The three-match ODI series between England and India resumes at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday, with the tourists holding a 1-0 lead.

Having ended a miserable run of results with a commanding six-wicket win at Edgbaston, Shubman Gill's side can seal the series with a game to spare, while England must win to force a decider at Lord's on Sunday.

The picturesque Welsh venue, home to Glamorgan, has staged international cricket since 1999 and hosted marquee events including the 1999 World Cup, the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy, and the 2019 World Cup.

As both sides prepare for a pivotal contest, the record books at Sophia Gardens make for fascinating reading.

The Sporting News brings you the pitch report, key ODI records, and everything you need to know about the venue in the 50-over format.

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Sophia Gardens pitch report: Is it a batting or bowling wicket in Cardiff?

The pitch at Sophia Gardens offers a fair contest between bat and ball. Fast bowlers can extract swing and bounce early, especially under cloudy skies, before the surface slows and spinners come into play as the innings progresses.

The record slightly favors the chasing side. India themselves illustrated the point in the venue's most recent India fixture, and both sides will factor the toss carefully into their thinking on Thursday.

What is the average ODI score at Sophia Gardens?

Sophia Gardens has generally been a ground for competitive rather than colossal totals, with a score around 280 to 300 considered par. The venue has, however, produced several 300-plus totals in high-profile fixtures.

The most recent ODI here underlined its scoring potential. In June 2025, the West Indies posted 308 before England chased it down, reaching 312 for 7 to complete one of the higher successful pursuits seen at the ground.

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Highest score by a team at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

The highest team total at the venue is England's 386 for 6, posted against Bangladesh during the 2019 World Cup. England won that contest by 106 runs, and the total remains comfortably clear of their own 342 for 8 against Australia in 2018.

Lowest score by a team at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

The lowest completed team total is Afghanistan's 125 all out against South Africa during the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka features next on the list, having twice been dismissed cheaply here, for 136 and 138, both against New Zealand.

Highest individual score at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

The individual batting record belongs to England's Joe Root, whose unbeaten 166 against West Indies in June 2025 powered a memorable chase. Jason Roy's 153 against Bangladesh in 2019 and Shaun Marsh's 131 for Australia in 2018 sit next on the list.

Most runs at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

Root also leads the run-scoring charts at the ground, having amassed 469 runs in 11 matches at an average of 46.90. Jos Buttler is close behind with 443 runs from 10 games, while Jason Roy is third with 407 runs across just five appearances.

Most wickets at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

England's Adil Rashid holds the record for the most wickets at the venue, claiming 14 in seven matches between 2016 and 2025 at an economy of 6.19. Liam Plunkett is second with 12 wickets, with Pakistan's Hasan Ali third on 10.

Best bowling figures at Sophia Gardens in ODIs

India's Ravindra Jadeja produced the finest match figures at the ground, taking 4 for 28 against England in August 2014. South Africa's Imran Tahir matched the four-wicket haul with 4 for 29 against Afghanistan during the 2019 World Cup.

India's record at Sophia Gardens

India boasts a flawless ODI record at the venue, winning both their matches here. They beat South Africa by 26 runs in the 2013 Champions Trophy and defeated England by 133 runs in 2014, a strong omen as Gill's side chase a series-sealing victory.

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ICC has signed off on sweeping structural changes to its two biggest men's tournaments, the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

These changes were finalised by the ICC Board following its annual meetings held in Edinburgh, based on recommendations put forward by the organisation's Chief Executives' Committee.

According to the ICC, the revamp is designed to make matches more meaningful and ensure greater stakes are attached to every stage of these global events.

2027 ODI World Cup format explained

The 50-over World Cup will continue to feature 14 participating nations, but the pathway to the final will now look considerably different. The tournament will open with a newly introduced Super Series round, involving the three lowest-ranked qualifying teams, numbers 12, 13 and 14.

These sides will compete in a round-robin format, with only the top-performing team advancing further. From there, Round 2 will consist of two groups of six teams each, with the top three finishers from each group, plus the next-best team overall across both groups, progressing into a newly created Super 7 stage.

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This Super 7 phase will also follow a round-robin format, with the top four teams booking semi-final spots, arranged as 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, before the tournament concludes with the final.

"The structure has been designed to strengthen the competitive narrative across every stage of the event, with matches from Round 1 and Round 2 carrying higher consequence, with a highly competitive Super 7 stage witnessing 7 qualifying teams going through a round-robin stage to qualify for the semi-finals," the ICC said in a release.

"The increased consequence and enhanced competitive intensity promise to enhance the overall experience for fans while continuing to provide emerging teams with the opportunity to compete on cricket's biggest stage."

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New format for 2028 T20 World Cup

While the T20 World Cup will hold steady at 20 teams overall, its middle phase is getting bigger with the old Super Eight setup makes way for a Super 10 stage instead.

As for the group stage, teams will now be split across five groups of four each, with the top two from every group moving through to the next round.

 The Super 10 stage will then be split into two groups of five teams apiece, with the top-placed team in each group securing direct qualification into the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the second and third-placed sides from both Super 10 groups will face off in newly introduced eliminator matches to determine the two remaining semi-final spots.

"This promises to expand the representation of cricket’s emerging nations in the Super 10 stage while also delivering higher competitive standards," the ICC said.

"The addition of ‘eliminators’ where the 2nd and 3rd ranked teams from groups in the Super 10 stage compete against each other for spots in the semi-finals also then adds significant consequence to the closing matches of the Super 10 stage."

T20 World Cup 2028 qualification structure

Alongside the ODI World Cup changes, the ICC Board has also approved the qualification structure leading into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2028.

Scotland has been granted direct entry into the Europe Regional Final, a decision made in recognition of the unusual circumstances surrounding their participation in the 2026 edition.

Meanwhile, teams that featured in the 2026 T20 World Cup but failed to secure automatic qualification will move straight into the Global Qualifier stage. The remaining eight spots in the Global Qualifier will be determined through regional qualifying pathways, with Africa, Asia and Europe each receiving two allocated places, while the Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions will each receive one spot.

Once the Global Qualifier concludes, the top-ranked team from each region, combined with the next three highest-placed teams overall, will secure qualification for the 2028 tournament, provided they meet the ICC's minimum performance criteria.

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India begin their three-match ODI series against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday, desperate to salvage something meaningful from a tour that delivered a 4-0 T20I whitewash and cost them their world no. 1 ranking in the shortest format.

The complexion of the squad changes entirely for this leg. Shubman Gill takes the captaincy, while the returns of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah restore the experience that Shreyas Iyer's youthful T20I side conspicuously lacked in unfamiliar English conditions.

England, meanwhile, arrive with their tails up under Harry Brook. Fresh from dismantling India across five T20Is, they welcome back Joe Root and will fancy their chances of completing a clean sweep of the entire white-ball tour on home soil.

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England vs India's 1st ODI live stream, TV channel

TV channel: Sony Sports Network
Live streaming: JioHotstar

Fans in India can watch the first ODI between England and India live on the Sony Sports Network, with live streaming available through JioHotstar.

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What time does England vs India 1st ODI start?

The first ODI between England and India will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Play is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (BST), which translates to 3:30 p.m. IST for viewers in India.

England vs India 1st ODI team news, predicted lineups

Fresh from a 4-0 T20I whitewash, England welcome back Joe Root to a batting order brimming with confidence. Harry Brook leads a side in which Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue are expected to exploit the early seam and swing on offer at Edgbaston.

England predicted XI: Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer.

India's squad looks unrecognisable from the one humbled in the T20Is, with Shubman Gill taking the captaincy and Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all returning. Shivam Dube was drafted in for the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Prince Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi replaced Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy.

Meanwhile, Kohli returns after missing the Afghanistan series with a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL 2026 final and will slot in at number three between Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

India predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

England vs India 1st ODI: Betting odds

England are the favourites to win this match at 1.90 on Dafa, while the odds for India to win are 2.00.

*Odds are correct at time of publication but subject to change.

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Lord's finally opened its doors to women's Test cricket last Friday, 142 years after the ground hosted its first men's Test in 1884. A parade of some 50 former England players rang the five-minute bell, and portraits of pioneers were unveiled in the Long Room beforehand.

The occasion demanded a performance worthy of it, and India duly delivered one. Harmanpreet Kaur's side seized control during the opening session and never once surrendered it, outplaying the hosts comprehensively across every discipline over four sun-drenched days in St John's Wood.

The result also carried enormous weight for England. They have not beaten India in a women's Test since 1995, and the manner of this thrashing, arriving five days after their T20 World Cup final heartbreak at the very same venue, made for a brutal fortnight.

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England vs India women's Test final score

India completed a historic 270-run victory after setting England a mammoth target of 457, the second-highest in women's Test history. Resuming on 130 for 6, England were bowled out for 186 inside the first session of day four.

Brief scores: India 285 (Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet 58, Deepti 57; Ecclestone 3-68) and 341/7 dec (Bhatia 113, Mandhana 70, Richa 50; Ecclestone 5-118) bt England 170 (Jones 52, Sciver-Brunt 44; Gaud 5-37) and 186 (Jones 52)

England vs India women's Test highlights

A day that goes down in the 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 📚#TeamIndia WIN the first-ever women's Test match at Lord's 🥳

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/O1rEau8j8n#ENGvINDpic.twitter.com/4mhcx8kKej

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 13, 2026

Only India's own 347-run demolition of England at DY Patil in 2023, Sri Lanka's 309-run win over Pakistan in 1998 and England's 286-run victory against South Africa in 2024 sit above it.

A famous win for India, with the fourth-biggest winning margin in women's Test history 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wTie3r2ERu

— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) July 13, 2026

Kranti Gaud became the first woman inked onto the Lord's Test honours board, the 22-year-old seamer ripping through England's top order with 5 for 37 as the hosts lost their final six wickets for just 39 runs and were dismissed for 170.

And with that, India seals a historic victory in the first ever Women's Test at Lord's against the home team england by a massive 270 runs. One for the history books, with two Indian names now etched on the Lord's Honours Board 🇮🇳🎖️ pic.twitter.com/vbCXxBeBMg

— a (@Cactusdov) July 13, 2026

Yastika Bhatia then followed her onto the boards with the first women's Test century at the ground, a magnificent 113 from 145 balls containing 14 fours. It was a maiden international hundred, capping a tour that began with a fifty on her return from knee surgery.

Smriti Mandhana was imperious throughout the contest, scoring 83 in the first innings and 70 in the second, while Sophie Ecclestone provided England's one genuine bright spot with a 33.3-over marathon that yielded 5 for 118, putting her on the bowling honours board.

MORE:List of Indian players on the Lord's honours board

Amy Jones became the first wicketkeeper to score fifty-plus in both innings of a women's Test, while a world-record crowd of 15,243 attended day two. Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight both received guards of honour as they departed international cricket.

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Today in cricket will see Estonia take on Turkey in a Group B clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier B in Brondby today.

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Cricket matches today: Scheduled games, betting odds and predictions for Monday, 13 July 2026

Note: It has the top international and domestic fixtures with competitive odds worth watching. All odds are via Dafabetunless otherwise stated and correct at time of publish.