The concerns centre on a section of the English test, where pupils are asked to produce a piece of creative writing - an area which has attracted complaints in recent years.

BBC: Head teachers complain of 'erratic' Sats marking

The south London ground staged the first Test on English soil in September 1880 and there have been 91 matches since.

BBC: Classic Ashes: The Oval

The current test includes verbal and non-verbal reasoning, which are not taught in primary schools and need coaching but the new test may drop that element and place the emphasis on English and Maths, which are taught in classrooms, BBC South East Today's political correspondent John Young explained.

BBC: Kent 11-plus overhaul 'to tackle coaching culture'

In the 1890s, Ranjitsinhji became the first English player to follow a century on his home debut with one in his first Test abroad.

BBC: SPORT | Cricket | England | Strauss waltzes into record books

Massachusetts officials postponed the English composition section of its standardized state test until Monday, to keep all schools on the same test date.

NPR: In Snow-Socked Northeast, Spring Seems Far Away

Defeat in Christchurch on Saturday - second only to a 64-22 loss on that 1998 trip among English defeats by New Zealand - followed the 37-20 loss in the first Test in Auckland.

BBC: Andrew upbeat despite series loss