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Ashes 3rd Test Day 1: England v Australia Score Summary

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Scores Summary: Australia 303-3 (M Clarke 125 not out, C Rogers 84, Steve Smith 70 not out; G Swann 2-82).

MANCHESTER, England (Sporting Alert) — Australia reached a solid 303 for three at the close on day one of the third Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, the Aussies dominated the first day with captain Michael Clarke, promoting himself to bat at No. 4, currently leading the way with an undefeated 125 from 208 balls.

Clarke hit 17 fours already in his knock on his way to making his 23rd Test century.

Steve Smith was there with the skipper at the close, unbeaten on 70.

Earlier opener Chris Rogers made 84, while there were controversy over the dismissal of Usman Khawaja, who was left stunned by a very poor decision from the 3rd umpire.

Shane Watson’s struggles continue, as he only made 19 before being first out when the score was on 76.

Graeme Swann has so far taken two wickets for England, while Tim Bresnan has taken the other.

England lead the five-match series 2-0 and can retain the Ashes if they manage to avoid defeat.

Australia first innings
 S Watson  c Cook b Bresnan       19
 C Rogers  lbw Swann              84
 U Khawaja c Prior b Swann         1
 M Clarke  not out               125
 S Smith   not out                70                   
   Extras  (lb 4)                  4
   Total   (3 wickets; 90 overs) 303

   Fall of wickets: 1-76 2-82 3-129  
   Bowling: Anderson 21-4-72-0, Broad 21-3-80-0, Bresnan
20-5-51-1, Swann 25-2-82-2, Root 2-0-8-0, Trott 1-0-6-0.

England v Australia: Second Test Day One Lunch Time Score – Ashes Live

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LONDON (Sporting Alert) — England reached 80 for three at lunch on the first day of the second Ashes Test match against Australia at Lord’s on Thursday.

Follow Live Cricket Score: Ashes Second Test Match

Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell are the batsmen currently not out on 34 and 23, respectively at lunch time after England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and decided to bat.

Cook was trapped leg before wicket for 12 runs were the score was on 18, while his opening partner Joe Root made six, before he too was given out lbw.

Kevin Pietersen lasted four balls before he went for just two with England at that time down three for 28.

Pace bowler Ryan Harris, getting a call up to starting team, took two wickets, while Shane Watson has taken the other.

Earlier, pace bowler Steven Finn was replaced by Tim Bresnan in the one change to the England side that won the first test at Trent Bridge by 14 runs last Sunday.

Australia, in the meantime, made two changed to their team with Usman Khawaja being recalled for Ed Cowan Harris ahead taking hte place of Mitchell Starc.

Teams:

England – Alastair Cook (captain), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson.

Australia – Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Usman Khawaja, Phillip Hughes, Michael Clarke (captain), Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Ashton Agar, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ryan Harris.

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) (Editing by John O’Brien)

Day 3 Scoreboard: Ashes First Test Between England and Australia

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NOTTINGHAM, England (Sporting Alert) — England moved to 157 for four in their second innings at lunchtime on day three of the opening Ashes Test match against Australia at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday.

Ian Bell is on 20 and with him is Jonny Bairstow, who is undefeated on 13, and the two middle order batsmen will be hoping to build a solid lead for England after the interval.

The hosts are 92 runs ahead with six wickets remaining. Batting on this wicket at  Trent Bridge has been very difficult, especially given the evidence on the third day and Australia will be looking to keep their winning target as low as possible.

Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook have both made half centuries so far in the second innings for England, while Mitchell Starc has thus far taken two wickets.

The following is the scoreboard at lunch on day three of the first Ashes Test:

England 215 & 157 for 4 Second innings
A.Cook c Clarke b Agar 50
J.Root c Haddin b Starc 5
J.Trott lbw b Starc 0
K.Pietersen b Pattinson 64
I.Bell not out 20
J.Bairstow not out 13
Extras (2-nb 1-w 1-b 1-lb) 5
TOTAL (for four wickets, 72 overs) 157

Fall: 1-11 2-11 3-121 4-131

Bowling: Pattinson 17-5-48-1, Starc 21-6-44-2, Agar 15-3-43-1, Siddle 13-6-18-0, Watson 6-5-2-0

Australia first innings 280 (A.Agar 98, P.Hughes 81 not out, S.Smith 53, J.Anderson 5-85)

Ashes First Test: Scoreboard at lunch on Day 2 – Australia 229-9 v England (215)

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NOTTINGHAM, England – The Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Thursday.

Ashes Scoreboard and Summary

  • Australia 229-9 (A.Agar 69 not out, P.Hughes 63 not out, S.Smith 53, J.Anderson 5-70)
  • England 215 all out (J.Trott 48, P.Siddle 5-50)
  • Australia lead by 14 runs -229-9 at lunch
  • Partnership of 112 (Hughes 42, Agar 69)
  • Agar highest Test score by Australian No. 11
  • Day one: England 215; Australia 75-4

  • Live scorecard | Live SkySports Stream | Live BBC Sports Updates

Phil Hughes and 19-year-old Ashton Agar took Australia from a dismal position of 117 for 9 to 229 for 9 at lunch in reply to England’s 215 – for a 14 run lead.

Hughes and Agar partnership of 112 is now the highest 10th wicket stand by Aus in an Ashes Test since 1961, while the latter’s knock is the highest ever scored by an Australian No.11, eclipsing the previous 61 scored by former seamer Glenn McGrath.

Agar’s knock is also the first half century by a No. 11 on Test debut and he deservingly received a very warm applause at Trent Bridge.

McGrath still can’t believe what he is seeing.

“It’s very remarkable, about an hour ago it was looking very dismal for the Australians but this partnership has been absolutely extraordinary,” McGrath told BBC Test Match Special.

“I remember my first innings at number 11 for Australia – I lasted one ball. At the start of this match I thought I was presenting a first cap to a bowler – not a batting all-rounder!”

James Anderson has so far taken five for 70.

England bowled out for 215 by Australia – Five wickets for Siddle in 1st Innings

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Trent Bridge, Nottingham (Sporting Alert) —England has been bowled out for 215 in the third session on the opening day of the first Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

England: 215 all out off 59 overs (J.Trott 48, P.Siddle 5-50)

Live scorecard | Live SkySports Stream | Live BBC Sports Updates

The day so far belongs to Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle, who took five wickets for 50 runs as the tourists dominated the opening two and a half session of the day one.

“For Australia there has been some good stuff, some sloppy stuff and England have helped them have a really good day so far. As a spectacle you’ve had a wonderful cricket day,”  former England opener Geoffrey Boycott, told BBC Test Match Special.

James Pattinson took three for 69 and Mitchell Starc, two for 54, to help bowl England out for the small total after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat first.

Jonathan Trott top score for England with 48 runs, while Jonny Bairstow (37) and Joe Root (30) both got starts as well, but failed to carry on to a big score.

It took Australia just 59 overs to finish off the hosts’ first innings.

Teams and Officials:

England – Alastair Cook (captain), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson

Australia – Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke (captain), Phil Hughes, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ashton Agar

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) (Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by John O’Brien)

Siddle removes Trott and Pietersen; Australia on top after lunch

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NOTTINGHAM, England (Sporting Alert) — Australia has reduced England 124-for-4 early after lunch, with pace bowler Peter Siddle leading the way with three wickets so far in the first inning of the first Ashes Test against at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Live scorecard | Live SkySports Stream | Live BBC Sports Updates

England lost openers Alastair Cook (13) and Joe Root (30) during the morning session to reach 98 for two at lunch.

After the interval, Siddle removed both Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen for 48 and 14, respectively, as Australia move on top on the opening day.

James Pattinson is the other wicket taker for the Aussies and he was the one who had removed the England captain Cook before he could have gotten the chance to settle.

Earlier, Cook won the toss and elected to bat first in overcast conditions.

Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath says the tourists should be happy about takinf four wickets already, but warned they must cut down the four balls.

“The Australia team will be very happy with four wickets down,” McGrath said on BBC Test Match Special.

“They’ve bowled reasonably well but there have been too many ‘four’ balls, although it’s got England playing their shots and maybe that’s created some wickets.”

Teams and Officials:

England – Alastair Cook (captain), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson

Australia – Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke (captain), Phil Hughes, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ashton Agar

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) (Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by John O’Brien)

Australia v British and Irish Lions – Final Test Live

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SYDNEY, Australia (Sporting Aler) — It’s been the most talked about in the English media this week and finally, the series decider between the British and Irish Lions and Australia is well set for an entertaining contest.

Australia v British and Irish Lions – Final Test Live | Sky Sports Day Pass

Most of the build up for the game has been around Brian O’Driscoll, who was dropped completely from the match-day squad for the deciding Test by head coach Warren Gatland.

But while he would have loved to see O’Driscoll involved, Tommy Bowe said the players are well motivated and is now looking forward to beating the Australians, especially for the legendary centre.

“Brian came and trained with the team yesterday,” Bowe said. “He spoke up and told us exactly what it meant to him again.

“I think everybody knows the disappointment that he has from not being involved but for a guy like that, such a presence he has around the squad, for him to really be rallying around the team and to really want us to push on and win the series, it is a huge motivation for us to do a job for him.”

Meanwhile, Bowe is also confident that the Lions’ decision to play a powerful line-up could provide further for Australia, offensively at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

“We’ve picked about as big a side as we could have for this game,” he said Bowe on Friday.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get on the front foot and for me personally, I’ll be able to get my hands on the ball too.”

Preparation for the Final Test is also going well.

“We have had a great session today. It was very upbeat, with a good skill level and was exactly what we needed before a tough match,” the Ireland wing said.

“We had a couple of days off to get away from it in Noosa but the last three days have been intense.

“It doesn’t feel like the last game of the season, it is a do-or-die match and we are fully up for it.”

In the meantime, as the British and Irish Lions gear up for the contest, several supporters, former players and pundits back the visitors to come away with the series victory, but remain committed to their views that Gatland is taking a massive gamble dropping O’Driscoll.

Former England skipper Will Carling, who is counting on the travelers to pull off the win, revealed that he was left in disbelief after hearing about the news that Gatland had decided to drop  O’Driscoll for the game that will decide the series.

Carling believes that O’Driscoll, despite not being at his very best, had still done enough to merit a place in the side.

“My jaw almost hit the floor when I heard the news,” Carling was quoted as telling The Sun.

“Gatland will be hung out to dry if he gets this one wrong and I firmly believe he has made the wrong call.

“There is just no logic to his decision. I would never pick a team on sentiment but O’Driscoll would still be in my team on merit.

“Okay, he hasn’t set the world alight in this Test series but in make-or-break games like this you need players of proven world class.

“O’Driscoll ticks all the boxes. And because of that I’d have given him the captaincy,” he added.

First-Test: England v New Zealand: Cooks bats first watch live on Willow TV

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(Sporting Alert) — England won the toss and elected to bat first on the opening day of the first Investec Test against New Zealand at Lord’s this morning.

Watch England v New Zealand First Test Live

England left fast bowler Tim Bresnan out of their team for the game on what looks like a very dry pitch on the sunny opening day.

But Steven Finn retained his place in the starting team, with spinner Graeme Swann returning after a an elbow surgery three months ago.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum had already made plans to bowl first had he won the toss so things went according to plan for the Kiwis from that stand point. Team news sees Bruce Martin retaining his place, while Neil Wagner plays instead Doug Bracewell.

England team: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

New Zealand team: 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

Rain delay start in Australia vs South Africa Test on 2nd day

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BRISBANE (Sporting Alert) — The second day of the first Test between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba has been halted because of heavy rain.

South Africa were scheduled to resume their batting, following a very healthy opening day, but a downpour about 45 minutes before Saturday morning’s scheduled start prevented this from happen.

Persistent Heavy drizzling has also forced the game to be delayed.

South Africa closed day one on Friday on 255 for two in their first innings with Hashim Amla (90) and Jacques Kallis (84) keeping their eyes on making centuries.

Graeme Smith (10) and Alviro Petersen (64) are the batsmen already dismissed.

Meanwhile, South Africa have been forced to play with 10 batsmen for the rest of the match after batsman JP Duminy was ruled out for the series after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training on Friday.

Willow TV Will Have Live Coverage

England adds batsman Kevin Pietersen to Test squad to India

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LONDON (Sporting Alert) — The cricket selectors of England announced that top order batsman Kevin Pietersen has been added to the Test squad for the forthcoming tour of India.

Pietersen was dropped by the management staff before the start of the third Test against South Africa in August, following reports that he had sent text messages to opposing players criticising his then team captain Andrew Strauss.

However, the ECB, which had initially left the 30-year-old out of its 16 man squad, today announced that hard hitting batsman, who met with coach Andy Flower, skipper Alastair Cook and several senior players and other members in Oxford earlier this week – is all cleared to join the rest of the squad members.

“We were keen that Kevin should hold a series of face-to-face meetings with team management and senior players before the Test squad departs for the UAE and India next week,” ECB Managing Director – England Cricket, Hugh Morris said.

“The meetings were constructive and cordial and all outstanding issues have been resolved. All the England players and management are now keen to draw a line under this matter and fully focus on the cricketing challenge that lies ahead in India.”

England will play four Test match against India.

England squad for the four-match Test series against India:

Alastair Cook (Essex, captain); James Anderson (Lancashire); Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire); Ian Bell (Warwickshire); Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire); Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire); Nick Compton (Somerset); Steven Finn (Middlesex); Graham Onions (Durham); Eoin Morgan (Middlesex); Monty Panesar (Sussex); Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire); Kevin Pietersen (Surrey); Matt Prior (Sussex); Joe Root (Yorkshire); Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire); Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

West Indies bowl first after winning toss – 2nd Test Day 1

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (Sporting Alert) – The West Indies, up 1-0 in the two match series, won the toss and decided to field first against New Zealand on the opening day of the second Digicel Test at Sabina Park Thursday.

LIVE COVERAGE ON WILLOW TV: 2nd Test – West Indies v New Zealand. Sabina Park. Kingston, Jamaica

West Indies won the opening Test by nine-wickets last Monday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Opening batsman Chris Gayle made a successful return to Test cricket by hitting a century and an undefeated half-century in the win for the Windies and the Jamaican left-hander is hoping to deliver another good performance infront of his home fans.

Both sides were been forced to make changes to their line-ups with the West Indies bringing in fast bowler Tino Best to replace the injured Ravi Rampaul, while New Zealand have made chances to bring in B.J. Watling, Tim Southee and Trent Boult for the injured batsman Daniel Flynn and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, as well as Chris Martin, who was dropped for poor form.

Teams:

WEST INDIES: Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Assad Fudadin, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, Tino Best

NEW ZEALAND: Ross Taylor (captain), Martin Guptill, B.J. Watling, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Dean Brownlie, Kruger van Wyk (wicketkeeper), Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult

UMPIRES: Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Paul Reiffel (Australia)

TV UMPIRE: Richard Kettleborough (England)

MATCH REFEREE: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

RESERVE UMPIRE: Gregory Brathwaite (West Indies/Barbados)

West Indies vs New Zealand: First Test Match

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NORTH SOUND, Antigua (Sporting Alert) -– Following their success in the One Day International series, the West Indies arrived here at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, full of confidence and ready to take on New Zealand in the first Test Match today.

1st Test – West Indies v New Zealand. Live on Willow TV

The Windies have been boosted by the return of opener Chris Gayle, who will certainly stable things at the top of the order – a place in which the Caribbean side has struggled in recent times.

Gayle was named in the West Indies 13-man squad for the opening game of the Test series and is set to play his first Test match since December 2010.

The hard-hitting left hander has been in good form since his return to the side and captain Darren Sammy is delighted to see the Jamaican back in the side for the Digicel Test Series.

“It’s very exciting. I know he’s looking forward to being back in white clothes as well,” Sammy said ahead of the first Test.

“Not just Chris but the entire team is looking forward to the Test series and hopefully we can continue the form we showed in the T20 and one-day series.

“Our opening position has been a spot of bother for us, but with the experience [of Gayle] back there hopefully we can see off the new ball and put a good total on the board. The new ball we have struggled for the last year or so.

“His experience, he can pass it on to the younger players. But at the end of the day you’ve still got to go out there and put the performance out there in the middle, because we’ve got a good side on paper but you still have to go out there and do the business.”

The likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels are just a few players the West Indies will look to help win the series.

It is now left to be seen what the staff will do with Ravi Rampaul and Tino Best, who are unlikely to both play the game.

Captain Ross Taylor and veteran spinner and former skipper Daniel Vettori will be very important for New Zealand, while Trent Boult is set to be replaced in the starting team by Neil Wagner.

SQUADS
West Indies squad
DJG Sammy*, D Ramdin†, AB Barath, TL Best, S Chanderpaul, N Deonarine, AB Fudadin, CH Gayle, SP Narine, KOA Powell, R Rampaul, KAJ Roach, MN Samuels

New Zealand squad
LRPL Taylor*, TA Boult, DAJ Bracewell, DG Brownlie, DR Flynn, MJ Guptill, BB McCullum, CS Martin, TS Nethula, TG Southee, CFK van Wyk†, DL Vettori, N Wagner, BJ Watling, KS Williamson