Report
King dictates proceedings once again as Australia take control
England have little to show aside from Nat Sciver-Brunt's fifty on day one of pink-ball Test
Alex Malcolm
30-Jan-2025
Australia 56 for 1 (Sutherland 24* Litchfield 20*, Bell 1-21) trail England 170 (Sciver-Brunt 51, King 4-45) by 114 runs
Not for the first time in this series, Alana King put on a masterclass of legspin bowling in front of the Shane Warne Stand to bamboozle England and hand Australia full control on the opening day of the pink-ball Test at the MCG.
Just as she did across town at the Junction Oval during the ODI series, where a smaller, quainter Shane Warne Stand casts a shadow at the southern end, King put on a clinic bowling 23 overs unchanged from the start of the second session to claim career-best Test figures of 4 for 45 and help bowl England out for 170. Nat Sciver-Brunt's 51 was the lone shining light for England on another bleak afternoon, but she should have been out twice to King whose spell even outshone the bizarre pop-up rock concert Australian artist G-Flip performed during the dinner break.
Full postFarhan Ahmed five-for but England U19s thwarted in victory push
South Africa's last pair survive nervy finish to salvage draw after Bulbulia century
ECB Reporters Network
29-Jan-2025
England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) and 336 for 9 dec (Rew 71, Home 60*, Vaughan 44, Fonseka 43, Mason 5-111) drew with South Africa U19s 319 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Farhan 4-78) and 295 for 9 (Bulbulia 114, Farhan 5-103)
Farhan Ahmed was the star again with a five-wicket haul but it was not enough as England Men U19s fell one wicket short of claiming victory in the first Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Stellenbosch.
Ahmed completed a dominant display with both bat and ball - returning match figures of nine for 181 after his first-innings 90 - only for the home side to snatch a draw chasing 317 to win.
Full postKhawaja 147*, Smith 104* put Australia in a commanding position in Galle
After Head hit a blazing fifty before lunch, the Khawaja-Smith pair stamped its authority on the day's fortunes
Tristan Lavalette
29-Jan-2025
Australia 330 for 2 (Khawaja 147*, Smith 104*, Head 57, Vandersay 1-93) vs Sri Lanka
Stand-in captain Steven Smith scored his 10,000th Test run before completing the momentous occasion with a majestic century, while Usman Khawaja reached his 16th ton as Australia were rewarded for an aggressive approach against a spin-heavy Sri Lanka attack on a slow Galle surface.
Australia finished the opening day of the series in a dominant position at 330 for 2 with rain ending play after 81.1 overs. Khawaja and Smith have combined for an unbroken third-wicket 195-run partnership to capitalise on the batting-friendly conditions in the perfect start for an Australian side striving for a first series victory in Sri Lanka since 2011.
Full postThomas Rew turns the screw as England U19s chisel out vital lead
Archie Vaughan and Kesh Fonseka add important runs as spinners loom as key fourth-innings weapon
ECB Reporters Network
28-Jan-2025
England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) and 275 for 8 (Rew 71*, Vaughan 44, Fonseka 43, Mason 4-97) lead South Africa U19s 319 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Farhan 4-78) by 255 runs
Thomas Rew's run-a-ball 71 helped England Men U19s to take a 255-run lead into the final day of the first Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Stellenbosch.
Leg-spinner Chad Mason claimed four for 97 - his 26 overs more than double than any of his team-mates - as the Young Lions reached the close at 275 for eight.
Full postAdil Rashid marshals defence as England stay alive in series
Varun Chakravarthy takes five in losing cause after Ben Duckett fifty helps set up winning total
Alan Gardner
28-Jan-2025
England 177 for 9 (Duckett 51, Varun 5-24) beat India 145 for 9 (Hardik 40, Overton 3-24) by 26 runs
England kept the T20I series alive with a 26-run win in Rajkot, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton sharing seven wickets alongside a masterful spell from Adil Rashid to help break India's ten-match run without defeat in home conditions.
After being inserted for the third match in a row, England's total of 171 for 9 looked a little light - particularly from a position of 83 for 1 in the ninth over. Ben Duckett made his first T20I fifty as an opener but the middle order was blown away by Varun Chakravarthy and it needed some belligerent hitting from Liam Livingstone, who made 43 off 24 with five sixes, to keep them afloat. An unbroken stand of 24 for the last wicket between Rashid and Mark Wood was the second highest of the innings.
Full postFarhan Ahmed shines with bat and ball for England in Under-19s Test
Nottinghamshire allrounder adds three-wicket haul after top-scoring on day one
ECB Reporters Network
27-Jan-2025
South Africa U19s 269 for 8 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Tazeem 3-62, Farhan 3-74) trail England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) by 30 runs
Spin duo Tazeem Ali and Farhan Ahmed claimed three wickets each to inspire a strong England Men Uunder-19s fightback late on day two of the first Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Stellenbosch.
Jason Rowles and Muhammed Bulbulia shared a 139-run third wicket stand before the Young Lions took 6 for 57 to leave the hosts 269 for 8 at stumps - still 30 runs behind.
Full postOwen's record-equalling 39-ball hundred seals Hurricanes' maiden BBL title
The home side raced to what appeared a tough target inside 15 overs amid heady scenes in Hobart
Tristan Lavalette
27-Jan-2025
Hobart Hurricanes 185 for 3 (Owen 108, Wade 32*) beat Sydney Thunder 182 for 7 (J Sangha 67, Warner 48, Ellis 3-23, Meredith 3-27) by seven wickets
Mitchell Owen had a rollicking Bellerive Oval crowd in the palm of his hands and capped a breakout season with the equal-fastest BBL century as Hobart Hurricanes powered to their first title in style.
Hurricanes needed a seemingly tricky 183 runs, but they achieved the highest chase in a BBL final with ease after Owen produced an innings for the ages. He reached his century off 39 balls - within 10 overs - and finished with 108 off 42 including 11 sixes.
Full postWarrican bags five as West Indies win in Pakistan after 34 years
Warrican finished with a match haul of 9 for 70 as West Indies levelled the series with a 120-run win
Danyal Rasool
27-Jan-2025
West Indies 166 (Motie 55, Warrican 36, Noman 6-41) and 244 (Brathwaite 52, Imlach 35, Sajid 4-76, Noman 4-80) beat Pakistan 154 (Rizwan 49, Warrican 4-43, Motie 3-49) and 133 (Babar 31, Warrican 5-27, Sinclair 3-61) by 120 runs
Jomel Warrican and the rest of West Indies' spin cast hoisted Pakistan with their own petard, spinning a web around Pakistan's batters to skittle them out for 133, securing a first win on Pakistan soil since 1990. It took West Indies little over an hour on day three to slice through Pakistan's last six wickets, a 39-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha the only one that put up any resistance as West Indies secured a 120-run win that levelled the series.
The signs were immediately ominous for Pakistan when, three balls into the day, Saud Shakeel was drawn into playing at one from Kevin Sinclair that ripped away, taking the outside edge to first slip. Nightwatcher Kashif Ali was dispatched the following over, Warrican forcing the ball through his pads as West Indies began to smell blood.
Full postBrathwaite, lower order and spinners push WI ahead as Pakistan stutter in 254 chase
Visitors inched close to series-levelling win after setting hosts 254 on tricky pitch and reducing them to 76 for 4
Danyal Rasool
26-Jan-2025
Pakistan 154 and 76 for 4 (Babar 31, Ghulam 19, Sinclair 2-41) need another 178 runs to beat West Indies 163 and 244 (Brathwaite 52, Sajid 4-76, Noman 4-80)
West Indies are inching closer to a series-levelling win after reducing Pakistan to 76 for 4 at stumps on the second day in Multan. The hosts are still another 178 runs away from victory. Earlier, West Indies had produced their best batting performance of the series, led by a half-century from their captain Kraigg Brathwaite to take control. They further solidifying their position when the lower order produced several useful contributions.
In the 24 overs West Indies had with the ball in the final session, they inflicted four bruising body blows, including a last-gasp dismissal of Babar Azam that brought nightwatcher Kashif Ali to the crease. In pursuit of a steep target, made especially more awkward by the nature of these surfaces, Pakistan ran into headwinds early. Within 16 deliveries, both openers were gone. Shan Masood was out lbw playing for turn against Kevin Sinclair as the delivery carried on with the arm and rapped into his front pad. Mohammad Hurraira, too, played for phantom spin against Gudakesh Motie, and paid for it with his front leg in front of the stumps and an easy decision for the umpire.
Full postJosh Tongue, Sam Cook dig in to salvage draw for England Lions
Visitors cling on after last-wicket pair defy Cricket Australia XI attack for more than an hour
ECB Reporters Network
25-Jan-2025
England Lions 316 (Flintoff 108, Davies 76, Whitney 4-72) and 276 for 9 (Coles 67, Hurst 53, Elliott 3-38) drew with Cricket Australia XI 214 (Hicks 64, Brown 5-21) and 442 for 9 dec (Ward 120, Clayton 84, Hackney 70*, Radhakrishnan 58, Cook 4-47)
England Lions held out for a battling draw after last pair Josh Tongue and Sam Cook defied a Cricket Australia XI attack for more than an hour in their tour game at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
Half-centuries from Matt Hurst and James Coles rebuilt the Lions innings after they had slipped to 21 for 4, before the tail held on despite Jem Ryan and Sam Elliott claiming three wickets apiece.
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