Cricket returns to Lord's on Thursday only days after the ground was enveloped in snow to open a season that will show if England can mount a credible challenge to Australia next year. With rain predicted for the rest of the week, the four-day match between MCC and county champions Sussex may be largely spent dodging April showers. No member of the England team that defeated New Zealand 2-1 in March is playing.
The Kiwis return to England this month for a three-Test series, starting at Lord's on May 15, followed by the altogether sterner challenge of a South Africa side who have just completed a crushing innings victory over India.
Former Test spin bowler Ashley Giles confirmed on Sunday that he would be "very interested" in succeeding Andy Flower as England's team director following his resignation.
Sports psychologist Steve Peters has been called on to give England renewed hope at the soccer World Cup having worked wonders for Britain's cyclists at the Olympics and helped Liverpool's Premier League title challenge.
Arsenal resume battle with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
India are poised for their third T20 International series triumph in five years but would be wary of a strong fightback from the usually plucky New Zealand when the two sides clash in the second game of the three-match series in Rajkot.
The all-rounder took three wickets to help England seal a 4-3 series win over India.
Yuvraj Singh has been named in India's 12 for the second Test as Sourav Ganguly is down with a sore back.
England batting mainstay Joe Root has dismissed "trash talk" by Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz who claimed he has got the batsman's number going into the first Test at Lord's starting on Thursday.
South Africa earned a final rematch with the England team when they beat Argentina 37-13 at the rugby World Cup.
England opener Haseeb Hameed will miss the rest of the series against India due to a hand injury after making an impressive start to his Test career.
England batsman James Taylor concedes it was "massively disappointing" to be left out of the squad for the ongoing tour of West Indies but the blow has been softened by news he will captain the side in a one-day match against Ireland next week.
The age-old practice of shining the cricket ball has become a "grey area" and the game's governing body must provide clarity to end the prevailing confusion, England captain Alastair Cook said on Friday.
While he never managed to win an English league title medal with Liverpool, Gerrard will forever be associated with the Champions League final in 2005 when Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down at halftime to win on penalties in Istanbul.
Despite the International Cricket Council's (ICC) clause nullifying the ball-tampering allegation against Virat Kohli, former Pakistan cricketers have demanded the world's cricketing governing body to penalise the Indian Test skipper in the incident which relates to the drawn Rajkot Test against England. After the 'mintgate' row involving South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis in which he was found guilty of ball-tempering, a British tabloid had on Tuesday accused that some footages of the Rajkot Test indicated that Kohli appeared to shine the ball using residue from a sweet.
Michael Vaughan returned to the England team when the squad for the second Test against West Indies at Headingley.
Vaughan has recovered from a broken finger that kept him out of the first Test at Lord's that ended in a draw on Monday.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer is a strong contender to take over from Duncan Fletcher as England coach after the World Cup.
England's secret plans purporting to detail Australia's batting weaknesses found their way into opposition hands.
FIFA slapped the Mexicans with a CHF 10,000 fine for what it called "discriminatory and insulting chants" during their surprise 1-0 win over Germany on Sunday.
England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have appealed to fans to behave around Thursday's Group B game against Wales after European soccer chiefs threatened to throw the country out of Euro 2016 following three days of violence in Marseille. In a video posted on the Football Association's Twitter page, Hodgson and Rooney expressed their concern that further flashpoints could lead to an early end to their tournament. "As the England manager, I am obviously now very concerned about the threat that is hanging over us and the sanction that could possibly be imposed upon the England team," Hodgson said.
Arvind Pujara, who usually does not go to watch any Test in which his son Cheteshwar plays, says he is "very keen" to be at the SCA Stadium from Day One.
Modern-day cricket is all about innovation and trying to better your opponents -- whether it is a match or in training.
Former England team mate Graeme Swann began the backlash against Kevin Pietersen's new book on Monday by labelling it "the biggest work of fiction since Jules Verne".
Test captain Michael Clarke labelled Ryan Harris 'as good as anyone who has played for Australia' after the fast bowler announced his retirement on Saturday because of injury.
Ponting said he hoped the likes of Flintoff, Vaughan and Jones all regained their fitness in time for the five-match series.
Jonny Wilkinson made a spectacular return to the England team on Saturday with 27 points, including a try, to inspire the world champions to a morale-boosting 42-20 Six Nations victory over Scotland.
'This England side has a bit of spunk, they enjoy playing their cricket, they are good mates like we are,' said the Australian opener.\n
England simply got it right on the day, something they have struggled to do in recent years.
Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews has made no bones about the fact that the team has let the country down with their recent performances which resulted in their ouster from the ICC World T20. For the record, Sri Lanka has won only against UAE and Afghanistan in their last 10 T20 Internationals failing to beat any Test playing nation. "I think it has been a disappointing few months for Sri Lankan cricket. We have let down the fans, let down the whole country. We haven't played good cricket at all," Mathews said at the post-match media conference late last night after England beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs to progress to the semi-finals and knock the Islanders out of the tournament. "All we can do is stick to a combination, not try and change the team too much. We should try and pick about 20 players and re-evaluate them, say after 6 months. Give them opportunity to settle down and then try and see what they have come up with, in terms of performances. Then we can take a call as quick decisions won't solve this matter. We need to be patient," said Mathews.
Australian pace legend Brett Lee has reportedly backed England coach Andy Flower and batsman Kevin Pietersen, saying both are crucial for the nation's success.
For all the positives that England can take from their performance against Russia in their opening Euro 2016 game there remains the worrying issue that their sophisticated modern defenders remain vulnerable to the most basic of attacking ploys -- a long punt into the box.
The International Cricket Council appointed Gordon Lewis AM as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the misconduct case against England paceman James Anderson and the preliminary hearing will be conducted on July 22, a day after the Lord's Test concludes.
The left-hander said the senior players in the England team must ensure captain Andrew Flintoff does not overexert himself with the ball during the Ashes.
England cricket chiefs have moved quickly to make it clear that Alastair Cook's dismissal as one-day captain has not opened the door for a return to international cricket for batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Satisfied with England's campaign in the ICC World Twenty20 so far, captain Eoin Morgan said every player in the side has showcased versatility during the tournament, making the side a "powerful" unit heading into Wednesday's semi-final against New Zealand.
Australian batsman David Warner was "stood down" from the Champions Trophy group A match against New Zealand for being allegedly involved in a physical altercation with an England player, believed to be Joe Root.
Costa Rica marched into the second round of the World Cup after topping Group D, containing three former winners, after a 0-0 draw with already-eliminated England on Tuesday.
With a busy 12 months ahead, the England captain could be given a break.
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