England skipper Harry Brook acknowledged the team's performance still has room for improvement as they look ahead to their match against Italy.
Joe Root and Harry Brook hit half-centuries to put England in control before bad light ended play early on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.
New Zealand folded for 171 in reply in 18 overs -- all 10 dismissals through catches -- as England grabbed a 1-0 lead heading into the third and final match in Auckland on Thursday.
England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.
The World Nature Photography Awards 2026 celebrated breathtaking images of wildlife and nature, with Australian photographer Jono Allen winning the top prize of $1000 for his rare shot of a white humpback whale and her mother.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 48.
Joe Root was full of praise for compatriot and Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook, saying that "he makes his life so much easier"
'Sometimes vice-captains aren't brilliant captains.'
'At 24 years of age, he's already scored a double hundred and averages just under 50. There's something special about this kid.'
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
Rashid stars with ball, Banton seals chase as England beat Scotland to stay alive for Super Eights
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden Test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory.
'They're all going to score because they are naturally gifted players but the real high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid it hasn't worked.'
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Joe Root contributed a magnificent 160 to England's first-innings tally of 384 but Travis Head drove Australia to 166 for two in response on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
A wicket-laden Boxing Day Test at the MCG triggered widespread debate, with former cricketers from both Australia and England questioning whether the pitch offered far too much for the bowlers.
Mitchell Starc made a late-career bid for all-rounder status when he scored a half-century and grabbed two wickets under the Gabba floodlights to push Australia to the brink of victory at the close of day three of the second Ashes Test.
England's Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second Test in Brisbane on Thursday despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
Harry Brook matched the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's career-high of 898 rating points in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Blair Tickner took 4/34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
Daryl Mitchell's runs had steered the hosts to their victories in Tauranga and Hamilton and when he departed for 44 to leave his team still 27 runs from their target on 196-8, the English scented an unlikely victory.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
Play was called off following a long delay after England's innings, in which the tourists scored 153-6 in 20 overs on a difficult wicket, with Sam Curran (49 not out) finishing well after Jos Buttler (29) failed to build on a good start.
This weekend, we lost Diane Keaton, that piece of American heart, Hollywood's darling hummingbird. Thank God she is still alive in her films. Aseem Chhabra on the Hollywood star he was in love with.
Former captain Michael Vaughan feels England panicked on the final day of the fifth Test against India in the absence of inspirational skipper Ben Stokes.
Former cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton lampooned England's top order for their early collapse
'Hussain was baffled by England's top three approach on Edgbaston's flat surface when the ball was slightly swinging.
This was the first time in five years that India had put down so many chances in an innings.
Gill clashed with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, accusing them of deliberately wasting time.
Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a high-octane final to claim his maiden Wimbledon trophy and fourth Grand Slam crown on Sunday.
Brook has now scored four centuries in his past five Tests
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin says New Zealand, despite the absence of the long-serving pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who have quit playing the 50-over format, will pose a challenge to India.
Indian cricket has produced a generational superstar in Yashasvi Jaiswal and will remain in good health even when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma decide to call time on their careers, said former Australia World Cup winner Darren Lehmann.
The German and British sides, along with the Indian soldiers, met at halfway points, on no man's land and gave the Indian soldiers sweets and Christmas trees and they offered biscuits and cognac in return.
Root is not the only England batter to have impressed Vaughan in recent times, with the exploits of young gun Harry Brook also catching the eye of the respected commentator and Ashes-winning skipper.
England Test captain Ben Stokes was helped off the field after suffering an injury while playing in The Hundred on Sunday.
Wimbledon attracts celebrities the way the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open can't.
Joe Root scored his 35th Test century as he went past the legendary trio of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Younis Khan, who had made 34 centuries in their career.
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