New Zealand's power-hitter Corey Anderson conjured up an astonishing 95-run knock under tremendous pressure to single-handedly power Mumbai Indians to the IPL play-offs.
Rishabh Pant smashed a blistering 146 and forged a 222-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja to drag India back into the contest in the rescheduled fifth Test against England in Edgbaston on Friday.
James Anderson nearly got Abdullah caught behind on 64 but replays confirmed the ball had touched the ground before nestling in the glove of a diving Ollie Pope.
England captain Joe Root lamented his team's failure to exploit their "good positions" in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane but is confident they would bounce back from their stinging 10-wicket defeat on Monday.
Australia opener Chris Rogers was forced to retire on 49 not out after apparently suffering from dizziness on the fourth day of the second Ashes Test against England at Lord's on Sunday.
Images from the World Cup Pool A match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
After a week dominated by back and forth between the camps over the sledging of England's Jonny Bairstow in the first Test, the tourists clearly decided to target Smith with a few choice words in a bid to unsettle him.
'When you bowl someone out for less than 100 you're never quite sure whether you've bowled well or if the wicket is not as good as you think it might be. To see both sides bat on it and see the way our openers went about their business just felt so calm.'
'It's just incredible that we've got him on our team and he's great to watch.'
In the ICC Test ranking for batsmen, Virat Kohli was in the second position, while Cheteshwar Pujara was placed sixth.
England on Sunday named their strongest available squad for the Ashes tour to Australia as all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran missed out but seamer Stuart Broad was included despite the calf injury he picked up in the Test series against India.
Captain Ben Stokes and Harry Brook helped England stretch their lead over Australia to 189 on day three of the crucial fourth Ashes test at Old Trafford, with the hosts moving on to 506-8 at lunch.
Australia's bowlers struck twice in quick succession in a devastating spell against England at Edgbaston on Sunday, before heavy rain prevented any further play.
Clarke hopeful of Australia finding right mix between youth and experience after the team was described as a "Dad's Army" by former fast bowler and present Yorkshire coach, Jason Gillespie.
West Indies ended the fourth day of the unexpectedly enthralling second test requiring 317 more runs to win after England turned the contest firmly in their favour.
'If I gave him out, I won't make it back'
England ended a well contested first day of the fourth and final Test against South Africa on 260 for six with the late loss of Ben Stokes giving heart to the tourists.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also back after missing the Asia Cup because of injury-related issues and Bresnan thinks he will hit his straps straightaway.
The duo collected 16 wickets in the Delhi Test to add to their 15 in the first Test at Nagpur as India took a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.
England on Tuesday rested IPL stars including Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand while Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes were not considered for selection due to injuries.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 2nd Test between England and New Zealand played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan predicted the hosts will sweep the three-Test series against Pakistan despite the absence of talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes for the last two matches. Stokes was part of the England team which pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory in the series opener at Old Trafford but is now missing for family reasons.
Sundar was left stranded on 96 as India got dismissed for 365 in their first innings on the third day of the Test match
India's pacemen produced a terrific display of swing bowling to crush England by 151 runs in the second Test at Lord's on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The performance of openers Rohit Sharma and K L Rahul has been the biggest plus for India in the batting department. Both have showed remarkable temperament and technique in testing conditions to give the team a solid start.
Number 11 Nuwan Pradeep survived five dramatic balls from Stuart Broad to help Sri Lanka avoid defeat after James Anderson ripped through the visitors to almost force an England win in the first Test at Lord's in London.
Asked to lead the England attack in the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, in the absence of spearhead James Anderson, Stuart Broad became only the fifth English bowler to reach the 300 Test wickets milestone.
'They will bowl short at you. Therefore, you will have to come out with a plan.'
"It doesn't matter if he gets runs or not? I think he is telling lies there," Anderson said
Leach, who was taken to the task by a belligerent Pant in the first innings on the third day, shone bright when the hosts came out to bat again.
Handicapped by the absence of key strike bowler Dale Steyn, South Africa will need to dig deep into their reserves if they are to beat England in the third Test and bring parity to the series.
Rishabh Pant single-handedly put India in command on the second day of the fourth Test against England with his third century in Test cricket.
Glenn Maxwell missed his maiden ODI century but his career-best 95 helped Australia win the tri-series
Images from the sixth ODI of the tri-series, between India and England, on Friday.
Young turks Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill made the difference with the bat, while Jasprit Bumrah was devastating with the ball.
Kohli scores brilliant century to leave first Test finely poised
England seamer Stuart Board said he has learned a few tricks from former India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan on how to excel on the sub-continent pitches.
A floundering England will be looking to avoid a potential banana skin when they take on minnows Scotland in a crucial Pool A cricket World Cup match at the Hagley Oval, in Christchurch on Monday.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes was named on Wednesday in a 16-man squad for the Ashes tour to Australia despite being arrested earlier in the week for an altercation outside a Bristol nightclub.
Star Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake said he admires India captain Virat Kohli for not offering excuses when his team does not perform well and taking the blame on himself.
