Manchester United kept up their impressive chase for a top-four spot with a comfortable 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Aston Villa in the English Premier League on Thursday. Relegation-threatened Bournemouth had a late goal disallowed by VAR as they had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Kyle Jamieson wrecked India with the ball and opener Devon Conway compiled a half-century to put New Zealand in a commanding position in the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton on Sunday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday came under fresh pressure on the reappointment of Indian-origin Suella Braverman as home secretary after two Conservative MPs questioned his decision, days after she quit over data breaches.
The 30-year-old leaves Anfield after 269 appearances, having scored 120 goals in all competitions, a stellar return that helped the club to the Champions League title in 2018-19 and the Premier League crown a season later.
Former pace spearhead Shane Bond on Tuesday backed New Zealand to get the better of India in the ICC World Test Championship final in Southampton, saying he foresees Kane Williamson winning the toss and his pacers wreaking havoc with the new ball.
Rishi Sunak on Tuesday scripted history when he was appointed by King Charles III as Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali.
India skipper Virat Kohli operates at 200 per cent and has the unbelievable ability to inspire his teammates to do the same, reckons stylish batsman KL Rahul.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Nasser Hussain called it an 'interesting look' and quipped it might have been a warm towel to keep himself comfortable on a cold Tuesday afternoon in Southampton
Saha was among the players who contracted the dreaded virus in the currently-suspended Indian Premier League
'We have seen both teams not having played Test matches for a couple of months. So, it is a one-off. Anything can happen. I will sit on the fence'
Conway, who is among the three uncapped players in the 20-man squad, feels the camp back home in Lincoln ahead of the tour was ideal. New Zealand play with the Kookaburra at home.
Chelsea paid a heavy price for a 3-2 defeat at West Ham United as first Liverpool, then Manchester City, leapfrogged them in the English Premier League title race on Saturday, with City ending the day on top for the first time this season.
The Ireland squad will arrive in England and set up their base at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton on July 18, before facing world champions England in three ODIs at the same venue.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is excited to face India in the ICC World Test Championships (WTC) final next month as he considers showdowns against Virat Kohli's men to be a 'fantastic challenge'.
New Zealand jumped to top spot by gaining three rating points.
'Unlike before, the players cannot just go out in the evenings after a long day in the field. This is where it is very important that the families are there to help the players switch off after play and not feel the heat. The BCCI has always had the interest of the players in mind and this time too the board stood like a rock to help get the necessary clearance from the UK government with assistance from the ECB.'
Gareth Bale arrived at Luton Airport near London ahead of completing his imminent return to Tottenham Hotspur.
Images from Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Spurs, Liverpool top eco-friendly table
Images from the 2nd ODI between England and Ireland in Southampton on Saturday
Wagner said that the crowd was trying to get under Kohli's skin by singing
Leicester City's Nampalys Mendy fired home the decisive spot kick as they beat Southampton 6-5 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, on Tuesday, to book a League Cup quarter-final with holders Manchester City.
'We want to give multi-format players some opportunity to rest and refresh, while still selecting strong squads for every series.'
Wasim Jaffer took a funny swipe at Michael Vaughan's comparision of Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson.
Factbox on the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup
Images from Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Rishabh Pant is keeping himself busy during his quarantine using the lawn mower at his home in New Delhi.
BCCI names Shikhar Dhawan as captain of Indian cricket team for Sri Lanka tour.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will be rested for the second Test against England due to a left elbow injury, with Tom Latham to lead the side in his absence.
Striker Mariano's header was glanced onto the crossbar by Sociedad's Andoni Gorosabel while the loose ball fell to Marco Asensio, whose shot was deflected wide for a corner from which Raphael Varane header hit the top of the bar.
India captain Virat Kohli "is doing fine" despite being hit on his thumb while batting in the nets ahead of the team's World Cup opener against South Africa, in Southampton, on Wednesday.
'If we can get some pace and bounce in the pitch, but not too one-sided towards seam movement, we'll be happy.'
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult is hopeful that achieving game fitness rather than bowling in the nets will put him in 'good stead' in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against India.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday night
Deep down, Kohli perhaps well understands that in the most challenging of conditions, his team needs more than just his sheer force of will to succeed. It requires that extra skill, tenacity and temperament. His jigsaw is near-ready; he just needs to find the final pieces, observes Dhruv Munjal.
Paceman Jofra Archer's breach of bio-secure protocols could have been a "disaster" and ended up costing the board tens of millions of pounds, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of cricket Ashley Giles has said. England dropped Archer from the second Test against the West Indies following the breach, announcing the decision only hours before the start of the match on Thursday.
England should not be overly reliant on express pace in the next two Tests against West Indies and must consider alternating Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, former quick Darren Gough said. England opted for the express speed of Archer and Wood and the experience of James Anderson in Southampton but lost by four wickets in the series opener.
