Australia captain Steve Smith shook off a sickening blow to the back of his head and notched up his 14th test century, earning the praise of his team mates and New Zealand opponents at the end of the second day of the second test on Sunday. Smith was on 78 shortly before tea when he was hit by a Neil Wagner bouncer and dropped to his knees, immediately prompting gasps from the crowd at Hagley Oval. Australia are still mindful of the death of their team mate Phillip Hughes, who was killed in late 2014 after being hit by a bouncer in a first class match, and fellow centurion Joe Burns said there was real concern when his captain dropped to the pitch. "It certainly always a concern when you see someone get hit in the head, it got him quite flush as well," Burns told reporters after Australia finished the second day on 363 for four, just seven runs adrift of New Zealand. "Fortunately the medical staff was out there very quickly, they gave him the all clear. Luckily the tea break was around the corner so he could sit down for 20 minutes and let the shock settle."
Everton won 1-0 at bottom club Sunderland to leapfrog Arsenal into fourth place in the Premier League on Saturday and the battle at the other end of the table intensified with wins for three clubs in danger of relegation.
Serie A witnessed some breath-taking football action, especially when AC Milan could not convert the umpteen chances they had against Sassuolo while Inter went to top. In Ligue 1 action, all the star players found the net for PSG. Here are images from the soccer matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Adam Voges' double-century was the second of his short international career. He has now scored 1,267 runs to average 97.46 since making his debut at the age of 35 in the Caribbean last year.
Leicester City will be wary of a reality check when the Premier League front-runners visit Arsenal on Sunday before Tottenham Hotspur's burgeoning title ambitions come under scrutiny at Manchester City.
Photos from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
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Debutant Stephan El Shaarawy scored with a crafty backheeled volley to give AS Roma a 3-1 win over Frosinone in Serie A on Saturday, their first under coach Luciano Spalletti.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Barcelona leapfrogged Atletico Madrid to go top of La Liga after Lionel Messi's acrobatic volley secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against tenacious Malaga on Saturday.
Barcelona came through a testing local derby at Espanyol, winning 3-0 to cling to their slender lead at the top of La Liga after rivals Real Madrid had set the challenge by beating Valencia 2-1 in the earlier kick-off.
Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the English Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City.
Atletico Madrid suffered a first defeat in 13 games in all competitions as they lost 1-0 at home to Villarreal on Tuesday after a late strike from substitute Roberto Soriano.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football fie
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Sakshi Malik ended India's frustrating medal drought with a dramatic bronze-winning effort on Day 12 of the Rio Olympic Games on Wednesday.
Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday with Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg joining the triple Formula One world champion on the front row. On a damp and overcast Sao Paulo afternoon, it was the 60th pole of the Briton's career, eight short of Michael Schumacher's record, and his first in Brazil since 2012 when he was at McLaren. With his title on the line, it was also one of Hamilton's most important in a roller-coaster season marked by mechanical setbacks.
The London club dominated the first half but fell behind to a superb goal from their former winger Aaron Lennon before young midfielder Dele Alli furthered his case for a place in England's midfield with a classy equaliser just before the break.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Opener Dean Elgar provided stubborn resistance as South Africa finished the second day of the first Test on 137 for four in reply to England's 303 at Kingsmead on Sunday.
Manchester United's struggle to achieve a top-four finish continued on Tuesday as Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to their rescue with an added time penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw against Everton in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane struck deep in added time to rescue a 2-2 home draw at home to West Ham United, while Liverpool's top-four hopes were fuelled by a 2-0 win at Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Former captain Vinay Kumar hit an unbeaten 83 and shared a crucial 97-run stand for the last wicket Ronit More (10) to help Karnataka take a 39-run first innings lead against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
Anirban Lahiri was searching for a maiden PGA Tour win at the TPC Kuala Lumpur course but the five-shot swing after he lodged his tee shot in a tree left the Indian with too much to do and he had to settle for a tie for third, four strokes back.
Ravindra Jadeja struck a fifty to give India a handy first innings lead before returning to claim three Australian wickets as the home side stood 87 runs away from a series-clinching victory in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Monday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
German Andre Greipel was again far too strong for the opposition as he claimed his second win in this year's Tour de France.
Griezmann special earns Atletico 1-1 draw at Sevilla
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger still believes his side have a "strong chance" to qualify for the Champions League last 16 for a 16th consecutive season as the Premier League side and Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb face a do-or-die contest.
Louis van Gaal does "nothing" as Manchester United manager but earns a lot because the most important job for a top-level coach is delegating responsibilities to his staff.
Photos from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 2nd leg match played between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at the Camp Nou on Wednesday
AS Roma slipped up in their pursuit of Serie A leaders Juventus as they salvaged a 1-1 draw at mid-table Palermo on Saturday thanks to a second-half Mattia Destro equaliser.
Atletico Madrid fell to their heaviest league defeat of the season
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Tuesday.
Defender Gerard Pique grabbed a rare winner and Lionel Messi scored yet another beauty as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday and reclaim an eight-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Dina Asher-Smith seized her golden opportunity to win the World Championship 200 metres on Wednesday and become the first British woman to claim a global sprint title.
Atletico Madrid extended their dominance over neighbours Real with a 1-0 derby win on Saturday that leaves the Bernabeu team virtually out of the Liga title race.
A toothless and haggard Real Madrid slumped to a humiliating 10th Liga defeat of the season on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at struggling neighbours Rayo Vallecano.
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