A Mitchell Johnson bouncer that struck India captain Virat Kohli on the helmet during the first Test on Thursday might actually help players get past the shock of Phillip Hughes's death, according to Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Hosts France secured a second straight victory as Kiliann Sildillia struck for a 1-0 success over Guinea, while Spain and Japan reached the quarter-finals in the second matchday of the men's Olympic soccer tournament on Saturday.
Ben Stokes will take time to recover from memories of the catch he dropped, which cost England the first Test in the Ashes 2023 series against Australia.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
IMAGES from Day 2 of the opening Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth on Friday.
The Spaniard lost 6-4, 7-6 to France's Marc Gicquel in the first round of the Lyon tournament.
Real Madrid got their Champions League title defence off to a strong start on Wednesday by convincingly beating AS Roma 3-0 at home with goals from Isco, Gareth Bale and a stoppage-time strike from returning striker Mariano Diaz.
No one expected Australia to win after they lost 8 wickets, but they didn't reckon with Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon is aiming for a five-wicket haul against a demoralised India as the fourth and final Test at the Adelaide Oval heads into the fifth day.
Big-spending Real Madrid failed to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth straight season when Olympique Lyon dumped the Spaniards out 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
A spectacular goal by Jean Makoun gave Olympique Lyon a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday, handing the Spaniards their first away defeat in this season's competition. Lyon picked up their third successive home win over Real in the Champions League after the Cameroon midfielder drove a stunning 25-metre shot into the top corner of the net in the 47th minute.
Fourth seed Richard Gasquet led the French charge at the Lyon International when he reached the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-4 win over Belgian Dick Norman on Thursday.
Hosts France reached the Olympic men's football semi-finals for the first time in 40 years with a 1-0 win over Argentina thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's first-half goal in a grudge match in Bordeaux on Friday.
Ivan Ljubicic stumbled in his bid to qualify for the Masters Cup when he lost 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 to Colombian Alejandro Falla in the quarter-finals of the Lyon Grand Prix on Friday.
Olympique Lyon failed to capitalise on a Lisandro Lopez hat-trick and missed a chance to narrow the gap with Ligue 1 leaders Girondins Bordeaux when they slumped to a dramatic 4-3 defeat at Lille on Sunday.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday he is happy with how new signing Kylian Mbappe is settling into life with the Spanish soccer giants and he has no concerns about his team's slow start to the LaLiga season.
Olympique Lyon coach Claude Puel is under no illusions that his side face a monumental task to reclaim a Ligue 1 title they owned for seven successive seasons without their two most influential players.
The only struggling Australian bowler against a clueless Indian batsmen, off-spinner Nathan Lyon is taking tips from spin legend Shane Warne to plot the downfall of Virender Sehwag and his men in the fourth and final Test in Adelaide starting on January 24.
Olympique Lyon virtually guaranteed their place in the Champions League group stage for the 10th successive season after thumping Anderlecht 5-1 in the first leg of their playoff final on Wednesday.
Nathan Lyon is the eighth bowler to take 500 Test wickets.
Home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sauntered into the semi-finals of the Lyon Open with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Russian youngster Karen Khachanov on Thursday.
Off spinner Nathan Lyon dazzled on his international debut by capturing five wickets as Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105 runs in their first innings of the opening Test on Thursday.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
In the semi-finals, Roddick beat Fabrice Santoro while Frenchman Monfils got the better of compatriot Sebastien Grosjean.
Pakistan spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq has described Ravichandran Ashwin as a 'world-class bowler', insisting that the Indian star spinner is way ahead of his contemporaries.
Could the Chennai Test against Bangladesh this week be Ravichandran Ashwin's last Test in front of his home fans?
All-rounder Cameron Green thwarted New Zealand with a sparkling, unbeaten century after the hosts' seamers threatened to dominate the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Wellington on Thursday.
Australia's star-studded bowling line-up showered praises on Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam, with a handful of them labelling the right-handed batter as a "class player".
Josh Hazlewood took a five-wicket haul to skittle New Zealand for 162 on Day 1 of the second Test.
French football was again marred by violence after Olympique de Marseille's Ligue 1 match against Olympique Lyonnais was called off on Sunday when the visitors' bus and some fans were pelted with stones and beer bottles, injuring Lyon coach Fabio Grosso.
France overcame a slow start to beat neighbours Belgium 2-0 for their first points of the Nations League campaign.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon made his way back into the Australian squad at the expense of pacer Mitchell Starc for the fourth and final cricket Test against India starting in Adelaide on Tuesday.
'He could be a huge loss. However we've got Todd Murphy waiting in the wings. He's been bowling beautifully in the nets.'
The tourists were left on 20-2 after seven overs going into the second day.
Eager to make an impression on home turf and cement his place as Australia's front-line spinner, offie Nathan Lyon has said he would look to get the prized scalp of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar in the fourth and final cricket Test starting in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Olympique Lyonnais are on the verge of signing Brazil defender Rafael from Manchester United, the French club's president said on Monday.
