New Zealand advanced to the final of the trans-Tasman Twenty20 triangular series against Australia despite suffering a two-run loss to England at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

New Zealand, who beat England by 12 runs in their previous match, advanced to the February&nbsp;21 final on the net run rate. They had only needed to score 175 to have the superior run rate.

The hosts ended on 192 for four after England had posted 194 for seven courtesy of a 93-run partnership between captain Eoin Morgan, who finished 80 not out, and Dawid Malan (53).

Despite advancing to the final, Kane Williamson&#39;s side should have won the game comfortably after Colin Munro (57) and Martin Guptill (62) blasted an impressive 78-run opening partnership in 6.3 overs.

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Big finish! 
De Grandhomme can&#39;t find the fence needing 4 off the final ball and we come up 3 runs short of the 195 target. 
But we are still through to the FINAL with a superior net run-rate ????&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TriSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TriSeries</a> ????????v???????? <a href="https://t.co/HdiTAhN5Lf">pic.twitter.com/HdiTAhN5Lf</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/965154312207740931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The 30-year-old Munro smashed an 18-ball half-century, which included seven sixes, before England&#39;s spinners Adil Rashid, who dismissed Munro on his third delivery, and Liam Dawson choked off New Zealand&#39;s scoring.

Guptill and Mark Chapman, however, saw off the threat of the two main spinners to add 64 runs in 5.2 overs and ensured New Zealand were within sight of the final before Guptill was bowled by Malan with his side 164 for three.

Chapman, who was bowled by Chris Jordan in the penultimate over for 32 but then recalled as the bowler had overstepped, and Colin de Grandhomme, however, were unable to score the 12 runs needed from the final over from Tom Curran.

Morgan, who had missed England&#39;s last two games in the series due to a groin strain, proved he had not lost any form while sitting on the sidelines with a composed inning.

The left-hander was on 37 when Malan departed with the score on 117 for three and then scored 40 of his side&#39;s next 48 runs but was starved of the strike in the final two overs.

Australia won all four of their games and are favourites for Wednesday&#39;s final at Eden Park in Auckland.

&nbsp;

New Zealand advanced to the February 21 final on the net run rate. They had only needed to score 175 to have the superior run rate

New Zealand advanced to the final of the trans-Tasman Twenty20 triangular series against Australia despite suffering a two-run loss to England at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday. New Zealand, who beat England by 12 runs in their previous match, advanced to the February 21 final on the net run rate. They had only needed to score 175 to have the superior run rate. The hosts ended on 192 for four after England had posted 194 for seven courtesy of a 93-run partnership between captain Eoin Morgan, who finished 80 not out, and Dawid Malan (53). Despite advancing to the final, Kane Williamson's side should have won the game comfortably after Colin Munro (57) and Martin Guptill (62) blasted an impressive 78-run opening partnership in 6.3 overs. Big finish! De Grandhomme can't find the fence needing 4 off the final ball and we come up 3 runs short of the 195 target. But we are still through to the FINAL with a superior net run-rate ???? #TriSeries ????????v???????? pic.twitter.com/HdiTAhN5Lf — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 18, 2018 × The 30-year-old Munro smashed an 18-ball half-century, which included seven sixes, before England's spinners Adil Rashid, who dismissed Munro on his third delivery, and Liam Dawson choked off New Zealand's scoring. Guptill and Mark Chapman, however, saw off the threat of the two main spinners to add 64 runs in 5.2 overs and ensured New Zealand were within sight of the final before Guptill was bowled by Malan with his side 164 for three. Chapman, who was bowled by Chris Jordan in the penultimate over for 32 but then recalled as the bowler had overstepped, and Colin de Grandhomme, however, were unable to score the 12 runs needed from the final over from Tom Curran. Morgan, who had missed England's last two games in the series due to a groin strain, proved he had not lost any form while sitting on the sidelines with a composed inning. The left-hander was on 37 when Malan departed with the score on 117 for three and then scored 40 of his side's next 48 runs but was starved of the strike in the final two overs. Australia won all four of their games and are favourites for Wednesday's final at Eden Park in Auckland.

New Zealand advance to final despite two-run loss to England

Romelu Lukaku extended his impressive FA Cup scoring record by netting twice in Manchester United&#39;s 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town to earn Jose Mourinho&#39;s side a quarter-final tie at home to Brighton &amp; Hove Albion.

The Belgian has scored in each of the three rounds United have played of this year&#39;s competition and now has 11 goals from his past 10 FA Cup appearances and 21 in all competitions this season.

Lukaku&#39;s first came after three minutes, and the striker scored again in the second half after United mounted a quick counter-attack against a side who beat them at the John Smith&#39;s Stadium in the Premier League last October.

Saturday&#39;s fifth-round late kickoff also featured English football&#39;s latest video-assisted referee (VAR) decision when United&#39;s Juan Mata had a goal disallowed after being ruled fractionally offside before the interval.

&quot;Yes, the decision went in our favour but this VAR for me kills the emotion of the game,&quot; said Huddersfield manager David Wagner. &quot;This is why I don&#39;t like it but I am not the person who makes the decision.&quot;

United&#39;s midfielder Paul Pogba missed the game due to illness.

West Bromwich Albion&#39;s tumultuous week took a final turn for the worse as they were knocked out by Southampton, whose 2-1 victory at the Hawthorns secured the visitors a quarter-final berth for the first time since 2005.

Defeat always seemed likely for West Brom, who are bottom of the Premier League and sacked their chairman and chief-executive on Tuesday.

They then had four senior players interviewed by Spanish police over the alleged theft of a taxi from outside a fast-food restaurant in Barcelona.

Two of those involved in the incident, Jonny Evans and Gareth Barry, both started against Southampton after issuing a public apology, although Evans was stripped of the captaincy by Albion manager Alan Pardew.

&quot;I felt I needed to make a little bit of a statement about the events,&quot; Pardew said. &quot;I was far from happy over them.&quot;

Evans could do nothing to stop Southampton taking the lead through Wesley Hoedt on 11 minutes, with Dusan Tadic adding the second after the interval.

Salomon Rondon quickly countered for West Brom but Southampton held on to record their second win at Albion in two weeks and earn a quarter-final at either Wigan Athletic or Manchester City, who play on Monday.

Debut goals end Coventry dream

Brighton&#39;s Jurgen Locadia scored on his debut in the 3-1 win over Coventry City who, after knocking out Stoke City in the third round, failed in their attempt to make FA Cup history by becoming the first fourth-tier side to beat two top-flight teams in the same season.

There was never much chance of that with Brighton&#39;s record signing Locadia scoring with his first shot on target after 15 minutes and Leicester City loanee Leonardo Ulloa, who is in his second spell with the Seagulls, rounding off the win after Connor Goldson netted his first goal in almost two years. Jonson Clarke-Harris scored Coventry&#39;s consolation.

The last time Brighton were a top-flight team they reached the FA Cup final in 1983, when they lost to Manchester United, their opponents in next month&#39;s quarter-final.

At Hillsborough, both managers bemoaned the replay after second-tier Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City shared a goalless draw, with Swansea&#39;s Carlos Carvalhal suggesting everyone would have been happy to play on to penalties.

&quot;It&#39;s a score nobody wants. I also believe (that&#39;s the case) for Sheffield Wednesday - the same one more game. Maybe in the future we can think that if the managers and referee agree after the first game we can go to penalties and we can finish the game today,&quot; said Carvalhal who was given a warm reception on his return to the club he managed for two and a half years.

The replay is Swansea&#39;s third in succession as they continue to juggle cup commitments with a Premier League survival battle that has become more difficult after impressive defender Alfie Mawson injured himself before kickoff and was subsequently seen wearing a knee brace.

The winner of the replay will host Rochdale or Tottenham Hotspur, who play on Sunday.

Leicester City will be home to Chelsea in the remaining quarter-final. All games will be played between March 16 and 19.

West Bromwich Albion's tumultuous week took a final turn for the worse as they were knocked out by Southampton

Romelu Lukaku extended his impressive FA Cup scoring record by netting twice in Manchester United's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town to earn Jose Mourinho's side a quarter-final tie at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Belgian has scored in each of the three rounds United have played of this year's competition and now has 11 goals from his past 10 FA Cup appearances and 21 in all competitions this season. Lukaku's first came after three minutes, and the striker scored again in the second half after United mounted a quick counter-attack against a side who beat them at the John Smith's Stadium in the Premier League last October. Saturday's fifth-round late kickoff also featured English football's latest video-assisted referee (VAR) decision when United's Juan Mata had a goal disallowed after being ruled fractionally offside before the interval. "Yes, the decision went in our favour but this VAR for me kills the emotion of the game," said Huddersfield manager David Wagner. "This is why I don't like it but I am not the person who makes the decision." United's midfielder Paul Pogba missed the game due to illness. West Bromwich Albion's tumultuous week took a final turn for the worse as they were knocked out by Southampton, whose 2-1 victory at the Hawthorns secured the visitors a quarter-final berth for the first time since 2005. Defeat always seemed likely for West Brom, who are bottom of the Premier League and sacked their chairman and chief-executive on Tuesday. They then had four senior players interviewed by Spanish police over the alleged theft of a taxi from outside a fast-food restaurant in Barcelona. Two of those involved in the incident, Jonny Evans and Gareth Barry, both started against Southampton after issuing a public apology, although Evans was stripped of the captaincy by Albion manager Alan Pardew. "I felt I needed to make a little bit of a statement about the events," Pardew said. "I was far from happy over them." Evans could do nothing to stop Southampton taking the lead through Wesley Hoedt on 11 minutes, with Dusan Tadic adding the second after the interval. Salomon Rondon quickly countered for West Brom but Southampton held on to record their second win at Albion in two weeks and earn a quarter-final at either Wigan Athletic or Manchester City, who play on Monday. Debut goals end Coventry dream Brighton's Jurgen Locadia scored on his debut in the 3-1 win over Coventry City who, after knocking out Stoke City in the third round, failed in their attempt to make FA Cup history by becoming the first fourth-tier side to beat two top-flight teams in the same season. There was never much chance of that with Brighton's record signing Locadia scoring with his first shot on target after 15 minutes and Leicester City loanee Leonardo Ulloa, who is in his second spell with the Seagulls, rounding off the win after Connor Goldson netted his first goal in almost two years. Jonson Clarke-Harris scored Coventry's consolation. The last time Brighton were a top-flight team they reached the FA Cup final in 1983, when they lost to Manchester United, their opponents in next month's quarter-final. At Hillsborough, both managers bemoaned the replay after second-tier Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City shared a goalless draw, with Swansea's Carlos Carvalhal suggesting everyone would have been happy to play on to penalties. "It's a score nobody wants. I also believe (that's the case) for Sheffield Wednesday - the same one more game. Maybe in the future we can think that if the managers and referee agree after the first game we can go to penalties and we can finish the game today," said Carvalhal who was given a warm reception on his return to the club he managed for two and a half years. The replay is Swansea's third in succession as they continue to juggle cup commitments with a Premier League survival battle that has become more difficult after impressive defender Alfie Mawson injured himself before kickoff and was subsequently seen wearing a knee brace. The winner of the replay will host Rochdale or Tottenham Hotspur, who play on Sunday. Leicester City will be home to Chelsea in the remaining quarter-final. All games will be played between March 16 and 19.

Lukaku double sends Man United into FA Cup quarter-finals

Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen Rooney announced the birth of his fourth son on social media on Thursday.

Coleen took on Twitter to share the news of the birth of a beautiful baby boy and later in the evening Wayne shared an adorable picture with all four boys.

Coleen captioned the image as &quot;So Happy to welcome our Baby Boy .... Cass Mac Rooney into the world weighing a healthy 8lb 10oz. He is beautiful ????&quot;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BfORt3dl0j4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">So Happy to welcome our Baby Boy .... Cass Mac Rooney into the world weighing a healthy 8lb 10oz. He is beautiful ????</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coleen_rooney/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Coleen Rooney</a> (@coleen_rooney) on <time datetime="2018-02-15T15:53:38+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Feb 15, 2018 at 7:53am PST</time>
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&nbsp;

Everton star captioned the image as &quot;5-a-side team complete! Welcome to the world Cass ????????????????&quot;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BfOnK58nNAi/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">5-a-side team complete! Welcome to the world Cass ????????????????</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/waynerooney/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Wayne Rooney</a> (@waynerooney) on <time datetime="2018-02-15T19:01:06+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Feb 15, 2018 at 11:01am PST</time>
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&nbsp;

The couple is already parents to three boys Kai (8), Klay (4) and Kit (2). It was expected that they would name the fourth child starting with the letter &#39;K&#39; but probably they ran out of options.

Coleen had&nbsp;confirmed her pregnancy in the month of August&nbsp;2017 and recently she threw a baby shower to celebrate her newest arrival.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX7missFjdg/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">❤️</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coleen_rooney/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Coleen Rooney</a> (@coleen_rooney) on <time datetime="2017-08-18T10:10:17+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Aug 18, 2017 at 3:10am PDT</time>
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&nbsp;

She decorated the venue with pink and blue balloons to keep the sex of the baby a secret.

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Surprise Baby shower yesterday .... I absolutely loved it!! Thanks so much girls and thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/RiseCycling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RiseCycling</a> for perfect venue, &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/neilnoa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@neilnoa</a> <a href="https://t.co/uSURwSKaiU">pic.twitter.com/uSURwSKaiU</a>
&mdash; Coleen Rooney (@ColeenRoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ColeenRoo/status/960432430170738688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The couple&nbsp;already had faced lots of issues regarding their marriage, as there were claims that both of them are on the verge of separating because of an incident when Everton striker Wayne was arrested for driving under alcohol&#39;s influence with a party girl Laura Simpson.

Wayne faced a lot of criticism for his immature act but his wife Coleen took on to social media and claimed to stay in the marriage.

She said, &quot;A few people have been feeling sorry for me, please don&rsquo;t. I appreciate getting cared about, however, I am a strong person, I don&rsquo;t feel sorry for myself.

Also, a few people are probably thinking am stupid for staying in my marriage. I am not stupid, I know my own mind and it&rsquo;s something I want to try and work on.&quot;

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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Everton striker Wayne Rooney and Coleen Rooney are blessed with a healthy baby boy and they named him Cass

Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen Rooney announced the birth of his fourth son on social media on Thursday. Coleen took on Twitter to share the news of the birth of a beautiful baby boy and later in the evening Wayne shared an adorable picture with all four boys. Coleen captioned the image as "So Happy to welcome our Baby Boy .... Cass Mac Rooney into the world weighing a healthy 8lb 10oz. He is beautiful ????" So Happy to welcome our Baby Boy .... Cass Mac Rooney into the world weighing a healthy 8lb 10oz. He is beautiful ???? A post shared by Coleen Rooney (@coleen_rooney) on Feb 15, 2018 at 7:53am PST × Everton star captioned the image as "5-a-side team complete! Welcome to the world Cass ????????????????" 5-a-side team complete! Welcome to the world Cass ???????????????? A post shared by Wayne Rooney (@waynerooney) on Feb 15, 2018 at 11:01am PST × The couple is already parents to three boys Kai (8), Klay (4) and Kit (2). It was expected that they would name the fourth child starting with the letter 'K' but probably they ran out of options. Coleen had confirmed her pregnancy in the month of August 2017 and recently she threw a baby shower to celebrate her newest arrival. ❤️ A post shared by Coleen Rooney (@coleen_rooney) on Aug 18, 2017 at 3:10am PDT × She decorated the venue with pink and blue balloons to keep the sex of the baby a secret. Surprise Baby shower yesterday .... I absolutely loved it!! Thanks so much girls and thank you @RiseCycling for perfect venue, & @neilnoa pic.twitter.com/uSURwSKaiU — Coleen Rooney (@ColeenRoo) February 5, 2018 × The couple already had faced lots of issues regarding their marriage, as there were claims that both of them are on the verge of separating because of an incident when Everton striker Wayne was arrested for driving under alcohol's influence with a party girl Laura Simpson. Wayne faced a lot of criticism for his immature act but his wife Coleen took on to social media and claimed to stay in the marriage. She said, "A few people have been feeling sorry for me, please don’t. I appreciate getting cared about, however, I am a strong person, I don’t feel sorry for myself. Also, a few people are probably thinking am stupid for staying in my marriage. I am not stupid, I know my own mind and it’s something I want to try and work on." ×

Wayne Rooney says '5-a-side team complete,' after birth of fourth son

&nbsp;A scintillating century from Jos Buttler led a late England charge against a full-strength Australian pace attack in the third one-day international in Sydney&nbsp;today.

Already ahead 2-0 in the five-match series, the tourists were sent in by Australian captain Steve Smith and initially found life tougher than in their two previous wins on a slightly tricky wicket.

Several English batsmen got promising starts, but it was wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler who helped them post an imposing 302 for six from their 50 overs.

Buttler notched his five one-day international century from the last ball of the innings, as England helped themselves to 38 off the last two overs.

He faced 83 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, in a dashing innings that gathered momentum in the last 10 overs.

Just as England appeared to be struggling against a full-strength Australian attack, Buttler found a willing ally in Chris Woakes late in the innings, the seamer making 53 from 36 balls in a partnership of 113 in 11.5 overs.

Australia recalled pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the match, the first time in the one-day series the trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, which spearheaded the 4-0 Ashes win, had been reunited.

The tactic appeared to be working until Buttler and Woakes came together.

The English were helped by sloppy Australian fielding, with four missed catches and two botched run out attempts.

The easiest of the catches to go to grass during the English innings was a howler by Cameron White, who failed to get a hand to a skied chance from Moeen Ali when he was on one.

Mitchell Marsh was the unlucky bowler, but had his revenge a few minutes later when he bowled Ali for six, continuing the all-rounder&#39;s wretched tour.

Smith dropped Eoin Morgan (41) 18 from the bowling of spinner Adam Zampa, while Starc got his fingers to a tough caught-and-bowled chance.

Needing a win to stay in the series, Australia recalled Hazlewood, Cummins, wicketkeeper Tim Paine and Zampa, at the expense, of Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Travis Head and Alex Carey.

Buttler helped England post an imposing 302 for six from their 50 overs

A scintillating century from Jos Buttler led a late England charge against a full-strength Australian pace attack in the third one-day international in Sydney today. Already ahead 2-0 in the five-match series, the tourists were sent in by Australian captain Steve Smith and initially found life tougher than in their two previous wins on a slightly tricky wicket. Several English batsmen got promising starts, but it was wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler who helped them post an imposing 302 for six from their 50 overs. Buttler notched his five one-day international century from the last ball of the innings, as England helped themselves to 38 off the last two overs. He faced 83 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes, in a dashing innings that gathered momentum in the last 10 overs. Just as England appeared to be struggling against a full-strength Australian attack, Buttler found a willing ally in Chris Woakes late in the innings, the seamer making 53 from 36 balls in a partnership of 113 in 11.5 overs. Australia recalled pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the match, the first time in the one-day series the trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, which spearheaded the 4-0 Ashes win, had been reunited. The tactic appeared to be working until Buttler and Woakes came together. The English were helped by sloppy Australian fielding, with four missed catches and two botched run out attempts. The easiest of the catches to go to grass during the English innings was a howler by Cameron White, who failed to get a hand to a skied chance from Moeen Ali when he was on one. Mitchell Marsh was the unlucky bowler, but had his revenge a few minutes later when he bowled Ali for six, continuing the all-rounder's wretched tour. Smith dropped Eoin Morgan (41) 18 from the bowling of spinner Adam Zampa, while Starc got his fingers to a tough caught-and-bowled chance. Needing a win to stay in the series, Australia recalled Hazlewood, Cummins, wicketkeeper Tim Paine and Zampa, at the expense, of Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Travis Head and Alex Carey.

Jos Buttler does it for England in third ODI against Australia

England beat Australia in the second One Day International at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday and now lead the series with 2-0.

Australia had won the toss and opted to bat. After restricting Australians to 270/9, the English achieved the total with 5.4 overs to spare.

Though Australia started off well, it was assumed that they would give a target of more than 300 runs but English bowlers struck and restricted the team at an achievable total of 270 runs.

For Australia, both the openers, Aaron Finch and David Warner made a good&nbsp;start, Finch slammed a century and David Warner scored 35 runs for the team before Moeen Ali had caught him at slip.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warners-daughter-cheering-for-england-29956" target="_blank">Watch: David Warner&#39;s daughter cheering for England</a>

Joe Root had taken two very crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Travis Head for 18 and 7 respectively and Plunkett got another important wicket of Aaron Finch for 106 runs.

Adil Rashid trapped Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis LBW at 36 runs and 4 runs respectively and Chris Woakes brilliantly run out debutant Alex Carey for 27 runs and Andrew Tye for 3 runs.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
2-0! England&#39;s batsmen back up the work of the bowlers to chase down their target of 271 and win the 2nd <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> ODI by 4 wickets.<a href="https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh">https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wlp7oVPThb">pic.twitter.com/Wlp7oVPThb</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/954304219124830209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Aaron Finch was dominating fast bowlers, then English captain E Morgan turned to his spinners with immediate effect.

&quot;I thought our bowlers were exceptional,&quot; England captain Eoin Morgan said.

&quot;On a really hot day, they coped very well.&quot;

All of England&#39;s batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57).

Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and got player of the match.

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A superb all round performance with both bat and ball sees <a href="https://twitter.com/root66?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@root66</a> win the Player of the Match award for the 2nd <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> ODI. 
 
SCORECARD: <a href="https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh">https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh</a> <a href="https://t.co/EyRUuBaPyw">pic.twitter.com/EyRUuBaPyw</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/954308561290579968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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After losing the game Smith conceded Australia were well beaten.

&quot;We&#39;re not playing good enough one day cricket at the moment,&quot; he said.

&quot;We were in a good position at 3-209 with 11 overs to go and we only scored 60 with seven wickets in hand,&quot; he added.

&quot;That&#39;s not enough against a quality English batting line up.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and awarded player of the match

England beat Australia in the second One Day International at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday and now lead the series with 2-0. Australia had won the toss and opted to bat. After restricting Australians to 270/9, the English achieved the total with 5.4 overs to spare. Though Australia started off well, it was assumed that they would give a target of more than 300 runs but English bowlers struck and restricted the team at an achievable total of 270 runs. For Australia, both the openers, Aaron Finch and David Warner made a good start, Finch slammed a century and David Warner scored 35 runs for the team before Moeen Ali had caught him at slip. Watch: David Warner's daughter cheering for England Joe Root had taken two very crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Travis Head for 18 and 7 respectively and Plunkett got another important wicket of Aaron Finch for 106 runs. Adil Rashid trapped Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis LBW at 36 runs and 4 runs respectively and Chris Woakes brilliantly run out debutant Alex Carey for 27 runs and Andrew Tye for 3 runs. 2-0! England's batsmen back up the work of the bowlers to chase down their target of 271 and win the 2nd #AUSvENG ODI by 4 wickets.https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh pic.twitter.com/Wlp7oVPThb — ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2018 × Aaron Finch was dominating fast bowlers, then English captain E Morgan turned to his spinners with immediate effect. "I thought our bowlers were exceptional," England captain Eoin Morgan said. "On a really hot day, they coped very well." All of England's batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57). Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and got player of the match. A superb all round performance with both bat and ball sees @root66 win the Player of the Match award for the 2nd #AUSvENG ODI. SCORECARD: https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh pic.twitter.com/EyRUuBaPyw — ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2018 × After losing the game Smith conceded Australia were well beaten. "We're not playing good enough one day cricket at the moment," he said. "We were in a good position at 3-209 with 11 overs to go and we only scored 60 with seven wickets in hand," he added. "That's not enough against a quality English batting line up."

England beat Australia in second ODI, lead 2-0

Jos Buttler&#39;s magnificent century brought England a 16-run win and a one-day international series victory against Australia in Sydney on Sunday.&nbsp;

The hosts struggled and managed only 286 runs while chasing a huge target of 303.

The result gave England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, a remarkable turnaround after Australia had trounced the tourists 4-0 in the recently concluded Ashes Tests.&nbsp;

Australia&#39;s hopes largely rested with Steve Smith (45) and Mitchell Marsh (55), but both were dismissed at a crucial stage of the chase, with Smith falling to a contentious low-down catch by Buttler off the bowling of Mark Wood (2-46). &nbsp;

Marcus Stoinis made a late attempt to lift Australia with a punishing 56, but England managed to hold on despite losing pacemen Liam Plunkett to a leg injury early in the Australian innings.

Buttler, 27, was the only batsman from either team really to get to grips with a slightly slow pitch, and his late surge enabled England to reach a total which had seemed out of their reach until the final few overs.

Several English batsmen got promising starts, but it was wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler who helped them post an imposing 302 for six from their 50 overs.

Buttler notched his five one-day international century from the last ball of the innings, as England helped themselves to 38 off the last two overs.

The hosts struggled and managed only 286 runs while chasing a huge target of 303.

Jos Buttler's magnificent century brought England a 16-run win and a one-day international series victory against Australia in Sydney on Sunday. The hosts struggled and managed only 286 runs while chasing a huge target of 303. The result gave England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, a remarkable turnaround after Australia had trounced the tourists 4-0 in the recently concluded Ashes Tests. Australia's hopes largely rested with Steve Smith (45) and Mitchell Marsh (55), but both were dismissed at a crucial stage of the chase, with Smith falling to a contentious low-down catch by Buttler off the bowling of Mark Wood (2-46). Marcus Stoinis made a late attempt to lift Australia with a punishing 56, but England managed to hold on despite losing pacemen Liam Plunkett to a leg injury early in the Australian innings. Buttler, 27, was the only batsman from either team really to get to grips with a slightly slow pitch, and his late surge enabled England to reach a total which had seemed out of their reach until the final few overs. Several English batsmen got promising starts, but it was wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler who helped them post an imposing 302 for six from their 50 overs. Buttler notched his five one-day international century from the last ball of the innings, as England helped themselves to 38 off the last two overs.

3rd ODI: England beat Australia by 16 runs to clinch series

England finished their testing tour of Australia on a high today with a thrilling 12-run win in the fifth and final one-day international in Perth.

In the first match at the new Perth Stadium, the tourists set Australia 260 to win in front of a record West Australian cricket crowd of 53,781.

Despite resting frontline bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, and having quick Jake Ball struggling with illness, the tourists managed to defend their total.

Young seamer Tom Curran was the match-winner with five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 247 with 10 balls remaining.

England, beaten 4-0 in a lopsided Ashes Test series, bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1.

The result continued the dismal recent run of the World Cup holders in one-dayers and Australian captain Steve Smith was again left frustrated with both batting and bowling.

&quot;We thought we&#39;d pulled it back really well, but we didn&#39;t start well with the ball -- been a bit of trend,&quot; he said.

&quot;Again we lost wickets in clumps and you can&#39;t do that. Our batting again wasn&#39;t good enough, these lapses are happening way too often in one-day cricket.&quot;

Australia, thanks largely to Marcus Stoinis who was promoted to number three and made 87, looked to be cruising to victory on 189 for four.

But the loss of Stoinis, caught at long-on off leg- spinner Adil Rashid, proved crucial.

Curran returned to the attack and removed Glenn Maxwell (34) and Mitchell Starc (0) in the space of three balls as Australia lost their way.

When Tim Paine and Adam Zampa threatened to snatch the match with a gritty ninth-wicket stand, Curran came back into the attack and clean-bowled the latter with his third ball.

In just his third one-day international and his first of the series, the 22-year-old then delivered the last rites by bowling Paine for 34.

Curran finished with 5-35 and also had two catches dropped from his bowling, both by the normally reliable Jonny Bairstow.

Curran, named man of the match, was ecstatic with the result.

&quot;Watching the boys play one-day cricket recently has been a pleasure and to come in and try and take my chance is a great feeling,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;ve been training hard. To come and play the first one-day international at this unbelievable stadium, in front the Barmy Army... The game was unbelievable, what a finish.&quot;

Moeen Ali&#39;s horror tour with the bat continued when he went cheaply in the English innings. But he claimed 3-55, including the crucial wickets of Smith (12) and Mitch Marsh (13) -- the latter falling to a superb reflex return catch.

Curran&#39;s heroics came after the tourists failed to capitalise on a fast start after being sent in to bat.

Test captain Joe Root made a typically busy 62 but the English appeared to have fallen start after a flying start when they were bowled out for 259 in 47.4 overs.

The English openers blazed away early in a polar opposite to their nightmare start in Adelaide on Friday.

In that game they were 5-8 and went to suffer their first defeat of the series, but there were no such problems on Sunday.

Jason Roy led the charge and enjoyed some good fortune when he was brilliantly caught behind by Paine off Starc, only for it to be ruled a no-ball.

The dashing Roy went on to make 49 off 46 balls before being the first man to fall, caught by Josh Hazlewood off local rookie Andrew Tye to end a 71-run partnership with Bairstow (44).

A number of England batsmen made similarly good starts but only Root went on to make a significant score.

Much to the delight of the crowd, Tye was the star with the ball, cleaning up the English tail to finish with 5-46 off 9.4 overs.

England bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1

England finished their testing tour of Australia on a high today with a thrilling 12-run win in the fifth and final one-day international in Perth. In the first match at the new Perth Stadium, the tourists set Australia 260 to win in front of a record West Australian cricket crowd of 53,781. Despite resting frontline bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, and having quick Jake Ball struggling with illness, the tourists managed to defend their total. Young seamer Tom Curran was the match-winner with five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 247 with 10 balls remaining. England, beaten 4-0 in a lopsided Ashes Test series, bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1. The result continued the dismal recent run of the World Cup holders in one-dayers and Australian captain Steve Smith was again left frustrated with both batting and bowling. "We thought we'd pulled it back really well, but we didn't start well with the ball -- been a bit of trend," he said. "Again we lost wickets in clumps and you can't do that. Our batting again wasn't good enough, these lapses are happening way too often in one-day cricket." Australia, thanks largely to Marcus Stoinis who was promoted to number three and made 87, looked to be cruising to victory on 189 for four. But the loss of Stoinis, caught at long-on off leg- spinner Adil Rashid, proved crucial. Curran returned to the attack and removed Glenn Maxwell (34) and Mitchell Starc (0) in the space of three balls as Australia lost their way. When Tim Paine and Adam Zampa threatened to snatch the match with a gritty ninth-wicket stand, Curran came back into the attack and clean-bowled the latter with his third ball. In just his third one-day international and his first of the series, the 22-year-old then delivered the last rites by bowling Paine for 34. Curran finished with 5-35 and also had two catches dropped from his bowling, both by the normally reliable Jonny Bairstow. Curran, named man of the match, was ecstatic with the result. "Watching the boys play one-day cricket recently has been a pleasure and to come in and try and take my chance is a great feeling," he said. "I've been training hard. To come and play the first one-day international at this unbelievable stadium, in front the Barmy Army... The game was unbelievable, what a finish." Moeen Ali's horror tour with the bat continued when he went cheaply in the English innings. But he claimed 3-55, including the crucial wickets of Smith (12) and Mitch Marsh (13) -- the latter falling to a superb reflex return catch. Curran's heroics came after the tourists failed to capitalise on a fast start after being sent in to bat. Test captain Joe Root made a typically busy 62 but the English appeared to have fallen start after a flying start when they were bowled out for 259 in 47.4 overs. The English openers blazed away early in a polar opposite to their nightmare start in Adelaide on Friday. In that game they were 5-8 and went to suffer their first defeat of the series, but there were no such problems on Sunday. Jason Roy led the charge and enjoyed some good fortune when he was brilliantly caught behind by Paine off Starc, only for it to be ruled a no-ball. The dashing Roy went on to make 49 off 46 balls before being the first man to fall, caught by Josh Hazlewood off local rookie Andrew Tye to end a 71-run partnership with Bairstow (44). A number of England batsmen made similarly good starts but only Root went on to make a significant score. Much to the delight of the crowd, Tye was the star with the ball, cleaning up the English tail to finish with 5-46 off 9.4 overs.

Tom Curran steps up as England beat Australia in final ODI

Travis Head, promoted to the top of the order, led Australia to a drought-breaking win over England in the fourth one-day international in Adelaide on Friday.

Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent.

England was dismissed for 196 after being sent in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions, losing four of their top six batsmen for ducks as the possibility of a record low score in one-day cricket briefly loomed.

In reply, Australia reached the modest target with 13 overs to spare, finishing on 197 for seven, but the chase was not without concerns as they struggled to win their first game in the five-match series and turn around their dismal recent one-day form.

England had already secured the series by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in Sydney last Sunday, and that result had left the current World Cup holders with just one win in their past 11 completed ODIs.

Australian captain Steve Smith admitted it wasn&#39;t the most convincing of wins.

&quot;Nice to get over the line, a pretty ordinary (batting) display,&quot; he said, noting that the start to the English innings decided the match.

&quot;It all happened pretty quickly for a moment there, five for eight you&#39;d take any day.&quot;

England captain Eoin Morgan said his team fell victim to a lively pitch early.

&quot;To be five down after 10 overs and no boundaries in the first 15 really shows how much there was in the wicket,&quot; he said.

Head looked certain to notch his second limited-overs century as Australia closed in on victory, but pulled a short ball from Mark Wood straight to Morgan at mid-on, having faced 107 balls and hit 15 fours.

That England was able to post any sort of competitive total was quite remarkable given their horror collapse in the early overs.

On Australia Day, it was all the home side as the tourists lost five wickets with just eight runs on the board.

Steve Smith had sent them in to bat for the second successive match, this time in humid conditions which favoured seam bowlers.

Their lowest total of 86 looked in danger until all-rounder Chris Woakes came to the rescue.

In the end, solid resistance from Woakes (78) along with Morgan and Moeen Ali (33 each) -- and Tom Curran (35) -- enabled England to scramble to a decent total.

Woakes continued his excellent form with the bat in the series, hitting five sixes in the 82 balls he faced before being caught on the boundary off Andrew Tye (3-33).

The rot set in early for the tourists.

Jason Roy, who got England rolling in the series with a record-breaking 180 in the opening match, fell to the second ball of the innings, caught at point by Smith off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood (3-39) for a duck.

Alex Hales (3) was the second to fall, bowled off his pads by Pat Cummins, who snared a career-best 4-24.

&nbsp;

Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent

Travis Head, promoted to the top of the order, led Australia to a drought-breaking win over England in the fourth one-day international in Adelaide on Friday. Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent. England was dismissed for 196 after being sent in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions, losing four of their top six batsmen for ducks as the possibility of a record low score in one-day cricket briefly loomed. In reply, Australia reached the modest target with 13 overs to spare, finishing on 197 for seven, but the chase was not without concerns as they struggled to win their first game in the five-match series and turn around their dismal recent one-day form. England had already secured the series by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in Sydney last Sunday, and that result had left the current World Cup holders with just one win in their past 11 completed ODIs. Australian captain Steve Smith admitted it wasn't the most convincing of wins. "Nice to get over the line, a pretty ordinary (batting) display," he said, noting that the start to the English innings decided the match. "It all happened pretty quickly for a moment there, five for eight you'd take any day." England captain Eoin Morgan said his team fell victim to a lively pitch early. "To be five down after 10 overs and no boundaries in the first 15 really shows how much there was in the wicket," he said. Head looked certain to notch his second limited-overs century as Australia closed in on victory, but pulled a short ball from Mark Wood straight to Morgan at mid-on, having faced 107 balls and hit 15 fours. That England was able to post any sort of competitive total was quite remarkable given their horror collapse in the early overs. On Australia Day, it was all the home side as the tourists lost five wickets with just eight runs on the board. Steve Smith had sent them in to bat for the second successive match, this time in humid conditions which favoured seam bowlers. Their lowest total of 86 looked in danger until all-rounder Chris Woakes came to the rescue. In the end, solid resistance from Woakes (78) along with Morgan and Moeen Ali (33 each) -- and Tom Curran (35) -- enabled England to scramble to a decent total. Woakes continued his excellent form with the bat in the series, hitting five sixes in the 82 balls he faced before being caught on the boundary off Andrew Tye (3-33). The rot set in early for the tourists. Jason Roy, who got England rolling in the series with a record-breaking 180 in the opening match, fell to the second ball of the innings, caught at point by Smith off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood (3-39) for a duck. Alex Hales (3) was the second to fall, bowled off his pads by Pat Cummins, who snared a career-best 4-24.

Head guides Australia to victory in fourth England ODI

Manchester City winger Raheem&nbsp;Sterling&nbsp;has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they&rsquo;re being &quot;butchered&quot; by bad challenges.

City star Leroy Sane was sidelined for up to seven weeks after a bad tackle by Cardiff&rsquo;s Joe Bennett in their 2-0 win in the FA Cup last weekend.

Referee Bobby Madley then failed to show a red card to West Brom&rsquo;s Matt Phillips after his knee-high challenge on youngster Brahim Diaz in the closing stages.

It follows a glut of incidents on City players this season, none of which were punished with dismissals.

Manager Pep Guardiola has repeatedly asked for referees to protect the players, but his calls appear to fall on deaf ears.

But now&nbsp;Sterling, 23, is backing up his manager, saying the nature of the tackles could put those on the receiving end in serious trouble.

He said: &ldquo;I find it a bit unfair at times. I feel that we haven&rsquo;t been protected enough in certain situations. I think some of the challenges have been awful.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not what I expect to see in a top-flight football match -- especially when teams are losing and just go out to kick players.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s right. I do think we need to cut down on that because we&rsquo;ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and majority of the players in the top flight and in our team will be playing in it.

&ldquo;It would be sad to see someone miss the tournament due to a silly tackle and someone gets away with it.

&ldquo;These tackles can happen -- but it can&rsquo;t be every game we&rsquo;re getting two players coming in with injuries.

&ldquo;There are going to be challenges that are badly timed and probably not all of them are intentional, but at the same time, if it&rsquo;s a dangerous tackle, it&rsquo;s a dangerous tackle.

&ldquo;I think the referees and officials need to cut these tackles out because as you can see some of the players are getting butchered out there and it&rsquo;s sad to see.

&ldquo;But I just feel we need to try and cut this out of the game.&rdquo;

Guardiola has called for officials to protect not just his stars, but all players -- though he has not had much support from his peers.

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock commented after the FA Cup tie that Guardiola should expect strong challenges in England, while West Brom manager Alan Pardew accused the Catalan of trying to get the crowd to put pressure on the referee.

It was sparked by several weeks of incidents that could have left some of the Premier League leaders&rsquo; team badly hurt.

Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off at Crystal Palace after being hacked down by Jason Puncheon, weeks after he was on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge by Tottenham&rsquo;s Dele Alli.

Sterling&nbsp;was also caught late by Harry Kane in the first half of that match, which finished 4-1 to City.

City already has long-term injury problems with Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus and Sane still missing.

&nbsp;

Raheem Sterling has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they’re being "butchered" by bad challenges

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has hit out at the quality of officials in England, claiming players could miss the World Cup because they’re being "butchered" by bad challenges. City star Leroy Sane was sidelined for up to seven weeks after a bad tackle by Cardiff’s Joe Bennett in their 2-0 win in the FA Cup last weekend. Referee Bobby Madley then failed to show a red card to West Brom’s Matt Phillips after his knee-high challenge on youngster Brahim Diaz in the closing stages. It follows a glut of incidents on City players this season, none of which were punished with dismissals. Manager Pep Guardiola has repeatedly asked for referees to protect the players, but his calls appear to fall on deaf ears. But now Sterling, 23, is backing up his manager, saying the nature of the tackles could put those on the receiving end in serious trouble. He said: “I find it a bit unfair at times. I feel that we haven’t been protected enough in certain situations. I think some of the challenges have been awful. “It’s not what I expect to see in a top-flight football match -- especially when teams are losing and just go out to kick players. “I don’t think that’s right. I do think we need to cut down on that because we’ve got a World Cup at the end of the year and majority of the players in the top flight and in our team will be playing in it. “It would be sad to see someone miss the tournament due to a silly tackle and someone gets away with it. “These tackles can happen -- but it can’t be every game we’re getting two players coming in with injuries. “There are going to be challenges that are badly timed and probably not all of them are intentional, but at the same time, if it’s a dangerous tackle, it’s a dangerous tackle. “I think the referees and officials need to cut these tackles out because as you can see some of the players are getting butchered out there and it’s sad to see. “But I just feel we need to try and cut this out of the game.” Guardiola has called for officials to protect not just his stars, but all players -- though he has not had much support from his peers. Cardiff boss Neil Warnock commented after the FA Cup tie that Guardiola should expect strong challenges in England, while West Brom manager Alan Pardew accused the Catalan of trying to get the crowd to put pressure on the referee. It was sparked by several weeks of incidents that could have left some of the Premier League leaders’ team badly hurt. Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered off at Crystal Palace after being hacked down by Jason Puncheon, weeks after he was on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge by Tottenham’s Dele Alli. Sterling was also caught late by Harry Kane in the first half of that match, which finished 4-1 to City. City already has long-term injury problems with Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus and Sane still missing.

EPL: Man City players butchered by poor tackles, says Sterling

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in the 15-member squad for the five-match one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, starting later this month.

Stokes&#39; involvement is subject to any court obligations in connection with a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub September last year, for which he has been charged with affray, reports the Guardian.

The former England vice-captain has to appear before Bristol Magistrates` Court on February 13 to answer a charge of affray.Stokes, has not played for the country since the Bristol incident.

He had to earlier miss the Ashes series against Australia after being suspended indefinitely by the ECB, as the outcome of the police investigation into the incident was pending.But with Stokes named in the squad against New Zealand, Dawid Malan, who had played the Ashes series, has been dropped.

Test skipper Joe Root will also return for the series, after being rested for the Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.The England ODI series against New Zealand will start from February 25.&nbsp;

He was named in the 15-member squad for the five-match ODI series

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in the 15-member squad for the five-match one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, starting later this month. Stokes' involvement is subject to any court obligations in connection with a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub September last year, for which he has been charged with affray, reports the Guardian. The former England vice-captain has to appear before Bristol Magistrates` Court on February 13 to answer a charge of affray.Stokes, has not played for the country since the Bristol incident. He had to earlier miss the Ashes series against Australia after being suspended indefinitely by the ECB, as the outcome of the police investigation into the incident was pending.But with Stokes named in the squad against New Zealand, Dawid Malan, who had played the Ashes series, has been dropped. Test skipper Joe Root will also return for the series, after being rested for the Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.The England ODI series against New Zealand will start from February 25.

England names Ben Stokes in ODI squad for New Zealand

8th January 2018 was the day when the Supreme Court of India, in the case of Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India, rekindled the hopes in the minds of the members of LGBT community who, for long, had been considered criminals in the statute book and was seen as outcast in the eyes of many. This was the day when it was decided by the Apex Court to reconsider it&#39;s 2013 decision, whereby, Section 377 of the IPC was reinstated in the statute while setting aside the judgment of Delhi High Court in the Naz Foundation Case.

&nbsp;

As a brief overview, Section 377 also criminalises the sexual relationship between two consenting adults which is against the order of nature. The provision became a part of the Indian legal system at the time of introduction of the Indian Penal Code in 1860 when India was still a colony of the British.

&nbsp;

While debating upon this issue, it becomes abundantly clear that the primary thrust of the supporters of homophobic regulations rests upon the abstract principles, such as public morality and order of nature. A deeper analysis, thereof, would reveal that India is, in fact, labouring under the weight of someone else&rsquo;s misjudgment.

&nbsp;

Pre-colonial India never recognised any discrimination based on someone&rsquo;s sexual inclination, let alone criminalising the same, and our ancient scriptures and sculptures are a testimony to the fact that homosexuality was an accepted facet of our culture.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the contrary, the western world, particularly the United Kingdom, which laid the foundation of the modern Indian legal fa&ccedil;ade, was averse to homosexuality owing to both social and religious considerations.

&nbsp;

As the Delhi High Court recounted in its judgment, the earliest records of homosexuality as a crime in the English common law were chronicled as early as 1290. Subsequently, under the Buggery Act of 1533, homosexuality came to be penalised by hanging. By mid-1800&rsquo;s, the death penalty on homosexuality was abolished but it still remained a crime, &lsquo;not to be mentioned by Christians&rsquo;.

&nbsp;

At the time the Indian Penal Code was enacted in 1860, India was still a colony of the British and it was, actually, the English morality on the subject which came to be enforced upon the Indian society. Even after 70 years of independence, we still consider ourselves shackled in the Victorian mindset.

&nbsp;

Order of nature is another argument that is advanced to defame homosexuality on every forum. In extending the same order of nature argument, we can say, members of LGBT community are born different and, for them, that is their respective order or nature.

Unfortunately, in the world of humans, laws of nature no more hold good and it is only the likings and dislikings of a select few that become the touchstone for the remainder. In the wisdom of our legislature, which, at times, gets claustrophobic, sexual intercourse is meant only for the purpose of procreation and nothing else. This sentiment is reflected in the very language of the section when it speaks about carnal intercourse against the order of nature.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, the Supreme Court seems to be opening up to the wider connotation of this concept. In Navtej Singh Johar case, it was observed that order of nature is not a constant phenomenon. Social morality also changes from age to age. The law copes with life and, accordingly, change takes place. Morality which public perceives, the Constitution may not conceive of.

&nbsp;

Indian lawmakers, on the other hand, have failed to come to terms with the positive aspects of their own ancient culture and, even now, are consistently digging their heels against the legal developments across the world which have been introduced to meet the genuine demands of society.

&nbsp;

In the light of above, it would be worthwhile to analyse as to what is the stand towards homosexuality in the United Kingdom now. While India continues to carry the burden of a negative perception and the corresponding law which was enforced upon her by her conqueror, it has already become redundant in UK. Interestingly, United Kingdom had decriminalised homosexuality in 1967 onwards and, in 2014, gay marriages also became legal in England, Wales and Scotland.

&nbsp;

This head-in-the-sand attitude of the Indian system is not new and was witnessed in the past too when age-old and fossilised arguments were advanced in order to scuttle some revolutionary developments at the hands of Courts.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is high time that India begins to drive away from age-old legislations which snatch the basic fundamental rights of citizens. It is possible only when we let the realities of the time sink in and open up to changes required to deal with them. Hopefully, the Supreme Court would, finally, open the doors of acceptance to LGBT community and confer upon them their right to live with dignity.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pre-colonial India never recognised any discrimination based on someone’s sexual inclination, let alone criminalising the same.

8th January 2018 was the day when the Supreme Court of India, in the case of Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India, rekindled the hopes in the minds of the members of LGBT community who, for long, had been considered criminals in the statute book and was seen as outcast in the eyes of many. This was the day when it was decided by the Apex Court to reconsider it's 2013 decision, whereby, Section 377 of the IPC was reinstated in the statute while setting aside the judgment of Delhi High Court in the Naz Foundation Case. As a brief overview, Section 377 also criminalises the sexual relationship between two consenting adults which is against the order of nature. The provision became a part of the Indian legal system at the time of introduction of the Indian Penal Code in 1860 when India was still a colony of the British. While debating upon this issue, it becomes abundantly clear that the primary thrust of the supporters of homophobic regulations rests upon the abstract principles, such as public morality and order of nature. A deeper analysis, thereof, would reveal that India is, in fact, labouring under the weight of someone else’s misjudgment. Pre-colonial India never recognised any discrimination based on someone’s sexual inclination, let alone criminalising the same, and our ancient scriptures and sculptures are a testimony to the fact that homosexuality was an accepted facet of our culture. On the contrary, the western world, particularly the United Kingdom, which laid the foundation of the modern Indian legal façade, was averse to homosexuality owing to both social and religious considerations. As the Delhi High Court recounted in its judgment, the earliest records of homosexuality as a crime in the English common law were chronicled as early as 1290. Subsequently, under the Buggery Act of 1533, homosexuality came to be penalised by hanging. By mid-1800’s, the death penalty on homosexuality was abolished but it still remained a crime, ‘not to be mentioned by Christians’. At the time the Indian Penal Code was enacted in 1860, India was still a colony of the British and it was, actually, the English morality on the subject which came to be enforced upon the Indian society. Even after 70 years of independence, we still consider ourselves shackled in the Victorian mindset. Order of nature is another argument that is advanced to defame homosexuality on every forum. In extending the same order of nature argument, we can say, members of LGBT community are born different and, for them, that is their respective order or nature. Unfortunately, in the world of humans, laws of nature no more hold good and it is only the likings and dislikings of a select few that become the touchstone for the remainder. In the wisdom of our legislature, which, at times, gets claustrophobic, sexual intercourse is meant only for the purpose of procreation and nothing else. This sentiment is reflected in the very language of the section when it speaks about carnal intercourse against the order of nature. However, the Supreme Court seems to be opening up to the wider connotation of this concept. In Navtej Singh Johar case, it was observed that order of nature is not a constant phenomenon. Social morality also changes from age to age. The law copes with life and, accordingly, change takes place. Morality which public perceives, the Constitution may not conceive of. Indian lawmakers, on the other hand, have failed to come to terms with the positive aspects of their own ancient culture and, even now, are consistently digging their heels against the legal developments across the world which have been introduced to meet the genuine demands of society. In the light of above, it would be worthwhile to analyse as to what is the stand towards homosexuality in the United Kingdom now. While India continues to carry the burden of a negative perception and the corresponding law which was enforced upon her by her conqueror, it has already become redundant in UK. Interestingly, United Kingdom had decriminalised homosexuality in 1967 onwards and, in 2014, gay marriages also became legal in England, Wales and Scotland. This head-in-the-sand attitude of the Indian system is not new and was witnessed in the past too when age-old and fossilised arguments were advanced in order to scuttle some revolutionary developments at the hands of Courts. It is high time that India begins to drive away from age-old legislations which snatch the basic fundamental rights of citizens. It is possible only when we let the realities of the time sink in and open up to changes required to deal with them. Hopefully, the Supreme Court would, finally, open the doors of acceptance to LGBT community and confer upon them their right to live with dignity. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Superpower India treats LGBTs as per discriminatory colonial laws

England women&#39;s coach&nbsp;Phil&nbsp;Neville has denied being sexist and is confident he is the right person for the job despite his lack of experience.

The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light.&nbsp;

One tweet from January 2012 read: &quot;When I said morning men I thought the women would of [sic] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds-sorry women!&quot;

Another from December 2012 read: &quot;U women of [sic] always wanted equality until it comes to paying the bills #hypocrites.&quot;

The 41-year-old sportsman deleted the posts last week and took down his Twitter account as criticism grew.

Also, Neville has revealed a historical tweet where he wrote &quot;just battered the wife&quot; was of a sporting nature and he regrets writing it.

&quot;That tweet was not sent out in terms of domestic violence but the words were not right then and not right now,&quot; said Neville, adding that the reference was to beating his wife at sport on holiday.

&quot;I had to apologise, I didn&#39;t like the words used. I&#39;m not a sexist. I&#39;ve lived my life right,&quot; said Neville who has since deleted his Twitter account.

Neville, 41, has also been criticised for his lack of experience of women&#39;s football, but he said he had coached extensively at a high level.

&quot;I&#39;m qualified for the job, I have a (coaching) Pro Licence. It&#39;s to work in all aspects of football. I&#39;ve worked abroad. I&#39;m best qualified for this job.&quot; said Neville, who has never been a manager but coached at Manchester United, England Under-21s and Spanish side Valencia.

Neville said that just as women were now encouraged to comment on men&#39;s football as TV pundits so he should be allowed to enter the women&#39;s game without any direct experience.

&quot;The gap (between the men&#39;s and women&#39;s game) is closing and I would have thought there were not many candidates with my experience of elite players,&quot; he said.

Neville&#39;s remarks represent an attempt to draw a line under a saga that has split a women&#39;s game still recovering from the sacking of previous head coach Mark Sampson for inappropriate behaviour in a previous job.

The English FA had clearly hoped Neville&#39;s appointment would begin a new era; instead it plunged the game into further turmoil.

Neville met his new team for the first time at a training camp in Spain last week, stating that his intention was to take the team to the next level.

The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light, one of which said he had 'just battered the wife'

England women's coach Phil Neville has denied being sexist and is confident he is the right person for the job despite his lack of experience. The former Manchester United defender has been widely criticised since his appointment last week after comments he made on Twitter a few years ago came to light. One tweet from January 2012 read: "When I said morning men I thought the women would of [sic] been busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making the beds-sorry women!" Another from December 2012 read: "U women of [sic] always wanted equality until it comes to paying the bills #hypocrites." The 41-year-old sportsman deleted the posts last week and took down his Twitter account as criticism grew. Also, Neville has revealed a historical tweet where he wrote "just battered the wife" was of a sporting nature and he regrets writing it. "That tweet was not sent out in terms of domestic violence but the words were not right then and not right now," said Neville, adding that the reference was to beating his wife at sport on holiday. "I had to apologise, I didn't like the words used. I'm not a sexist. I've lived my life right," said Neville who has since deleted his Twitter account. Neville, 41, has also been criticised for his lack of experience of women's football, but he said he had coached extensively at a high level. "I'm qualified for the job, I have a (coaching) Pro Licence. It's to work in all aspects of football. I've worked abroad. I'm best qualified for this job." said Neville, who has never been a manager but coached at Manchester United, England Under-21s and Spanish side Valencia. Neville said that just as women were now encouraged to comment on men's football as TV pundits so he should be allowed to enter the women's game without any direct experience. "The gap (between the men's and women's game) is closing and I would have thought there were not many candidates with my experience of elite players," he said. Neville's remarks represent an attempt to draw a line under a saga that has split a women's game still recovering from the sacking of previous head coach Mark Sampson for inappropriate behaviour in a previous job. The English FA had clearly hoped Neville's appointment would begin a new era; instead it plunged the game into further turmoil. Neville met his new team for the first time at a training camp in Spain last week, stating that his intention was to take the team to the next level.

Soccer: Phil Neville denies being sexist, says he is right for job as women's coach

Australian star batsman, a true legend and a father of two beautiful daughters, David Warner, has shared a video on Instagram in which his elder daughter Ivy Rae was cheering for England cricket team.

Warner sportingly took it and quoted, &quot;Thanks to the @englandsbarmyarmy for brainwashing my daughter.&quot;

In the video, she was singing &quot;Jimmy Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Anderson.&quot;

England is currently on tour of Australia to play five One Day International match series of which England already lead with 1-0 and the next match of the series will be played on January 19 in Brisbane.

&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BeCgICnH4v9/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks to the @englandsbarmyarmy for brainwashing my daughter. ????????</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/davidwarner31/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> David Warner</a> (@davidwarner31) on <time datetime="2018-01-17T05:37:57+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jan 16, 2018 at 9:37pm PST</time>
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&nbsp;

Jimmy is the nickname of English pacer James Anderson. He was in the Test squad of England during the Ashes against Australia. Although England lost the series, but James Anderson had played brilliantly and took 17 wickets in all five Test matches.

&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdtipXCHKL8/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">A lot of things in life mean the world to me but nothing more than my family. I&rsquo;m extremely grateful that what I get to do for a living which allows my family to travel and be with me all the way. Support plays a massive role with not just sport but life in general. @candywarner1 the boss always does this 24/7 and could not ask for a better soulmate. #family #love</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/davidwarner31/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> David Warner</a> (@davidwarner31) on <time datetime="2018-01-09T02:15:15+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jan 8, 2018 at 6:15pm PST</time>
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&nbsp;

Warner's elder daughter, Ivy Mae was singing, "Jimmy Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Anderson" for James Anderson of England

Australian star batsman, a true legend and a father of two beautiful daughters, David Warner, has shared a video on Instagram in which his elder daughter Ivy Rae was cheering for England cricket team. Warner sportingly took it and quoted, "Thanks to the @englandsbarmyarmy for brainwashing my daughter." In the video, she was singing "Jimmy Jimmy Anderson, Jimmy Anderson." England is currently on tour of Australia to play five One Day International match series of which England already lead with 1-0 and the next match of the series will be played on January 19 in Brisbane. Thanks to the @englandsbarmyarmy for brainwashing my daughter. ???????? A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) on Jan 16, 2018 at 9:37pm PST × Jimmy is the nickname of English pacer James Anderson. He was in the Test squad of England during the Ashes against Australia. Although England lost the series, but James Anderson had played brilliantly and took 17 wickets in all five Test matches. A lot of things in life mean the world to me but nothing more than my family. I’m extremely grateful that what I get to do for a living which allows my family to travel and be with me all the way. Support plays a massive role with not just sport but life in general. @candywarner1 the boss always does this 24/7 and could not ask for a better soulmate. #family #love A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) on Jan 8, 2018 at 6:15pm PST ×

Watch: David Warner's daughter cheering for England

In the first One Day International, England beat Australia by 5 wickets.&nbsp;A record innings for England, as it is the first ever chase of the 300-plus total by any side at Melbourne Cricket Club ground.

Opener Jason Roy recorded the highest-ever one-day international score by an England player as the tourists finally had something to celebrate with a five-wicket win over Australia on Sunday.

After their wretched Ashes campaign, in which they were beaten 4-0, the tourists chased down a hefty Australian total at the Melbourne Cricket Ground&nbsp;to win with seven balls to spare in the opener of the five-match ODI series.

Set 305 to win, Roy&#39;s daring 180 helped England make 308 for five.

The successful chase was also a record for a one-day international at the MCG, eclipsing Australia&#39;s 297 for four against England in 2011, and vindicated captain Eoin Morgan&#39;s decision to bowl first.

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Sum up that <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonRoy20?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JasonRoy20</a> innings in one word? 
 
Scorecard: <a href="https://t.co/N5EeoUHDzR">https://t.co/N5EeoUHDzR</a> <a href="https://t.co/QLUY2ZLGZ1">pic.twitter.com/QLUY2ZLGZ1</a>
&mdash; England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/952501917661396993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Having been an onlooker for the Test series, Roy was an unlikely hero. But he rode his luck to produce a record in limited-overs cricket for England and also a new benchmark for a batsman at the MCG in a one-day international.

The swashbuckling right-hander lived dangerously throughout his innings, charging along at better than a run a ball and reaching his half-century off only 32 balls.

He survived a run-out scare and an lbw decision which was overturned upon review and lofted several balls just out of the reach of frustrated Australian fielders on the way to his fifth ODI century.

Roy was just five when Mitchell Starc could have run him out with a direct hit. He duly punished the Australian fast bowler by taking 14 off his next over as the tourists raced past 50 in the fifth over.

He was seemingly trapped lbw by 91 by spinner Adam Zampa on 91, but a review showed the ball hit him outside the line of off stump and the decision was overturned.

Roy wasted little time making the most of that piece of fortune, driving the next ball just over a leaping Aaron Finch on the long-on boundary for six.

He reached his hundred just moments later from 92 balls, with nine fours and three sixes.

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England batsman Jason Roy acknowledges the applause after being dismissed by Australia&#39;s for 180. (AFP)
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Fittingly, the 27-year-old passed team-mate Alex Hales&#39;s England record knock of 171 against Pakistan in 2016 with a chip just over the head of a despairing Australian fielder.

He finally fell to Starc after skying one into the outfield, having faced 151 balls -- hitting 16 fours and five sixes.

Roy was still coming to terms with his achievement after the match.

&quot;Incredibly special, I don&#39;t have too many words right now,&quot; he said. &quot;Halesy was pretty disappointed.&quot;

Australian captain Steve Smith praised Roy for his bold knock.

&quot;He didn&#39;t give us a chance, and he changed his arm,&quot; Smith said. &quot;They got off to an absolute flyer and we couldn&#39;t pull them back.&quot;

Roy had a willing partner in Test captain Joe Root, who had been tormented all tour by the Australians and was in no mood to let a rare victory slip.

Root made an unbeaten 91 and he and Roy put on 221 -- an English ODI record -- for the third wicket.

Aaron Finch&#39;s ninth one-day international century was the cornerstone of the Australian total of 304 for eight.

Finch&#39;s 107 was backed by half-centuries for Mitchell Marsh (50) and Marcus Stoinis (60) as Australia recovered from a shaky start in which the tourists finally managed to get bogeyman Steve Smith cheaply.

Fresh from scoring three centuries as Australia won the Ashes 4-0, Smith looked in commanding touch again as he scored at better than a run a ball, but was caught behind off spinner Adil Rashid for just 23.

Scoreboard:

Australia:&nbsp;Total 304/8

A. Finch 107, D. Warner&nbsp; 2, S. Smith&nbsp; 23, T. Head 5, M. Marsh&nbsp; 50, M. Stoinis 60, T. Paine&nbsp; 27, P. Cummins&nbsp; 12, M. Starc&nbsp; 0, A. Tye 4

Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Warner), 2-58 (Smith), 3-78 (Head), 4-196 (Finch), 5-205 (Marsh), 6-285 (Stoinis), 7-296 (Paine), 8-300 (Cummins)

&nbsp;

England:&nbsp;Total 308/5

J. Roy 180, J. Bairstow 14, D. Hales 4, J. Root 91, E. Morgan 1, J. Buttler 4, M. Ali 5

Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Bairstow), 2-60 (Hales), 3-281 (Roy), 4-288 (Morgan), 5-302 (Buttler)

Man of the match: J. Roy (ENG)

&nbsp;

Roy was awarded man of the match for his splendid performance

In the first One Day International, England beat Australia by 5 wickets. A record innings for England, as it is the first ever chase of the 300-plus total by any side at Melbourne Cricket Club ground. Opener Jason Roy recorded the highest-ever one-day international score by an England player as the tourists finally had something to celebrate with a five-wicket win over Australia on Sunday. After their wretched Ashes campaign, in which they were beaten 4-0, the tourists chased down a hefty Australian total at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to win with seven balls to spare in the opener of the five-match ODI series. Set 305 to win, Roy's daring 180 helped England make 308 for five. The successful chase was also a record for a one-day international at the MCG, eclipsing Australia's 297 for four against England in 2011, and vindicated captain Eoin Morgan's decision to bowl first. Sum up that @JasonRoy20 innings in one word? Scorecard: https://t.co/N5EeoUHDzR pic.twitter.com/QLUY2ZLGZ1 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 14, 2018 × Having been an onlooker for the Test series, Roy was an unlikely hero. But he rode his luck to produce a record in limited-overs cricket for England and also a new benchmark for a batsman at the MCG in a one-day international. The swashbuckling right-hander lived dangerously throughout his innings, charging along at better than a run a ball and reaching his half-century off only 32 balls. He survived a run-out scare and an lbw decision which was overturned upon review and lofted several balls just out of the reach of frustrated Australian fielders on the way to his fifth ODI century. Roy was just five when Mitchell Starc could have run him out with a direct hit. He duly punished the Australian fast bowler by taking 14 off his next over as the tourists raced past 50 in the fifth over. He was seemingly trapped lbw by 91 by spinner Adam Zampa on 91, but a review showed the ball hit him outside the line of off stump and the decision was overturned. Roy wasted little time making the most of that piece of fortune, driving the next ball just over a leaping Aaron Finch on the long-on boundary for six. He reached his hundred just moments later from 92 balls, with nine fours and three sixes. England batsman Jason Roy acknowledges the applause after being dismissed by Australia's for 180. (AFP) × Fittingly, the 27-year-old passed team-mate Alex Hales's England record knock of 171 against Pakistan in 2016 with a chip just over the head of a despairing Australian fielder. He finally fell to Starc after skying one into the outfield, having faced 151 balls -- hitting 16 fours and five sixes. Roy was still coming to terms with his achievement after the match. "Incredibly special, I don't have too many words right now," he said. "Halesy was pretty disappointed." Australian captain Steve Smith praised Roy for his bold knock. "He didn't give us a chance, and he changed his arm," Smith said. "They got off to an absolute flyer and we couldn't pull them back." Roy had a willing partner in Test captain Joe Root, who had been tormented all tour by the Australians and was in no mood to let a rare victory slip. Root made an unbeaten 91 and he and Roy put on 221 -- an English ODI record -- for the third wicket. Aaron Finch's ninth one-day international century was the cornerstone of the Australian total of 304 for eight. Finch's 107 was backed by half-centuries for Mitchell Marsh (50) and Marcus Stoinis (60) as Australia recovered from a shaky start in which the tourists finally managed to get bogeyman Steve Smith cheaply. Fresh from scoring three centuries as Australia won the Ashes 4-0, Smith looked in commanding touch again as he scored at better than a run a ball, but was caught behind off spinner Adil Rashid for just 23. Scoreboard: Australia: Total 304/8 A. Finch 107, D. Warner 2, S. Smith 23, T. Head 5, M. Marsh 50, M. Stoinis 60, T. Paine 27, P. Cummins 12, M. Starc 0, A. Tye 4 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Warner), 2-58 (Smith), 3-78 (Head), 4-196 (Finch), 5-205 (Marsh), 6-285 (Stoinis), 7-296 (Paine), 8-300 (Cummins) England: Total 308/5 J. Roy 180, J. Bairstow 14, D. Hales 4, J. Root 91, E. Morgan 1, J. Buttler 4, M. Ali 5 Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Bairstow), 2-60 (Hales), 3-281 (Roy), 4-288 (Morgan), 5-302 (Buttler) Man of the match: J. Roy (ENG)

Jason Roy's century galvanize England to victory against Australia

The first one-day international match between England and Australia is underway at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia scored 304 at the loss of&nbsp;8 wickets in 50 overs after&nbsp;England won the toss and chose to bowl.

Australian opener Aaron Finch slammed another century (107), helping his team set such a mammoth target. However, David Warner lost his wicket in the second over itself, which&nbsp;was a big blow to Australians.

Mitchell Marsh (50), Marcus Stoinis (60) and Tim Paine (27) contributed well with their bats for the team.

Aaron Finch found a determined ally in Mitchel Marsh and together they contributed 118 runs for the team.

England Spinner Adil Rashid took two wickets and rest of the bowlers got one wicket each. Rashid&nbsp;dismissed skipper Steve Smith&nbsp;at 23.

England&#39;s bowlers got wickets but failed to&nbsp;slow down opponent&#39;s&nbsp;run rate.

Fall of wickets:

1-10 (David Warner, 1.5&nbsp;over),&nbsp;2-58 (Steve Smith, 10.5&nbsp;over), 3-78 (Travis Head, 13.6 over), 4-196 (Aaron Finch, 35.2&nbsp;over), 5-205 (Mitchell&nbsp;&nbsp;Marsh, 37.2&nbsp;over), 6-285 (Marcus Stoinis, 47.1&nbsp;over), 7-296 (Tim Paine, 49.2&nbsp;over), 8-300 (Pat Cummins, 49.5&nbsp;over).

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107 from <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronFinch5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronFinch5</a> and 60 from Marcus Stoinis have helped Australia post 304/8 in the 1st ODI. Will England chase them down, or do Australia have enough? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> 
 
Scorecard: <a href="https://t.co/xbW9koTFUR">https://t.co/xbW9koTFUR</a> <a href="https://t.co/FV2fsu9WUy">pic.twitter.com/FV2fsu9WUy</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/952436711157583873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Recently, Australia completed a massive 4-0 win in the Ashes Test series. The five one-day match series is a chance for the English to salvage some cricket pride.

England captain Joe Root handed over the leadership duties to Eoin Morgan and play with two spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid along with pacers Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett.

On&nbsp;the other hand, fast bowler Andrew Tye debuts for Australia.

Teams:

Australia - David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith (capt), Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye.

England - Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood.

Spinner Adil Rashid took two wickets and rest of the bowlers got one wicket each

The first one-day international match between England and Australia is underway at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia scored 304 at the loss of 8 wickets in 50 overs after England won the toss and chose to bowl. Australian opener Aaron Finch slammed another century (107), helping his team set such a mammoth target. However, David Warner lost his wicket in the second over itself, which was a big blow to Australians. Mitchell Marsh (50), Marcus Stoinis (60) and Tim Paine (27) contributed well with their bats for the team. Aaron Finch found a determined ally in Mitchel Marsh and together they contributed 118 runs for the team. England Spinner Adil Rashid took two wickets and rest of the bowlers got one wicket each. Rashid dismissed skipper Steve Smith at 23. England's bowlers got wickets but failed to slow down opponent's run rate. Fall of wickets: 1-10 (David Warner, 1.5 over), 2-58 (Steve Smith, 10.5 over), 3-78 (Travis Head, 13.6 over), 4-196 (Aaron Finch, 35.2 over), 5-205 (Mitchell Marsh, 37.2 over), 6-285 (Marcus Stoinis, 47.1 over), 7-296 (Tim Paine, 49.2 over), 8-300 (Pat Cummins, 49.5 over). 107 from @AaronFinch5 and 60 from Marcus Stoinis have helped Australia post 304/8 in the 1st ODI. Will England chase them down, or do Australia have enough? #AUSvENG Scorecard: https://t.co/xbW9koTFUR pic.twitter.com/FV2fsu9WUy — ICC (@ICC) January 14, 2018 × Recently, Australia completed a massive 4-0 win in the Ashes Test series. The five one-day match series is a chance for the English to salvage some cricket pride. England captain Joe Root handed over the leadership duties to Eoin Morgan and play with two spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid along with pacers Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett. On the other hand, fast bowler Andrew Tye debuts for Australia. Teams: Australia - David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith (capt), Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye. England - Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood.

1st ODI: Aaron Finch's ton help Australia set target of 305 for England

Australia maintains its winning streak by claiming an innings victory over England in fifth Ashes Test and whitewashed England by completing a 4-0 series.

Nathon Lyon took three wickets for 54 off 35 overs.&nbsp;Pat Cummins struck twice just after the lunch break. He took&nbsp;Jonny Bairstow leg before wicket for 38 and having Stuart Broad caught behind off a short ball for four. For his outstanding performance, he got Man of the Match also he was the leading wicket-taker in the series by taking 23 wickets.

&quot;To get through the five Tests and end the series here at home. I couldn&#39;t&nbsp;ask&nbsp;for much more,&quot; said Cummins.

Australian captain Steve Smith seemed exponentially happy after&nbsp;winning the series and receiving the honour of Man of the Series on which he said,&nbsp;&quot;It has been a great couple of months. The cricket that we have played in the last couple of months has been outstanding&quot;

&quot;We have just been able to get on top and win those key moments and not let them back in the game which is crucial,&quot; he added.

England finished at 180 for nine off 88.1 overs as Australia won by an innings and 123 runs.&nbsp;

Joe Root did not come out to bat after lunch as he continued to experience discomfort after his overnight stomach bug.

England&#39;s remote chances of saving the Test disappeared when Root failed to appear at the crease after lunch.

Australian bowlers struck hard, Aussie took a grip on the final Test with a massive 303-run innings lead and then reduced the battle-weary tourists to 93 for four at the close on the fourth day.

Scoreboard:

England first innings 346 (J. Root 83, D. Malan 62; P. Cummins 4-80)

Australia first innings 649 for 7 declared (U. Khawaja 171, S. Marsh 156, M. Marsh 101; M. Ali 2-170)

England second innings (overnight 93 for 4)

A. Cook&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; b Lyon&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;10

M. Stoneman&nbsp; lbw b Starc&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;0

J. Vince&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;c Smith b Cummins&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;18

J. Root&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; retired ill&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;58

D. Malan&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;lbw b Lyon&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;5

J. Bairstow&nbsp; lbw b Cummins&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 38

M. Ali&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;lbw b Lyon&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;13

T. Curran&nbsp; &nbsp; not out&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 23

S. Broad&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;c Paine b Cummins&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;4

M. Crane&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;c Paine b Cummins&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2&nbsp;

J. Anderson&nbsp; c Paine b Hazlewood&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

Total (all out; 88.1 overs)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 180

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Stoneman), 2-15 (Cook), 3-43 (Vince), 4-68 (Malan), 5-121 (Ali), 6-144 (Bairstow), 7-148 (Broad), 8-156 (Crane), 9-180 (Anderson)

Bowling: Starc 16-4-38-1, Hazlewood 17.1-6-36-1, Lyon 35-12-54-3, Cummins 17-4-39-4, Smith 2-0-6-0, M. Marsh 1-1-0-0

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Australians took a grip on the final Test with a massive 303-run innings lead and then reduced the battle-weary tourists to 93 for four at the close on the fourth day.

Australia maintains its winning streak by claiming an innings victory over England in fifth Ashes Test and whitewashed England by completing a 4-0 series. Nathon Lyon took three wickets for 54 off 35 overs. Pat Cummins struck twice just after the lunch break. He took Jonny Bairstow leg before wicket for 38 and having Stuart Broad caught behind off a short ball for four. For his outstanding performance, he got Man of the Match also he was the leading wicket-taker in the series by taking 23 wickets. "To get through the five Tests and end the series here at home. I couldn't ask for much more," said Cummins. Australian captain Steve Smith seemed exponentially happy after winning the series and receiving the honour of Man of the Series on which he said, "It has been a great couple of months. The cricket that we have played in the last couple of months has been outstanding" "We have just been able to get on top and win those key moments and not let them back in the game which is crucial," he added. England finished at 180 for nine off 88.1 overs as Australia won by an innings and 123 runs. Joe Root did not come out to bat after lunch as he continued to experience discomfort after his overnight stomach bug. England's remote chances of saving the Test disappeared when Root failed to appear at the crease after lunch. Australian bowlers struck hard, Aussie took a grip on the final Test with a massive 303-run innings lead and then reduced the battle-weary tourists to 93 for four at the close on the fourth day. Scoreboard: England first innings 346 (J. Root 83, D. Malan 62; P. Cummins 4-80) Australia first innings 649 for 7 declared (U. Khawaja 171, S. Marsh 156, M. Marsh 101; M. Ali 2-170) England second innings (overnight 93 for 4) A. Cook b Lyon 10 M. Stoneman lbw b Starc 0 J. Vince c Smith b Cummins 18 J. Root retired ill 58 D. Malan lbw b Lyon 5 J. Bairstow lbw b Cummins 38 M. Ali lbw b Lyon 13 T. Curran not out 23 S. Broad c Paine b Cummins 4 M. Crane c Paine b Cummins 2 J. Anderson c Paine b Hazlewood 2 Total (all out; 88.1 overs) 180 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Stoneman), 2-15 (Cook), 3-43 (Vince), 4-68 (Malan), 5-121 (Ali), 6-144 (Bairstow), 7-148 (Broad), 8-156 (Crane), 9-180 (Anderson) Bowling: Starc 16-4-38-1, Hazlewood 17.1-6-36-1, Lyon 35-12-54-3, Cummins 17-4-39-4, Smith 2-0-6-0, M. Marsh 1-1-0-0

Ashes: Oz beat England in final Test, seal series by 4-0

Once again Australia snatched the driver&#39;s seat from England in the fifth and final Ashes Test after declaring their first innings with a massive lead of 303 runs before reducing the tourists to 25 for 2 in their second essay, at Tea on Day 4 at the SCG.

The Marsh brothers&#39; Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh&nbsp;celebrated their emotional centuries which was enough to deflate a mentally and physically tired English side. 
&nbsp; 
Australia&#39;s bowlers too helped the hosts strengthen their grip on the game by taking out the openers early.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Alastair Cook, who scored 244 not out in the fourth test in Melbourne last week, passed the 12,000 Test run milestone after being dropped on five by Shaun Marsh at first slip.

The batsman received a standing ovation for becoming just the sixth man in the sport&#39;s history to achieve this feat.&nbsp;

The celebrations were minimal for the former captain as he knew he had a task at hand.&nbsp;

The drop by marsh did not cost the team much after Nathan Lyon bowled the in-form Cook for just 10 runs to further dent England&#39;s faint hopes of getting a consolation win.&nbsp;

At the close of day four, the tourists trail Australia by 210 runs, with Joe Root at 42 and Jonny Bairstow at 17.

The Marsh brothers' celebrated their centuries which was enough to deflate a mentally and physically tired England

Once again Australia snatched the driver's seat from England in the fifth and final Ashes Test after declaring their first innings with a massive lead of 303 runs before reducing the tourists to 25 for 2 in their second essay, at Tea on Day 4 at the SCG. The Marsh brothers' Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh celebrated their emotional centuries which was enough to deflate a mentally and physically tired English side. Australia's bowlers too helped the hosts strengthen their grip on the game by taking out the openers early. Meanwhile, Alastair Cook, who scored 244 not out in the fourth test in Melbourne last week, passed the 12,000 Test run milestone after being dropped on five by Shaun Marsh at first slip. The batsman received a standing ovation for becoming just the sixth man in the sport's history to achieve this feat. The celebrations were minimal for the former captain as he knew he had a task at hand. The drop by marsh did not cost the team much after Nathan Lyon bowled the in-form Cook for just 10 runs to further dent England's faint hopes of getting a consolation win. At the close of day four, the tourists trail Australia by 210 runs, with Joe Root at 42 and Jonny Bairstow at 17.

Ashes, Day 4: England 93/4 at stumps, trail Australia by 210 runs

Usman Khawaja went big at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on the 3rd day of the fifth and final Ashes Test, putting Australia in the box seat for a 4-0 series win.

The left-handed batsman hit a mammoth 171 guided Australia to 479 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on Saturday.

Khawaja&#39;s 171 was vital as Australia overtook England&#39;s first innings total and established a lead at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Khawaja shared a stand of 188 with captain Steve Smith, who was dismissed just before lunch at 83, and another of 101 with Marsh, who just missed out on his second hundred of the series in the over before stumps.

Khawaja&#39;s 381-ball innings was finally ended when he skipped down the wicket to Mason Crane, missed the ball and was stumped by Jonny Bairstow.

However, Marsh will resume on 98 on day four with his brother Mitchell, who was 63 not out.

England dismissed just two Australians on the third day with one of them being Steve Smith and the other was Usman Khawaja, despite its strong rally on Friday morning by their lower order which lifted the tourists to a competitive 346.

Khawaja's knock was vital as Australia overtook England's first innings total in Sydney

Usman Khawaja went big at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on the 3rd day of the fifth and final Ashes Test, putting Australia in the box seat for a 4-0 series win. The left-handed batsman hit a mammoth 171 guided Australia to 479 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on Saturday. Khawaja's 171 was vital as Australia overtook England's first innings total and established a lead at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Khawaja shared a stand of 188 with captain Steve Smith, who was dismissed just before lunch at 83, and another of 101 with Marsh, who just missed out on his second hundred of the series in the over before stumps. Khawaja's 381-ball innings was finally ended when he skipped down the wicket to Mason Crane, missed the ball and was stumped by Jonny Bairstow. However, Marsh will resume on 98 on day four with his brother Mitchell, who was 63 not out. England dismissed just two Australians on the third day with one of them being Steve Smith and the other was Usman Khawaja, despite its strong rally on Friday morning by their lower order which lifted the tourists to a competitive 346.

Ashes: Usman Khwaja's 171 help Aussies build 133 run lead on Day 3

In reply to England&#39;s 346, Australia managed to scale a total of 277 for three wickets at lunch.

Australia trailed England&nbsp;on day third&nbsp;of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney on Saturday.

Usman Khawaja slammed his maiden Ashes Test century and was unbeaten on 132 with Shaun Marsh on two.

Khawaja faced 222 balls and scored an impressive ton in under 385 minutes.

The 31-year-old left-handed batsman has already scored two half-centuries earlier in the series

This one is Khawaja&#39;s first hundred of the series and sixth century scored in the Test Match format.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Usman Khawaja raised his maiden Ashes Test century

In reply to England's 346, Australia managed to scale a total of 277 for three wickets at lunch. Australia trailed England on day third of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney on Saturday. Usman Khawaja slammed his maiden Ashes Test century and was unbeaten on 132 with Shaun Marsh on two. Khawaja faced 222 balls and scored an impressive ton in under 385 minutes. The 31-year-old left-handed batsman has already scored two half-centuries earlier in the series This one is Khawaja's first hundred of the series and sixth century scored in the Test Match format. (With inputs from agencies)

Ashes Test: Australia 277 for 3 against England's 346 at lunch?

England were 233 for five at the close on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Dawid Malan was unbeaten on 55 with Jonny Bairstow out in the day&#39;s final over for five.

England skipper Joe Root again missed out on an elusive first century in the series as Australia fought back with two late wickets on the opening day of the fifth Test on Thursday.

Root was out to a superb diving catch by Mitchell Marsh at square leg for 83 in the day&#39;s penultimate over before Jonny Bairstow was caught behind in the final over.

Root slumped to his haunches after missing out on a hundred following his fourth half-century of the series.

&quot;It was great to get the late reward as a bowling group for our hard toil,&quot; Marsh said.

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Australia roar back late in the day with two wickets with the new ball to leave England 233/5 at Stumps on Day 1 of the 5th Test. 
 
SCORECARD: <a href="https://t.co/zIa7LHi9S8">https://t.co/zIa7LHi9S8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ashes</a> <a href="https://t.co/SI4eae33vQ">pic.twitter.com/SI4eae33vQ</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/948827453354643457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Root and Malan recovered England&#39;s first innings with a 133-run stand after the tourists had slumped to 95 for three following the loss of Melbourne double-centurion Alastair Cook.

At the close, England were 233 for five with Malan left unbeaten on 55 off 160 balls when Bairstow was caught behind off Josh Hazlewood for five.

&quot;It sort of sums up where we&#39;ve been in on this tour, we&#39;ve been on top for so long in games and then make a couple of mistakes and let the Aussies back in,&quot; Malan said.

Malan, on 28, cut towards backward point and there was confusion over the run but the throw from wicketkeeper Tim Paine was off target and bowler Nathan Lyon was unable to affect the run out with Malan well out of his ground. He also survived on 34 when&nbsp;Smith dropped a sharp ankle-high chance at slip off Lyon.

Only last week in Melbourne Smith put down two catches in Alastair Cook&#39;s unbeaten double century.

Cook, who carried his bat through the England first innings in the fourth Test for an unbeaten 244, looked on his way to another big score until Hazlewood struck in the 33rd over.

Hazlewood&#39;s leg before wicket appeal was turned down on-field, but on review, the ball was found to be just pitching in line and Cook was given out for 39 off 104 balls.

It was the third time in the series Cook has fallen lbw and it left him just five runs short of 12,000 career Test runs in his 152nd Test match.

Fellow opener Mark Stoneman earlier hit some nice drives before he nicked a rising Pat Cummins delivery to Tim Paine for a run-a-ball 24 in the 10th over.

James Vince looked set after 82 minutes at the crease before he shaped for a square cut at a Cummins delivery only to be caught behind for 25 in the 29th over.

Australia has already clinched the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.

&nbsp;

Joe Root gave a terrific start but falls short of elusive century, late wickets hand Australia advantage on day 1 of the final Test

England were 233 for five at the close on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Dawid Malan was unbeaten on 55 with Jonny Bairstow out in the day's final over for five. England skipper Joe Root again missed out on an elusive first century in the series as Australia fought back with two late wickets on the opening day of the fifth Test on Thursday. Root was out to a superb diving catch by Mitchell Marsh at square leg for 83 in the day's penultimate over before Jonny Bairstow was caught behind in the final over. Root slumped to his haunches after missing out on a hundred following his fourth half-century of the series. "It was great to get the late reward as a bowling group for our hard toil," Marsh said. Australia roar back late in the day with two wickets with the new ball to leave England 233/5 at Stumps on Day 1 of the 5th Test. SCORECARD: https://t.co/zIa7LHi9S8 #AUSvENG #Ashes pic.twitter.com/SI4eae33vQ — ICC (@ICC) January 4, 2018 × Root and Malan recovered England's first innings with a 133-run stand after the tourists had slumped to 95 for three following the loss of Melbourne double-centurion Alastair Cook. At the close, England were 233 for five with Malan left unbeaten on 55 off 160 balls when Bairstow was caught behind off Josh Hazlewood for five. "It sort of sums up where we've been in on this tour, we've been on top for so long in games and then make a couple of mistakes and let the Aussies back in," Malan said. Malan, on 28, cut towards backward point and there was confusion over the run but the throw from wicketkeeper Tim Paine was off target and bowler Nathan Lyon was unable to affect the run out with Malan well out of his ground. He also survived on 34 when Smith dropped a sharp ankle-high chance at slip off Lyon. Only last week in Melbourne Smith put down two catches in Alastair Cook's unbeaten double century. Cook, who carried his bat through the England first innings in the fourth Test for an unbeaten 244, looked on his way to another big score until Hazlewood struck in the 33rd over. Hazlewood's leg before wicket appeal was turned down on-field, but on review, the ball was found to be just pitching in line and Cook was given out for 39 off 104 balls. It was the third time in the series Cook has fallen lbw and it left him just five runs short of 12,000 career Test runs in his 152nd Test match. Fellow opener Mark Stoneman earlier hit some nice drives before he nicked a rising Pat Cummins delivery to Tim Paine for a run-a-ball 24 in the 10th over. James Vince looked set after 82 minutes at the crease before he shaped for a square cut at a Cummins delivery only to be caught behind for 25 in the 29th over. Australia has already clinched the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.

Ashes: Root, Malan keep Australia at bay on Day 1

England won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. After a rain delay and an early lunch, the play was started a bit late.

&quot;It looks a good wicket, there is a bit of weather about but if we bat well enough in the first few sessions I expect the pitch to deteriorate and spin will come in the game later on,&quot; England captain Joe Root said.

Seamer Chris Woakes has been ruled out with a side strain, opening the way for young leg-spinner Mason Crane to make his debut for England.

&quot;Mason is a very excited young man and we expect him to do really well in his first Test,&quot; Root said.

Australia captain Steve Smith said he was in two minds about what he would have done if he had won the toss. &quot;I&#39;m not too bothered and not too disappointed to lose the toss,&quot; Smith said.

&quot;There&#39;s a bit of moisture in the wicket coupled with overhead conditions and the wicket is a pretty good one.&quot;

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England have won the toss and elected to bat as the 5th and final <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ashes</a> Test finally gets underway. 
 
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Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc returns to Australia&#39;s bowling line-up. Left-arm Starc is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 19 despite only playing three Tests.

Australia has already clinched the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series ahead of the Sydney finale.

England is bidding to save face in Sydney, where they have won twice in the last four Ashes Tests.

England were 122&nbsp;for three&nbsp;at tea on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

&nbsp;

England won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the final Ashes Test, England were 122-3?at tea

England won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. After a rain delay and an early lunch, the play was started a bit late. "It looks a good wicket, there is a bit of weather about but if we bat well enough in the first few sessions I expect the pitch to deteriorate and spin will come in the game later on," England captain Joe Root said. Seamer Chris Woakes has been ruled out with a side strain, opening the way for young leg-spinner Mason Crane to make his debut for England. "Mason is a very excited young man and we expect him to do really well in his first Test," Root said. Australia captain Steve Smith said he was in two minds about what he would have done if he had won the toss. "I'm not too bothered and not too disappointed to lose the toss," Smith said. "There's a bit of moisture in the wicket coupled with overhead conditions and the wicket is a pretty good one." England have won the toss and elected to bat as the 5th and final #Ashes Test finally gets underway. Follow LIVE: https://t.co/zIa7LHi9S8 #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/QvMRupT1C3 — ICC (@ICC) January 4, 2018 × Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc returns to Australia's bowling line-up. Left-arm Starc is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 19 despite only playing three Tests. Australia has already clinched the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series ahead of the Sydney finale. England is bidding to save face in Sydney, where they have won twice in the last four Ashes Tests. England were 122 for three at tea on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Cricket: England is bidding to break through in the final Ashes Test

Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade were axed from Australia&#39;s squad on Wednesday for the&nbsp;one-day international (ODI) series against England which is starting from January 14.

Squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

Chief selector Trevor Hohns said ODI specialist Maxwell was omitted over consistency concerns, while Tim Paine takes the wicketkeeping gloves from Wade following his outstanding form in the Ashes Test series.

&quot;No one is in any doubt about Glenn&#39;s ability or his potential to produce match-winning contributions with the bat,&quot; Hohns said.

He added that Maxwell was &quot;still absolutely in our thoughts&quot; but they opted for Lynn who is now back playing after a shoulder injury hampered him when he was picked against Pakistan 12 months ago.

&quot;What we have wanted from him is more consistency but in his past 20 matches in this format, he has averaged 22 and we need more than that from a player in the side&rsquo;s batting engine room.&quot;

Hohns said&nbsp;Tim&nbsp;Paine had seized his opportunity behind the stumps during the Ashes after being preferred to Wade.

&quot;Tim forced his way into the Twenty20 International squad last summer, and after coming back into the Test squad at the beginning of the Ashes series he has made a terrific contribution with bat and gloves,&quot; he said.

&quot;There will still be further opportunities for players to force their way into the reckoning for the squad to go to England and Wales in 2019. But the sooner we can settle on our best combination and get them playing together and inform on a regular basis then the better our chances will be of retaining the trophy.&quot;

Chief selector Trevor Hohns said Australian star Maxwell was omitted over consistency concerns

Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade were axed from Australia's squad on Wednesday for the one-day international (ODI) series against England which is starting from January 14. Squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa. Chief selector Trevor Hohns said ODI specialist Maxwell was omitted over consistency concerns, while Tim Paine takes the wicketkeeping gloves from Wade following his outstanding form in the Ashes Test series. "No one is in any doubt about Glenn's ability or his potential to produce match-winning contributions with the bat," Hohns said. He added that Maxwell was "still absolutely in our thoughts" but they opted for Lynn who is now back playing after a shoulder injury hampered him when he was picked against Pakistan 12 months ago. "What we have wanted from him is more consistency but in his past 20 matches in this format, he has averaged 22 and we need more than that from a player in the side’s batting engine room." Hohns said Tim Paine had seized his opportunity behind the stumps during the Ashes after being preferred to Wade. "Tim forced his way into the Twenty20 International squad last summer, and after coming back into the Test squad at the beginning of the Ashes series he has made a terrific contribution with bat and gloves," he said. "There will still be further opportunities for players to force their way into the reckoning for the squad to go to England and Wales in 2019. But the sooner we can settle on our best combination and get them playing together and inform on a regular basis then the better our chances will be of retaining the trophy."

Aus vs Eng: Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade snubbed for upcoming ODI series

Australian skipper Steve Smith&#39;s century took Australia to safety as the fourth test match ended in a draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday

Tormenting England, Smith displayed phenomenal batting and scored unbeaten 102 runs off 275-balls, taking Australia&nbsp;to 263 for four and a lead of 99 runs before the captains called it off midway through the final session.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with his captain, Mitchell Marsh scored 29 from 166 balls to shut down England&#39;s hope of a consolation win in the five test match series.

England had a hope of victory when David Warner and Shaun Marsh fell in the space of six runs to leave Australia 178-4, only 14 ahead.

Given the conditions and the pitch, this was England&#39;s best opportunity to get a win in the series. &nbsp;

Alastair Cook&#39;s return to form with 244 runs did not bear fruit for the team, as the tourists will have to head into the fifth and final test 3-0 down in the series.

With the draw, England ended an eight-match losing streak, while&nbsp;Australia&#39;s chances of earning a second successive home whitewash, and third in 11 years are also over.

Mitchell Marsh scored 29 from 166 balls to shut down England's hope of a consolation win in the series

Australian skipper Steve Smith's century took Australia to safety as the fourth test match ended in a draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday Tormenting England, Smith displayed phenomenal batting and scored unbeaten 102 runs off 275-balls, taking Australia to 263 for four and a lead of 99 runs before the captains called it off midway through the final session. Standing shoulder to shoulder with his captain, Mitchell Marsh scored 29 from 166 balls to shut down England's hope of a consolation win in the five test match series. England had a hope of victory when David Warner and Shaun Marsh fell in the space of six runs to leave Australia 178-4, only 14 ahead. Given the conditions and the pitch, this was England's best opportunity to get a win in the series. Alastair Cook's return to form with 244 runs did not bear fruit for the team, as the tourists will have to head into the fifth and final test 3-0 down in the series. With the draw, England ended an eight-match losing streak, while Australia's chances of earning a second successive home whitewash, and third in 11 years are also over.

Ton-up Smith takes Australia to safety as fourth test ends in draw

Selectors would have dropped me over poor form, says Alastair Cook&nbsp;

England opener Alastair Cook on Thursday said the situation for him was such where he could have been dropped for the final Ashes Test had he not performed.&nbsp;

Cook&#39;s masterful double-century has put England in a winning position.

England scored 491/9 at stumps, taking a 164-run lead against the hosts on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test match.&nbsp;

The former captain managed to score only 83 runs in six innings before making 244 not out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test.

&ldquo;(They) would have been entitled just because I literally hadn&#39;t scored a run since Edgbaston,&rdquo; Cook said, referring to his 243 against the West Indies in August.

&ldquo;I always feel I&#39;ve got the backing of the selectors but you&#39;ve still got to deliver the goods, I hadn&#39;t done that on this tour. It was very frustrating,&quot; the 33-year-old added.

With this score, Cook surpassed the highest score by a visiting batsman in a Melbourne Test, bettering the 208 by West Indian Viv Richards in 1984.

The home side had already regained the Ashes urn after they thrashed the visitors by an innings and 41 runs in Perth to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The former captain managed to score only 83 runs in six innings before making 244 not out

Selectors would have dropped me over poor form, says Alastair Cook England opener Alastair Cook on Thursday said the situation for him was such where he could have been dropped for the final Ashes Test had he not performed. Cook's masterful double-century has put England in a winning position. England scored 491/9 at stumps, taking a 164-run lead against the hosts on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test match. The former captain managed to score only 83 runs in six innings before making 244 not out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test. “(They) would have been entitled just because I literally hadn't scored a run since Edgbaston,” Cook said, referring to his 243 against the West Indies in August. “I always feel I've got the backing of the selectors but you've still got to deliver the goods, I hadn't done that on this tour. It was very frustrating," the 33-year-old added. With this score, Cook surpassed the highest score by a visiting batsman in a Melbourne Test, bettering the 208 by West Indian Viv Richards in 1984. The home side had already regained the Ashes urn after they thrashed the visitors by an innings and 41 runs in Perth to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Selectors would have dropped me over poor form: Alastair Cook on his double-century

England opener Alastair Cook scored his fifth Test double century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test to steer his side to a dominating position.

The former Test captain remained unbeaten at 244*, at the close of play.

The thirty-three-year-old Cook joined the great Wally Hammond (England) and Brian Lara (West Indies) to become the third player to register two overseas double hundreds in Australia.England, who are playing for pride after having already lost the Ashes urn to Australia, bundled out the hosts for 327 in their first innings just after lunch of Day Two.

In reply, the Joe Root-led side were reduced to 80-2 after opener Mark Stoneman and James Vince were dismissed cheaply for 15 and 17 respectively.

However, Cook along with Joe Root (61) and Stuart Broad (56) put England in a rare position of strength.England lead by 164 runs with a wicket remaining at stumps on Day 3.

The home side had already regained the Ashes urn after they thrashed the visitors by an innings and 41 runs in Perth to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

England build a lead over Australia in the fourth Ashes test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

England opener Alastair Cook scored his fifth Test double century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test to steer his side to a dominating position. The former Test captain remained unbeaten at 244*, at the close of play. The thirty-three-year-old Cook joined the great Wally Hammond (England) and Brian Lara (West Indies) to become the third player to register two overseas double hundreds in Australia.England, who are playing for pride after having already lost the Ashes urn to Australia, bundled out the hosts for 327 in their first innings just after lunch of Day Two. In reply, the Joe Root-led side were reduced to 80-2 after opener Mark Stoneman and James Vince were dismissed cheaply for 15 and 17 respectively. However, Cook along with Joe Root (61) and Stuart Broad (56) put England in a rare position of strength.England lead by 164 runs with a wicket remaining at stumps on Day 3. The home side had already regained the Ashes urn after they thrashed the visitors by an innings and 41 runs in Perth to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Ashes, Day 3: England 491-9 at close in reply to Australia's 327

Alastair Cook completed a sparkling century in a stellar return to form as England savoured a rare day of domination in the fourth Ashes test against Australia on Wednesday.

Cook raised his 32nd Test ton with a pull-shot to the fence in the final over before stumps, and strode off the ground unbeaten on 104, having pushed England to 192 for two on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

His successor as captain, Joe Root was 49 not out, the pair having reduced Australia`s lead to 135 runs.

English cheer has been in short supply this series after Australia took back the urn by winning the first three tests but Wednesday`s fightback thrilled sun-baked Britons in the raucous crowd of 67,882.

Stuart Broad, another Englishman under the microscope after playing a negligible part in the first three tests, captured 4-51 as Australia`s day one resistance melted in the morning heat.

The hosts started the day in a position of strength at 244 for three but were bowled out for 327, losing their last seven wickets for 67 runs.

After labouring on a slow and flat pitch on day one, England`s bowlers were transformed in the morning, with debutant paceman Tom Curran proving the unlikely catalyst.

The 22-year-old Surrey seamer bowled Steve Smith for 76 with the second ball of his first spell, having the skipper drag a wider, short delivery onto his stumps.

It not only secured Curran his first test wicket but ended Smith`s unbeaten reign at the MCG since his last dismissal in the Boxing Day test against India in 2014.

It was also a huge relief for Curran, who had opener David Warner caught on 99 on day one but missed out on the wicket for over-stepping his mark.

ACROBATIC DISMISSAL

Smith was one of three Australian batsmen out chopping onto the stumps, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (nine) and wicketkeeper Tim Paine (24) falling in the same fashion.

Shaun Marsh dug in to raise his third half-century of the series before being trapped leg before by Broad for 61, the wicket awarded after the bowler demanded a review.

James Anderson bowled Paine for his 520th test wicket, pulling past West Indies great Courtney Walsh to fifth on the all-time list, and grabbed a third victim for the innings by dismissing Nathan Lyon lbw for a duck.

Broad capped off a dominant morning for England by trapping tail-ender Jackson Bird lbw for four and having Pat Cummins caught at slip for four after lunch.

England`s rookie top order batsmen Mark Stoneman (15) and James Vince (17) fell cheaply but Cook carried the fight to Australia, riding his luck when Smith dropped him on 66 in the slips.

He and Root combined for a 112-run partnership to give England hope of mowing down Australia`s first innings total and taking a substantial lead.

Starting England`s response after lunch, Cook and Stoneman fended off Australia`s opening pace salvo before Lyon intervened with a brilliant caught and bowled.&nbsp;

The off-spinner coaxed a leading edge from Stoneman and leaped high to pull down a one-handed catch, reviving memories of his acrobatic dismissal of Moeen Ali during the second test at Adelaide Oval.

Vince was given out lbw when paceman Josh Hazlewood sent a full, straight ball thudding into his pads.

He neglected to review the decision and would have regretted it later, with the `snicko` technology showing he had nicked the ball with his bat.

Root and Cook then frustrated Australia for most of the final session, the hosts` task made heavier with sickly seamer Pat Cummins hampered by a stomach ailment.

Cook raised his 32nd Test ton with a pull-shot to the fence in the final over before stumps

Alastair Cook completed a sparkling century in a stellar return to form as England savoured a rare day of domination in the fourth Ashes test against Australia on Wednesday. Cook raised his 32nd Test ton with a pull-shot to the fence in the final over before stumps, and strode off the ground unbeaten on 104, having pushed England to 192 for two on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His successor as captain, Joe Root was 49 not out, the pair having reduced Australia`s lead to 135 runs. English cheer has been in short supply this series after Australia took back the urn by winning the first three tests but Wednesday`s fightback thrilled sun-baked Britons in the raucous crowd of 67,882. Stuart Broad, another Englishman under the microscope after playing a negligible part in the first three tests, captured 4-51 as Australia`s day one resistance melted in the morning heat. The hosts started the day in a position of strength at 244 for three but were bowled out for 327, losing their last seven wickets for 67 runs. After labouring on a slow and flat pitch on day one, England`s bowlers were transformed in the morning, with debutant paceman Tom Curran proving the unlikely catalyst. The 22-year-old Surrey seamer bowled Steve Smith for 76 with the second ball of his first spell, having the skipper drag a wider, short delivery onto his stumps. It not only secured Curran his first test wicket but ended Smith`s unbeaten reign at the MCG since his last dismissal in the Boxing Day test against India in 2014. It was also a huge relief for Curran, who had opener David Warner caught on 99 on day one but missed out on the wicket for over-stepping his mark. ACROBATIC DISMISSAL Smith was one of three Australian batsmen out chopping onto the stumps, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (nine) and wicketkeeper Tim Paine (24) falling in the same fashion. Shaun Marsh dug in to raise his third half-century of the series before being trapped leg before by Broad for 61, the wicket awarded after the bowler demanded a review. James Anderson bowled Paine for his 520th test wicket, pulling past West Indies great Courtney Walsh to fifth on the all-time list, and grabbed a third victim for the innings by dismissing Nathan Lyon lbw for a duck. Broad capped off a dominant morning for England by trapping tail-ender Jackson Bird lbw for four and having Pat Cummins caught at slip for four after lunch. England`s rookie top order batsmen Mark Stoneman (15) and James Vince (17) fell cheaply but Cook carried the fight to Australia, riding his luck when Smith dropped him on 66 in the slips. He and Root combined for a 112-run partnership to give England hope of mowing down Australia`s first innings total and taking a substantial lead. Starting England`s response after lunch, Cook and Stoneman fended off Australia`s opening pace salvo before Lyon intervened with a brilliant caught and bowled. The off-spinner coaxed a leading edge from Stoneman and leaped high to pull down a one-handed catch, reviving memories of his acrobatic dismissal of Moeen Ali during the second test at Adelaide Oval. Vince was given out lbw when paceman Josh Hazlewood sent a full, straight ball thudding into his pads. He neglected to review the decision and would have regretted it later, with the `snicko` technology showing he had nicked the ball with his bat. Root and Cook then frustrated Australia for most of the final session, the hosts` task made heavier with sickly seamer Pat Cummins hampered by a stomach ailment.

Alastair Cook grabs ton as England savour dominant day

Australian opener David Warner on Tuesday hit his 21st Test century to put Australia in a strong position over England on day one of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.

Warner, who scored 103 off 151 balls, reprieved on 99 by a no-ball from Tom Curran, before reaching his century off the next ball.

The batsman didn&#39;t stay for long at the crease, after his let-off, as he was caught behind off James Anderson. It was his 100th Ashes wicket.

The beleaguered tourists all though failed to pick wickets on the first day but Stuart Broad did end his wicket drought after dismissing Usman Khawaja

The hosts have already reclaimed the Ashes urn after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.&nbsp;

They are chasing a 5-0 whitewash over the depleted English side.&nbsp;

Skipper Steve Smith too posted an unbeaten half-century.&nbsp;

Australia ends Day 1 at 244/3 with Steve Smith (65) and Shaun Marsh &nbsp;(31) at the crease. 
&nbsp;

Warner, who scored 103 off 151 balls, reprieved on 99 by a no-ball from Tom Curran, before reaching his century off the next ball

Australian opener David Warner on Tuesday hit his 21st Test century to put Australia in a strong position over England on day one of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. Warner, who scored 103 off 151 balls, reprieved on 99 by a no-ball from Tom Curran, before reaching his century off the next ball. The batsman didn't stay for long at the crease, after his let-off, as he was caught behind off James Anderson. It was his 100th Ashes wicket. The beleaguered tourists all though failed to pick wickets on the first day but Stuart Broad did end his wicket drought after dismissing Usman Khawaja The hosts have already reclaimed the Ashes urn after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. They are chasing a 5-0 whitewash over the depleted English side. Skipper Steve Smith too posted an unbeaten half-century. Australia ends Day 1 at 244/3 with Steve Smith (65) and Shaun Marsh (31) at the crease.

4th Test, Day 1: David Warner's century leads Australia to 244/3 at stumps

England fast bowler James Anderson expects Australia to continue peppering the touring tailenders with short-pitched deliveries in the remaining two Ashes tests and says he has no problems with that.

Former England captain Michael Atherton has urged umpires to invoke cricket`s laws and protect England`s tailenders from Australia`s relentless &quot;bodyline&quot; bowling Down Under.

Anderson was struck on the side of his helmet in the third test, which Australia won convincingly to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, and was seen talking to umpires after the game.

&quot;I have actually chatted to the umpires about it during this series and they say at test level you should be able to handle short balls. That is a clear message to get in the nets and practice against bouncers,&quot; Anderson wrote in his column for the Telegraph.

&quot;I was not quizzing the umpires or asking them to stop it happening. I was just interested in their opinion. I guess we just need to get better at playing them. I have no problem with that. It is part and parcel of the game.&quot;

&quot;We have bounced tailenders in this series and at other teams. The only time I think umpires should step in is if it is clear that a player cannot cope with them. Then the umpires should step in more.&quot;

Australia captain Steve Smith and paceman Pat Cummins have defended their team`s strategy and warned that the bouncer barrage will continue in the final two tests at Melbourne and Sydney.

&quot;We know it will not stop in this series and playing the short ball better is one challenge for the final two tests when we need to show some pride and prove to people we are not a walkover as a team,&quot; Anderson added.

England will expect some relief after Australia`s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the Melbourne test with a heel injury.

England will expect some relief after Australia`s Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the Melbourne test with a heel injury

England fast bowler James Anderson expects Australia to continue peppering the touring tailenders with short-pitched deliveries in the remaining two Ashes tests and says he has no problems with that. Former England captain Michael Atherton has urged umpires to invoke cricket`s laws and protect England`s tailenders from Australia`s relentless "bodyline" bowling Down Under. Anderson was struck on the side of his helmet in the third test, which Australia won convincingly to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, and was seen talking to umpires after the game. "I have actually chatted to the umpires about it during this series and they say at test level you should be able to handle short balls. That is a clear message to get in the nets and practice against bouncers," Anderson wrote in his column for the Telegraph. "I was not quizzing the umpires or asking them to stop it happening. I was just interested in their opinion. I guess we just need to get better at playing them. I have no problem with that. It is part and parcel of the game." "We have bounced tailenders in this series and at other teams. The only time I think umpires should step in is if it is clear that a player cannot cope with them. Then the umpires should step in more." Australia captain Steve Smith and paceman Pat Cummins have defended their team`s strategy and warned that the bouncer barrage will continue in the final two tests at Melbourne and Sydney. "We know it will not stop in this series and playing the short ball better is one challenge for the final two tests when we need to show some pride and prove to people we are not a walkover as a team," Anderson added. England will expect some relief after Australia`s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the Melbourne test with a heel injury.

England tail ready for more bouncer barrage, says James Anderson

Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson on Tuesday took a dig at England opener Alastair Cook and paceman Stuart Broad, saying Australia&#39;s star spinner Nathan Lyon&#39;s wish to see the end of some England careers after another Ashes whitewash will come true if the tourists&#39; struggling senior players fail to lift quickly.

Johnson took 37 wickets in the 5-0 sweep of Alastair Cook`s England in 2013-14 which sparked the exits of several senior players and staff. &nbsp;

Following the loss, England spinner Graeme Swann retired after the third test of that ill-fated series, while batsmen Michael Carberry and Kevin Pietersen were never seen again in test whites.

&quot;Going to the next test I think England will have to think about changes. &quot;I`m not sure if (paceman) Stuart Broad is up to it at the moment. There will be some question marks around him, (as) a senior player, Johnson said.

&quot;Alastair Cook is someone who I think has been thinking about retirement. I just wonder now with the scoreline being 3-0 whether that will take a bit of pressure off him and he`ll just go out there and score runs. I`m not sure,&quot; he added.

The 36-year-old further said that &quot;the scars are there from the last series.&quot;

Cook managed only 83 runs in the current campaign. While Broad has only five wickets from the three matches. &nbsp;

Cook managed only 83 runs in the current campaign while Broad has only five wickets from the three matches ?

Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson on Tuesday took a dig at England opener Alastair Cook and paceman Stuart Broad, saying Australia's star spinner Nathan Lyon's wish to see the end of some England careers after another Ashes whitewash will come true if the tourists' struggling senior players fail to lift quickly. Johnson took 37 wickets in the 5-0 sweep of Alastair Cook`s England in 2013-14 which sparked the exits of several senior players and staff. Following the loss, England spinner Graeme Swann retired after the third test of that ill-fated series, while batsmen Michael Carberry and Kevin Pietersen were never seen again in test whites. "Going to the next test I think England will have to think about changes. "I`m not sure if (paceman) Stuart Broad is up to it at the moment. There will be some question marks around him, (as) a senior player, Johnson said. "Alastair Cook is someone who I think has been thinking about retirement. I just wonder now with the scoreline being 3-0 whether that will take a bit of pressure off him and he`ll just go out there and score runs. I`m not sure," he added. The 36-year-old further said that "the scars are there from the last series." Cook managed only 83 runs in the current campaign. While Broad has only five wickets from the three matches.

Mitchell Johnson takes dig at Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad after Australia reclaims Ashes urn

Is the royal marriage story we&rsquo;re being sold really a fairy tale come true? Or is it a story spun by Buckingham Palace for its own self-interest, one shrouded in myth and make-believe?

In the coverage of next spring&rsquo;s marriage between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, two main narratives have emerged.

One is Markle&rsquo;s mixed-race, American background and how her &ldquo;acceptance&rdquo; to the royal family signals a monarchy willing to loosen its rigid rules.

The other is an improbable love story: A girl from South-Central Los Angeles is plucked from the streets by her dashing Prince Charming (&ldquo;How Meghan went from a seedy Los Angeles tenement to a Palace,&rdquo; as one Daily Mail story put it).

While both have elements of truth, they also ignore the royal family&rsquo;s complicated history with race and &ldquo;blood&rdquo; and its insistence on continuing outdated traditions. As a sociologist who researches questions of race, power and ideology, I believe we are missing the real significance of this marriage.

Out with the old? Not really

The &ldquo;modern royal family&rdquo; narrative overlooks the fact that the monarchy continues to embody a fundamentally traditional idea of British identity, a patriarchal institution steeped in nostalgia for the days of the empire.

In their carefully choreographed first joint interview with the BBC, Markle &ndash; a self-described feminist &ndash; confirmed that she was giving up her acting career in order to take up her new &ldquo;role&rdquo; as the wife of Prince Harry.

Meanwhile, the British establishment&rsquo;s long history of anti-Catholicism &ndash; deeply entrenched in its customs, laws and rituals &ndash; was on full view. Buckingham Palace was quick to announce that Markle would be baptised into the Church of England before the couple is married, presumably to assuage any lingering concerns that she might actually be Catholic. (As a teenager, she had attended the private Catholic Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles.)

Finally, despite some media reports, Meghan isn&rsquo;t actually about to become a princess. Because she doesn&rsquo;t come from &ldquo;royal blood,&rdquo; the arcane rules and protocols of the British aristocratic system mean she will likely be given the title &ldquo;Her Royal Highness,&rdquo; rather than &ldquo;Princess Meghan.&rdquo;

Bloody nonsense

The idea of a distinct blood category for the upper classes is, of course, absurd.

&ldquo;Bluebloods,&rdquo; we should remember, is a racialised metaphor. Skin so pale you could see the blue blood beneath &ndash; sangre azul, as the Spanish put it &ndash; signaled a distance from blackness and poverty. As the historian Kate Williams notes, it was used to differentiate &ldquo;the royals from both the tanned peasants working in the fields and the people of colour who were increasingly part of European society.&rdquo;

In 2016, when news first broke of Prince Harry&rsquo;s relationship with Markle, some coverage and commentary were driven by a racial paranoia that the supposed sanctity of the royal blood lineage was being broken (&ldquo;Harry to marry into gangster royalty?&rdquo; a Daily Star headline read). Others pointed to the danger posed not just to Harry&rsquo;s safety in dating a woman from South-Central Los Angeles, a place &ldquo;plagued by crime and riddled with street gangs,&rdquo; but to the integrity of the royal family writ large. Historically, the idea of &ldquo;Britishness&rdquo; has carried unspoken racial connotations; as cultural historian Stuart Hall noted, &ldquo;in common understanding, the nation is usually imagined as white.&rdquo; In this context, the royal family represents the national family, imagined and implicitly understood as white.

Prince Harry, to his credit, issued a rare public rebuke to the media, denouncing the &ldquo;racial undertones of comment pieces.&rdquo;

It appears, then, that this is an important moment in the slow and uneven &ndash; but nonetheless real &ndash; shift in Britain toward acknowledging the evolution of a multiracial society. But the significance of one so-called &ldquo;interracial&rdquo; marriage also shouldn&rsquo;t be overstated.

European royal families have been breeding across ethnic and national lines for centuries. The ever-so-English sounding &ldquo;House of Windsor&rdquo; is, in fact, a name made up by King George V. The real name of the Windsors was, up until then, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But in order to make it easier for the royal family to encourage the British working classes to take up arms against the Germans in 1917, they wanted to gloss over the uncomfortable fact that the family&rsquo;s background was more German than British.

Even &ldquo;black blood&rdquo; among the &ldquo;blue bloods&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t new. Some historians have suggested that Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, likely had black African ancestry. Similarly, David Williamson, co-editor of the British etiquette periodical Debrett&rsquo;s Peerage, has argued that &ldquo;all European royal families somewhere are linked to the kings of Castile. There is a lot of Moorish blood in the Portuguese royal family and it has diffused over the rest of Europe.&rdquo;

A shot in the (pale) arm?

For decades, royalists have worried about the monarchy&rsquo;s future once Queen Elizabeth II finally goes. There&rsquo;s the absurdity of believing in kings and queens ordained by God, of course. But Prince Charles, the next in line, isn&rsquo;t widely liked.

This marriage could be an unexpected lifeline. Just as The House of Windsor (n&eacute;e Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) reinvented itself 100 years ago in order to maintain its authority, a familiar chain of events could be playing out.

Ironically, it is the Windsors who stand to gain the most from this relationship by maintaining their popular standing and public reputation &ndash; and, therefore, their legitimacy &ndash; by adding a touch of beautiful, light-skinned &ldquo;diversity&rdquo; into the lily-white family tree.

&ldquo;Genetically, [Markle] is blessed,&rdquo; enthused journalist Rachel Johnson (a sister of prominent MP Boris Johnson), using eugenics-style colonial reasoning to approve of the relationship.

&ldquo;The Windsors,&rdquo; she added, &ldquo;will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA.&rdquo;

Unlike most royal marriages, which tend to be politically arranged affairs driven largely by the dynastic requirements of Europe&rsquo;s aristocratic families, Harry and Meghan do appear to be genuinely in love with each other. Outside of royal circles, so-called &ldquo;mixed-race&rdquo; relationships are no longer exceptional, but actually represent an increasing number of family units in modern Britain.

By adapting to Britain&rsquo;s changing social and cultural landscape, the royal family is desperately trying to broaden its popular appeal. Contrary to the British press&rsquo;s narrative, we might say that Harry&rsquo;s the one &ldquo;marrying up&rdquo; &ndash; not the black actress from LA.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-british-monarchy-actually-adapting-to-changing-social-norms-88285" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Much of the Harry and Meghan coverage has ignored the royal family's complicated history with race and "blood" and its insistence on continuing outdated traditions.

Is the royal marriage story we’re being sold really a fairy tale come true? Or is it a story spun by Buckingham Palace for its own self-interest, one shrouded in myth and make-believe? In the coverage of next spring’s marriage between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, two main narratives have emerged. One is Markle’s mixed-race, American background and how her “acceptance” to the royal family signals a monarchy willing to loosen its rigid rules. The other is an improbable love story: A girl from South-Central Los Angeles is plucked from the streets by her dashing Prince Charming (“How Meghan went from a seedy Los Angeles tenement to a Palace,” as one Daily Mail story put it). While both have elements of truth, they also ignore the royal family’s complicated history with race and “blood” and its insistence on continuing outdated traditions. As a sociologist who researches questions of race, power and ideology, I believe we are missing the real significance of this marriage. Out with the old? Not really The “modern royal family” narrative overlooks the fact that the monarchy continues to embody a fundamentally traditional idea of British identity, a patriarchal institution steeped in nostalgia for the days of the empire. In their carefully choreographed first joint interview with the BBC, Markle – a self-described feminist – confirmed that she was giving up her acting career in order to take up her new “role” as the wife of Prince Harry. Meanwhile, the British establishment’s long history of anti-Catholicism – deeply entrenched in its customs, laws and rituals – was on full view. Buckingham Palace was quick to announce that Markle would be baptised into the Church of England before the couple is married, presumably to assuage any lingering concerns that she might actually be Catholic. (As a teenager, she had attended the private Catholic Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles.) Finally, despite some media reports, Meghan isn’t actually about to become a princess. Because she doesn’t come from “royal blood,” the arcane rules and protocols of the British aristocratic system mean she will likely be given the title “Her Royal Highness,” rather than “Princess Meghan.” Bloody nonsense The idea of a distinct blood category for the upper classes is, of course, absurd. “Bluebloods,” we should remember, is a racialised metaphor. Skin so pale you could see the blue blood beneath – sangre azul, as the Spanish put it – signaled a distance from blackness and poverty. As the historian Kate Williams notes, it was used to differentiate “the royals from both the tanned peasants working in the fields and the people of colour who were increasingly part of European society.” In 2016, when news first broke of Prince Harry’s relationship with Markle, some coverage and commentary were driven by a racial paranoia that the supposed sanctity of the royal blood lineage was being broken (“Harry to marry into gangster royalty?” a Daily Star headline read). Others pointed to the danger posed not just to Harry’s safety in dating a woman from South-Central Los Angeles, a place “plagued by crime and riddled with street gangs,” but to the integrity of the royal family writ large. Historically, the idea of “Britishness” has carried unspoken racial connotations; as cultural historian Stuart Hall noted, “in common understanding, the nation is usually imagined as white.” In this context, the royal family represents the national family, imagined and implicitly understood as white. Prince Harry, to his credit, issued a rare public rebuke to the media, denouncing the “racial undertones of comment pieces.” It appears, then, that this is an important moment in the slow and uneven – but nonetheless real – shift in Britain toward acknowledging the evolution of a multiracial society. But the significance of one so-called “interracial” marriage also shouldn’t be overstated. European royal families have been breeding across ethnic and national lines for centuries. The ever-so-English sounding “House of Windsor” is, in fact, a name made up by King George V. The real name of the Windsors was, up until then, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But in order to make it easier for the royal family to encourage the British working classes to take up arms against the Germans in 1917, they wanted to gloss over the uncomfortable fact that the family’s background was more German than British. Even “black blood” among the “blue bloods” isn’t new. Some historians have suggested that Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, likely had black African ancestry. Similarly, David Williamson, co-editor of the British etiquette periodical Debrett’s Peerage, has argued that “all European royal families somewhere are linked to the kings of Castile. There is a lot of Moorish blood in the Portuguese royal family and it has diffused over the rest of Europe.” A shot in the (pale) arm? For decades, royalists have worried about the monarchy’s future once Queen Elizabeth II finally goes. There’s the absurdity of believing in kings and queens ordained by God, of course. But Prince Charles, the next in line, isn’t widely liked. This marriage could be an unexpected lifeline. Just as The House of Windsor (née Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) reinvented itself 100 years ago in order to maintain its authority, a familiar chain of events could be playing out. Ironically, it is the Windsors who stand to gain the most from this relationship by maintaining their popular standing and public reputation – and, therefore, their legitimacy – by adding a touch of beautiful, light-skinned “diversity” into the lily-white family tree. “Genetically, [Markle] is blessed,” enthused journalist Rachel Johnson (a sister of prominent MP Boris Johnson), using eugenics-style colonial reasoning to approve of the relationship. “The Windsors,” she added, “will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA.” Unlike most royal marriages, which tend to be politically arranged affairs driven largely by the dynastic requirements of Europe’s aristocratic families, Harry and Meghan do appear to be genuinely in love with each other. Outside of royal circles, so-called “mixed-race” relationships are no longer exceptional, but actually represent an increasing number of family units in modern Britain. By adapting to Britain’s changing social and cultural landscape, the royal family is desperately trying to broaden its popular appeal. Contrary to the British press’s narrative, we might say that Harry’s the one “marrying up” – not the black actress from LA. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Is the British monarchy actually adapting to changing social norms?

Australia regained its Ashes urn after defeating England in the third Test match in Perth on Monday.&nbsp;

Skipper Steve Smith&#39;s team won the match by an innings and 41 runs on day five of the third test match to take an unassailable 3-0 lead. Two Tests are still to be played.

The poms reluctantly resumed at 132/4, clinging to hope that wet weather could keep the five test series alive.&nbsp;

England had scored 403, with centuries from Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow. Australia replied strongly with a double century from Smith and a century from Mithcell Marsh and scored a mammoth 662 for 9. The team was later declared.

England had to score 259 to make Australia bat again. But Australian bowlers led by Josh Hazlewood, (5 for 48) scuttled England&#39;s chances by bundling them out for 218.&nbsp;

England lost the first Test by 10 wickets and second by 120 runs.&nbsp;

Australian bowlers led by Josh Hazlewood scuttled England's chances by bundling them out for 218.?

Australia regained its Ashes urn after defeating England in the third Test match in Perth on Monday. Skipper Steve Smith's team won the match by an innings and 41 runs on day five of the third test match to take an unassailable 3-0 lead. Two Tests are still to be played. The poms reluctantly resumed at 132/4, clinging to hope that wet weather could keep the five test series alive. England had scored 403, with centuries from Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow. Australia replied strongly with a double century from Smith and a century from Mithcell Marsh and scored a mammoth 662 for 9. The team was later declared. England had to score 259 to make Australia bat again. But Australian bowlers led by Josh Hazlewood, (5 for 48) scuttled England's chances by bundling them out for 218. England lost the first Test by 10 wickets and second by 120 runs.

3rd Test Day 5: Australia beat England by an innings and 41 runs, regain Ashes

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