was not what he wanted, his party had decided that he was not the right leader to take them into the next general election, and he had accepted that with "good grace". Rejected by the party, he took the decision to end his own political career rather than fight a bloody leadership battle (which he would almost certainly have lost) and step down. He told me he took that decision with just his wife Vic and their children, and he did it because it was in the best interests of the country. 'I go with pride' But where he is impervious is around his own record. If his downfall was brought about through a toxic mix of bad decision-making – sending Peter Mandelson to Washington; cuts to winter fuel; poor party management (see welfare reform); the boys' club briefings; and an inability to set out a clear vision, how many resets were there? - and a beating at the ballot box in the local elections; he was not here to admit that. "I go with pride," he said as he told me he had "saved the Labour Party" and made it electable again. I did do enough to prepare for office (his former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, said the opposite last week) and set the groundwork for Burnham to go on and win the next general election, he insisted. Read more from Sky News:Under-16s to be banned from buying energy drinksEleven children killed in orphanage fire On the other side of the coin, his political career ends in failure. He had a landslide and a five-year term that he lost because he lost the backing of his party. For a politician who admits he "hates losing to anyone", this must be very painful. It is perhaps too soon after the drama of his downfall for Starmer to talk more openly about what he regrets and where he went wrong. But where he did open up more was when it came to his family, as he gave a very open and honest account of the toll the job has taken on his wife and his kids. "Through every step she (Vic) has been with me, the good, the bad... the really low moments, when somebody tried to burn our family house down, when my brother died, and the last few months, which haven't been easy." He told me that his two teenage children, who have grown up with their father at the top of British politics, want him back, and he clearly means it when he says he takes comfort in swapping the biggest job in Britain for the most important one – being a husband to his wife Vic and a dad to his two teenage kids. It is the side of Starmer – be it joking at PMQs on Wednesday or talking so openly about the choices he made and his motivations – that we haven't seen so much during his years as PM, and it is perhaps a side of him that might have garnered a more sympathetic hearing from a public and a party that have rejected him. He was, after all, a hugely successful election winner who struggled in office. But as he leaves Ukraine and returns home, Starmer will hope that history will judge him more kindly than his party did.

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Bethany Minelle, arts and entertainment reporter
Jul 16
Jesy Nelson welcomes plans to test newborns for debilitating muscle-wasting condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy

The test will be offered as part of the routine heel prick test already carried out on babies shortly after birth. It's part of an evaluation programme which will inform future recommendations on testing newborns by the UK National Screening Committee. The condition has been brought to national attention in part by singer and former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson, who announced her twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, had been diagnosed with the condition at the start of this year. She has said their diagnosis means they are unlikely ever to be able to walk or regain their neck strength. Nelson welcomed the rollout, calling it "a day of hope". She said: "After years of campaigning, it means so much to see the heel prick test for SMA begin rolling out from October, with implementation continuing throughout 2027 until every newborn screening laboratory across the UK is offering the test. "Knowing that future families will have access to early diagnosis and the opportunity for the best possible outcomes is something I'm incredibly proud to have supported. "This is a victory for every family affected by SMA. Whilst it can't change the future of our children, I know it marks the beginning of a brighter future for future SMA families. Every baby's life matters." 'A hugely important step forward' Nelson has previously called the screening study "a postcode lottery," flagging that it would "only cover 72% of England". In an Instagram post last month, she said: "That means some babies won't be screened simply because of where they live. A postcode lottery like that just isn't fair." Speaking to Sky News' The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee earlier this year, Nelson said she had taken the twins to the GP three times because they weren't feeding properly but was told: "They are absolutely fine". She said it was her mum who finally recognised the signs, eventually leading them to a diagnosis and treatment. Health Secretary James Murray said: "No parent should have to watch their child lose the ability to move or breathe, knowing that earlier treatment could have made all the difference." Giles Lomax, chief executive officer of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) UK, said: "We are delighted to see the confirmation that the remaining six screening laboratories will begin screening from October 2027. This demonstrates a clear commitment to making newborn screening available across England. "No family should face a postcode lottery when it comes to a condition where every day without treatment can lead to irreversible loss of motor neurons." Aoife Regan, director of impact and charitable programmes at Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, said: "Early diagnosis can be life-changing. With effective treatments now available, identifying SMA before symptoms appear gives babies the best chance of timely treatment and can help prevent irreversible disease progression. "At Great Ormond Street Hospital, teams provide specialist and wraparound care for children with SMA and their families following what is often a devastating diagnosis. Screening has the potential to transform that journey for future families." Babies in Scotland have been offered the test since March. What is SMA? SMA is a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and loss of movement and can affect a child's ability to breathe and swallow. It can leave babies unable to sit up, crawl or walk. It's estimated that around 70 babies are born with the condition each year in the UK, with SMA often grouped into types based on the age at which symptoms begin and how it affects sitting, standing and walking. According to the NHS, around 1,150 people in England are living with SMA types one, two, or three. There is currently no cure for SMA, but early treatment can delay the progressive nature of the illness and help children live longer.

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No Writer
Jul 17
Burnham to become Labour leader today - and urged to make Miliband chancellor

The Labour peer repeated an earlier call that the energy secretary should be moved into Number 11 amid reports the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is now the favourite to replace Rachel Reeves. Burnham to become Labour leader - follow live Speaking on Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said Mr Miliband "knows the Treasury", having worked as an adviser to Gordon Brown when he was chancellor, and "could actually hit the ground running in the most important job". But she insisted Mr Burnham - who becomes Labour leader today - must have "political breadth" in his cabinet to keep the Labour Party together and "regional reflection" in his top team. "You can't have all your cabinet members from London or all your cabinet members be from the North West. He's got to have a gender balance. You can't have the old boys' network where women don't get a look in. But above all, he's got to have people who can get on and do the job for him," she said. The former cabinet minister also warned those appointed not to head off on holiday over the summer and said they should be in "their departments and sweating it out [...] because they have got to hit the ground running". "At the end of the day, when you're a cabinet minister, when you're prime minister, you've just got to be on the job the whole time. And I think if it looks like an energetic, purposeful, committed team who's dealing with all the problems the country's got, while all the rest of us go on holiday, I think that's how it should be," she said. Harman: Burnham must root out sexual harassment Baroness Harman said the incoming PM also needs a "drive" to stamp out sexual harassment and bullying in a similar way to how Sir Keir Starmer tackled antisemitism when he became leader. Various female ministers and MPs have complained about misogynistic briefings and a so-called "boys club" operating inside Labour. Read more from Sky News:Beth Rigby on Starmer's exit as PM Baroness Harman also called for a crackdown on misogyny and sexual harassment in Westminster. She said that government and parliament "need to set an example of being a decent workplace". "The women members of the Parliamentary Labour Party have over the years been driving forward the argument that there's got to be protection against sexual harassment for young women staffers, women researchers, and also indeed women MPs," she said. "And [they are] trying to improve the system so that you tackle the impunity of those at the top to carry on like this." Baroness Harman pointed to Sir Keir's drive to tackle antisemitism at all levels of the Labour Party and said: "I think what's been called for is a similar drive about how men in power treat women in the party."

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No Writer
Jul 17
Thomas Tuchel: England boss defends tactics against Argentina and blames English football's 'DNA' for World Cup exit

Tuchel has been heavily criticised in the aftermath of the semi-final loss in Atlanta, accused of negative tactics which turned the game in Argentina's favour, and turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 defeat. Neville: I won't lump in on Tuchel - England have had same issues for yearsThomas Tuchel vows to stay on as criticism of England's tactics mountsHow Thomas Tuchel's changes spectacularly backfiredReport | As it happened | Teams | Stats | Knockout bracket But now, the head coach has chimed back, saying that it wasn't his formation that was wrong in Atlanta; the problem instead is a weakness in the English football "DNA" which means the players struggle to keep possession when under pressure. "In this moment my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us," Tuchel said. "Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough, we didn't stop runners arriving in our box and the deliveries were wrong too. "I haven't seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically. We couldn't find any duels anymore; that's why we dropped deeper and deeper. It was never the plan, but it happened. "[We] couldn't stop the runners from the second line, the midfielders, through our gaps, and the deliveries were on the highest level. You need to get back on the ball; otherwise you cannot break the pressure, and you cannot get the momentum back. "I think ball possession plays a crucial role; it's maybe not in our DNA like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian-Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball." One of England's best players in tight spaces is Kobbie Mainoo, who hasn't played a single minute at this tournament. And Tuchel decided to leave arguably England's most technically gifted footballer, Phil Foden, out of his World Cup squad altogether. Tuchel is adamant that switching to a back five with more than 30 minutes still to play when England were a goal up was not a negative step. Seventeen minutes after Anthony Gordon's goal, he was substituted for Ezri Konsa. Tuchel says that should have helped his players deal with the increased threat he was seeing from Argentina. "We just get too passive within our structure and try to help. Not to help in a back five, to become more passive, but actually to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, to not open up the gaps in between the back four. We encourage everyone to step out and to be more active within the structure, but we just struggle." England have clocked up more air miles than any other team at the World Cup, covering 14,365 miles in five weeks. Tuchel says that, together with the extreme conditions at the tournament, also took its toll on the players. "We struggled a bit physically as well, I think, over the whole tournament, playing in the heat, playing at an altitude, playing with a man down and so on. It cost us in the end a lot." Nevertheless, Tuchel says he has seen enough from the players to believe that they can still win a major tournament whilst he is in charge. Sky Sports News understands the FA are not considering Tuchel's position and as of now, he is set to be in charge for Euro 2028 after signing a two-year contract extension before the World Cup, and he says his appetite for the job has not diminished. "One hundred per cent, and there's still enough to improve, still enough to improve and I'm more than happy to do that. "I still think we can impose ourselves more on the ball, I still think we can still show how good football players we are. I think it's still in us because I see it in training in every camp and here also in the World Cup and I still feel there is an extra level that we need to conquer and we need to step up on the next level and then to get the big prize." Is DNA really the problem? England's 2014 DNA philosophy set out a blueprint for developing future national teams from youth level upwards. Built around five pillars-identity, playing style, player development, coaching and support-it aimed to create technically gifted, tactically intelligent, physically resilient and psychologically strong players. The framework promoted possession-based, adaptable football, consistent coaching methods, pride in representing England and multidisciplinary support through sports science, psychology, analysis and nutrition. Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett: "There is a fair comment that England's players, when they are under pressure, don't keep the ball well enough. "It's ironic that Tuchel has used the phrase 'England's DNA' - It's exactly the phrase that Dan Ashworth, England's Chief Football Officer, used all those years ago. "If you look at the FA's 'DNA' - a plan that they introduced in 2014 about how England's teams would play from junior football, right through to the senior team - they addressed the England DNA 12 years ago. "One of two things has happened here. Either the DNA programme has completely failed, I'm not convinced that it has, or Thomas Tuchel is wrong; they can't both be true." Why wasn't Mainoo picked and do England have a midfield problem? Analysis from Sky Sports' Peter Smith: It's a familiar manner of exit for England with a familiar problem at the heart of it: England don't have midfield players who can control a football match. Or at least, they don't have any Tuchel was willing to select. What was the point of taking Kobbie Mainoo to this World Cup? He hasn't got on for a single minute. The 21-year-old - a starter in the Euro 2024 final, don't forget - played a key role in Man Utd's upturn in form in the second half of the Premier League season. Among midfield regulars, only Spain and Man City star Rodri had a better passing accuracy in the opposition half than Mainoo during that period. How England could have done with some of that composure in the final half an hour against Argentina, when they gave up possession and territory to try to hang on. Against Mexico, even with the caveat of having a man less, and against Norway, England were unable to get on the ball and keep it to ease the pressure on their backline. Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice were understandably first-choice for this tournament, but Tuchel turned to Reece James, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers when replacements were required in the centre of the pitch ahead of Mainoo. If Mainoo isn't his man, then that's the coach's call. But unless Tuchel can find a solution in midfield to England's age-old problem, he'll go on getting the same outcomes.Peter Smith

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No Writer
Jul 17
Man charged with assisting Iranian intelligence service, Met Police says

Vahid Aberi, 39, of Liverpool, was arrested on Wednesday in the Birmingham area by Counter Terrorism Police officers on suspicion of an offence under section 3 of the National Security Act. Aberi was taken to a West Midlands police station, with officers carrying out searches at addresses in Liverpool and Birmingham. Follow Iran War latest: Seven reported dead in latest US strikes He was subsequently charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service by the Crown Prosecution Service. Police said the investigation relates to Iran. Aberi was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said officers have not identified any specific threats in connection with the investigation. "We have seen a significant and sustained increase in the tempo of our work in national security investigations in recent years," she said. "This case is yet another example of where we've intervened to disrupt suspected activity linked to foreign intelligence services. "While we can't comment in detail around the allegations now that a man has been charged, I do want to reassure the public that we have not identified any direct threat to them nor any threat towards a community or individual in connection with this investigation."

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No Writer
Jul 16
Jurassic Park star Sam Neill died from pneumonia, agent says

The family of the New Zealand actor announced his "sudden and unexpected" death at a Sydney hospital on Monday aged 78, prompting tributes to flood in from around the world. Neill, who was best known for his starring roles in the dinosaur franchise and The Piano but appeared in more than 50 films during his career, had been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022. After taking a short break from his acting career, which saw him become one of New Zealand's most successful Hollywood exports, Neill announced in April that he was cancer-free. His agent Philip Grenz said he was sharing the cause of death with the permission of Neill's family and following reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods". "Sam passed away from pneumonia," Mr Grenz said on Thursday. "Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy." CAR-T therapy is a form of immunotherapy based on an individual's T cells and is used for several types of blood cancer. He said Neill had filmed four projects "back-to-back" during the past year that are due to be released in the coming months. "As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honour him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date," he said. Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland, has been celebrated as one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation, who traversed Hollywood blockbusters and art house dramas. Since his death was announced, tributes have continued to flow for the actor, from prime ministers to film industry giants. Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two Jurassic Park films, said: "Sam was exceptionally collaborative". "I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. "Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world." In her tribute, Dern said: "Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr Alan Grant." Goldblum said: "The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever." Filmmaker Taika Waititi, who directed Neill in one of his best-loved New Zealand films Hunt For The Wilderpeople, penned an Instagram tribute on Wednesday. "So long, my dear friend. You are so loved and will be sorely missed by us all," he said. "Even though you didn't even remember it, I still think your best work is when you explain space travel by poking a pen through a piece of paper in Event Horizon (also the awesome eyes bit), and playing the antichrist, Damien Thorn, in Omen 3. I'm not sure what other roles you did, but whatever." He added "Love you and see you soon, sweet Nigel", in a reference to Neill's birth name, which he said he had changed to Sam at school because there were too many Nigels in his class. Read more from Sky News:Ed Sheeran inspires £12.5m music education schemeScott Mills was BBC's highest earner before sacking Neill was one of a raft of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s. Following breakthrough roles in low-budget 1977 New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs and the 1979 Australian film My Brilliant Career, he went on to find blockbuster fame in 1993 hit Jurassic Park, as palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant. In more recent years, Neill won acclaim for his portrayal of the ruthless and corrupt senior police officer Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders. Neill, who was married twice, divided his later years between Australia and his vineyard in New Zealand's Central Otago, which produced wine under the label Two Paddocks. He is survived by his two sons and two daughters.

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By Beth Rigby, political editor
Jul 17
Starmer is replaced as Labour leader today - and there is some trepidation as he leaves

That he chose to spend his last full day as his party's leader in Kyiv – he will be back in London shortly before Andy Burnham succeeds him later – is befitting of a prime minister who saw resetting Britain's place on the world stage as one of his crowning achievements. Burnham to become Labour leader - follow live For Starmer, Ukraine has been of particular importance. He, together with Emmanuel Macron, set up the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine as the US stepped back and the EU struggled to step up and lead the charge due to divisions in the bloc. For a prime minister wanting to secure his legacy before being booted out of office after just two years, there was a point in making a trip to Kyiv his final public act. Do allies fear change of leadership? When Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the gardens of the presidential palace in the centre of Kyiv, awarded Starmer Ukraine's Order of Freedom, the PM looked close to tears. It was his second international honour of the week after he was given the Legion d'honneur following a final summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Monday. Starmer might not have been much liked at home, but among these leaders, he has been an ally and friend, and there is trepidation as he leaves. Zelenskyy, when I asked him about these concerns about a new prime minister at the news conference in the gardens of the presidential palace, admitted that, of course, he was "afraid" of a change of leadership. Starmer, for his part, insisted that while he was standing down, the UK's support for Ukraine would endure. "I would not have said what I said to President Zelenskyy, which is really important, if I wasn't confident about what I was saying," he told me when I asked him if he had assurances from Andy Burnham about support for Ukraine. "I believe Ukraine will win this war." This was his final act as PM, and our conversation on the stands of a football ground where war veterans had been playing a match was his final interview as prime minister. Starmer did not want to leave office and had insisted, even days before he announced he was standing down, that he would fight on. Instead, having taken the party to victory in 2024, he is being turfed out of office after two years, with a party convinced that he is a winner no more. He could be forgiven for feeling bitter, aggrieved, angry. But the Starmer I encountered in our interview was none of those. He seems to have come to terms, for now, with his fate, clear that while it was not what he wanted, his party had decided that he was not the right leader to take them into the next general election, and he had accepted that with "good grace". Rejected by the party, he took the decision to end his own political career rather than fight a bloody leadership battle (which he would almost certainly have lost) and step down. He told me he took that decision with just his wife Vic and their children, and he did it because it was in the best interests of the country. 'I go with pride' But where he is impervious is around his own record. If his downfall was brought about through a toxic mix of bad decision-making – sending Peter Mandelson to Washington; cuts to winter fuel; poor party management (see welfare reform); the boys' club briefings; and an inability to set out a clear vision, how many resets were there? - and a beating at the ballot box in the local elections; he was not here to admit that. "I go with pride," he said as he told me he had "saved the Labour Party" and made it electable again. I did do enough to prepare for office (his former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, said the opposite last week) and set the groundwork for Burnham to go on and win the next general election, he insisted. Read more from Sky News:Under-16s to be banned from buying energy drinksEleven children killed in orphanage fire On the other side of the coin, his political career ends in failure. He had a landslide and a five-year term that he lost because he lost the backing of his party. For a politician who admits he "hates losing to anyone", this must be very painful. It is perhaps too soon after the drama of his downfall for Starmer to talk more openly about what he regrets and where he went wrong. But where he did open up more was when it came to his family, as he gave a very open and honest account of the toll the job has taken on his wife and his kids. "Through every step she (Vic) has been with me, the good, the bad... the really low moments, when somebody tried to burn our family house down, when my brother died, and the last few months, which haven't been easy." He told me that his two teenage children, who have grown up with their father at the top of British politics, want him back, and he clearly means it when he says he takes comfort in swapping the biggest job in Britain for the most important one – being a husband to his wife Vic and a dad to his two teenage kids. It is the side of Starmer – be it joking at PMQs on Wednesday or talking so openly about the choices he made and his motivations – that we haven't seen so much during his years as PM, and it is perhaps a side of him that might have garnered a more sympathetic hearing from a public and a party that have rejected him. He was, after all, a hugely successful election winner who struggled in office. But as he leaves Ukraine and returns home, Starmer will hope that history will judge him more kindly than his party did.

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No Writer
Jul 16
India vs England: Joe Root scores unbeaten 99 to secure series-levelling four-wicket victory in Cardiff

The sparkling innings of Virat Kohli (65 off 66) and Shreyas Iyer (66 off 71) were not enough to fight off a blistering pace attack that took seven Indian wickets for just 55 runs, with Jofra Archer (3-47) and Gus Atkinson (3-50) starring for an England side that struggled without enough seamers in their series-opening loss at Edgbaston. The composed Root, though, settled England's nerves after they fell to 125-5, putting on a 72-run stand with Will Jacks (30), and was able to see his side home alongside Gus Atkinson (23no), reaching their target of 234 with 5.5 overs to spare. England's win ends a six-game ODI losing streak against India and sets up a blockbuster series finale in the third and final match at Lord's on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 11am. Scorecard: England secure four-wicket victory over IndiaAs it happened in the second ODI at Sophia GardensStream England cricket and more contract-free with NOWListen to episodes of the Sky Sports Cricket PodcastClassy Root leads England to victory to keep series alive India captain Shubman Gill (31) looked in fine fettle after making 80 in Birmingham on Tuesday, but was dismissed by a brilliant Duckett catch. Fellow opener Rohit Sharma (26) - dropped by Atkinson on five - was eventually sent packing by Will Jacks (1-21) after putting on a fifty stand with the purposeful Kohli, with wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan (1) falling to Sam Curran (1-23) caught and bowled swiftly afterwards. Kohli then paired brilliantly with Shreyas as the two shared a 67-run partnership, but sliced a poor shot off Archer straight to Adil Rashid on the boundary, triggering an avalanche of important wickets that saw Washington Sundar (2), Axar Patel (1) and Shivam Dube (0) dismissed for 12 runs, with Patel and Dube falling in successive Archer deliveries to leave India reeling at 193-7 having been 178-3. The determined Shreyas hung in, aided by cameos from Jasprit Bumrah (20no) and Gurnoor Brar (7), but the T20 skipper was eventually subject to a tame dismissal from Atkinson, and was swiftly followed by Prasidh Krishna (0) just three balls later as India were skittled with six overs to spare, with a well below par score of 234 to defend. England, though, were rattled instantly as opening pair Duckett (0) - who Bumrah nicked off with the first ball of the innings - and Bethell (4) were both caught behind to leave England 8-2, before skipper Harry Brook (16) top-edged to Kishan after a flurry of unorthodox shots in the 11th over. The wickets of Curran (25) and Jos Buttler (17) left the game in the balance at 125-5 after 25 overs with Jacks the only recognised batter left for England. But the ever-reliable Root - one run away from his 62nd international century, which would have taken him level with South Africa legend Jacques Kallis - resisted Indian pressure to lead his team to a win and add another masterful innings to his glorious career. Root: The best feeling in cricket England's Player of the Match Joe Root: "In those conditions, on that pitch, to be there at the end and get the job done is probably the best feeling you can get in cricket. "[I was left on 99] but that is not what you play for. You play to win games and this series is very much alive. "It was difficult to bat in the whole game. We did a brilliant job to peg India back and that allowed us to bat time and soak up pressure. "I thought we did that well as a whole. Sometimes you need to win scrappy and ugly and we now go to Lord's with everything to play for." England vs India results and fixtures All times UK and Ireland, all games live on Sky Sports First T20 (Durham) - Match abandonedSecond T20 (Old Trafford) - England won by four wicketsThird T20 (Trent Bridge) - England won by 125 runsFourth T20 (Bristol) - England won by nine wicketsFifth T20 (Southampton) - England won by 56 runsFirst ODI (Edgbaston - India win by six wicketsSecond ODI (Cardiff) - England win by four wicketsThird ODI (Lord's) - Sunday July 19 (11am)

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