Australia retained the women's Ashes after the only Test match in the series played across multiple formats ended in a draw at Taunton on Sunday.

After Australia had declared their first innings on 420-8, England avoided the follow-on and asked Australia to bat again, declaring at 275-9.

However, the visitors elected not to set a victory target and had reached 230-7 at the end of play.

Elysse Perry was again the pick of the Australian batters, following up her first innings 116 with an unbeaten 76 in the second.

The result means Ashes holders Australia, who lead England 8-2 on points having won all three of the One-Day Internationals, will retain the trophy.

England can only level the series if they win the three remaining Twenty20 international games, starting on Friday.

"It's certainly a good position to be in. We had a hard four-day battle and it was a good challenge. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a result here, but it was a great Test," Australia skipper Meg Lanning said.

"It's been a lot closer than the scoreboard suggests, and we're really looking forward to the T20s."

A points system to determine the winner of a series has been used in women's cricket since the 2013 Ashes. Teams are awarded two points for victory in limited-overs games and six in Tests.

Drawn limited-overs games result in one point being awarded to both teams and two each if a Test ends in a stalemate.

Australia retained the women's Ashes after the only Test match in the series played across multiple formats ended in a draw at Taunton on Sunday. After Australia had declared their first innings on 420-8, England avoided the follow-on and asked Australia to bat again, declaring at 275-9.

Australia retained the women's Ashes after the only Test match in the series played across multiple formats ended in a draw at Taunton on Sunday. After Australia had declared their first innings on 420-8, England avoided the follow-on and asked Australia to bat again, declaring at 275-9. However, the visitors elected not to set a victory target and had reached 230-7 at the end of play. Elysse Perry was again the pick of the Australian batters, following up her first innings 116 with an unbeaten 76 in the second. The result means Ashes holders Australia, who lead England 8-2 on points having won all three of the One-Day Internationals, will retain the trophy. England can only level the series if they win the three remaining Twenty20 international games, starting on Friday. "It's certainly a good position to be in. We had a hard four-day battle and it was a good challenge. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a result here, but it was a great Test," Australia skipper Meg Lanning said. "It's been a lot closer than the scoreboard suggests, and we're really looking forward to the T20s." A points system to determine the winner of a series has been used in women's cricket since the 2013 Ashes. Teams are awarded two points for victory in limited-overs games and six in Tests. Drawn limited-overs games result in one point being awarded to both teams and two each if a Test ends in a stalemate.

Australia retain women's Ashes after draw in only Test

Australia added uncapped all-rounder Marcus Stoinis to their squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka and released opener Matt Renshaw for Big Bash League duty, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday.

Australia crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs inside three days in the day-night Test in Brisbane on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

"We made the decision to add Marcus to give us the flexibility to play an all-rounder in the event the conditions require an extra bowling option in the lineup," national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.

Stoinis has played 24 one-day internationals and 17 Twenty20 internationals for Australia but is yet to make his Test debut.

The 29-year-old has scored 298 runs, including three half-centuries, and claimed 10 wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches in the 2018-19 season for Western Australia.

"Marcus has been a consistent performer this season, he's displayed strong all-round form in first-class cricket and continued that form into the Australian ODI series against India," Hohns added.

Meanwhile, Renshaw, who missed the first Test, will link up with his Brisbane Heat teammates for their upcoming Big Bash League fixtures.

The second Test begins on February 2 at Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Australia added uncapped all-rounder Marcus Stoinis to their squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka and released opener Matt Renshaw for Big Bash League duty, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday.

Australia added uncapped all-rounder Marcus Stoinis to their squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka and released opener Matt Renshaw for Big Bash League duty, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday. Australia crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs inside three days in the day-night Test in Brisbane on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. "We made the decision to add Marcus to give us the flexibility to play an all-rounder in the event the conditions require an extra bowling option in the lineup," national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement. Stoinis has played 24 one-day internationals and 17 Twenty20 internationals for Australia but is yet to make his Test debut. The 29-year-old has scored 298 runs, including three half-centuries, and claimed 10 wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches in the 2018-19 season for Western Australia. "Marcus has been a consistent performer this season, he's displayed strong all-round form in first-class cricket and continued that form into the Australian ODI series against India," Hohns added. Meanwhile, Renshaw, who missed the first Test, will link up with his Brisbane Heat teammates for their upcoming Big Bash League fixtures. The second Test begins on February 2 at Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Australia call up uncapped Marcus Stoinis for second Sri Lanka Test

Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in the first Test match of a four-match series on December 6 at Adelaide Oval.

After winning the toss, Virat said, "Runs on the board will be always handy in any condition. Every tour is an opportunity, it's always a difficult challenge in Australia."

Temperatures are expected to soar to 39 degrees Celsius, leaving a potentially tough day for Australia's seamers, who lack the support of dropped fast-bowling all rounder Mitchell Marsh.

Virat further added, "Taking nothing for granted, nothing lightly. We are looking forward to a challenging series, to measure ourselves against one of the best sides in the world."

"I love playing here in Adelaide, the wicket is good and the stadium is great."&nbsp;

Viratconfirmed that specialist batsman Rohit Sharma would take the number six spot vacated by the injured fast-bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, with spin bowling all-rounder Hanuma Vihari missing out.

"Rohit Sharma will bat at six, he can bat well with tail, has the shots on these kinds of wickets, he's good with the short ball and can attack the bowlers," he said.

Tim Paine said, "We expect the batsmen to stand-up, we have good players who have done well domestically over the past five-six years"

Here is the playing XI:

India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine(w/c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in the first Test match of a four-match series on December 6 at Adelaide Oval. After winning the toss, Virat said, "Runs on the board will be always handy in any condition.

Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in the first Test match of a four-match series on December 6 at Adelaide Oval. After winning the toss, Virat said, "Runs on the board will be always handy in any condition. Every tour is an opportunity, it's always a difficult challenge in Australia." Temperatures are expected to soar to 39 degrees Celsius, leaving a potentially tough day for Australia's seamers, who lack the support of dropped fast-bowling all rounder Mitchell Marsh. Virat further added, "Taking nothing for granted, nothing lightly. We are looking forward to a challenging series, to measure ourselves against one of the best sides in the world." "I love playing here in Adelaide, the wicket is good and the stadium is great." Viratconfirmed that specialist batsman Rohit Sharma would take the number six spot vacated by the injured fast-bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, with spin bowling all-rounder Hanuma Vihari missing out. "Rohit Sharma will bat at six, he can bat well with tail, has the shots on these kinds of wickets, he's good with the short ball and can attack the bowlers," he said. Tim Paine said, "We expect the batsmen to stand-up, we have good players who have done well domestically over the past five-six years" Here is the playing XI: India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami. Australia: Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine(w/c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

India vs Australia, 1st Test, Day 1: Virat Kohli opts to bat in Adelaide Test

India batsman Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of next week's first Test against Australia after the young opener injured his ankle while fielding during a tour match in Sydney on Friday, according to the country's cricket board (BCCI).

The 19-year-old was taken to hospital for scans after he rolled his left ankle when taking a catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary and tumbled over the rope during the third day of the warm-up contest against an Australia XI.

Shaw was chaired off the field by India physiotherapist Patrick Farhart and a support staff member into the away team dressing room at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

"Shaw underwent scans this morning and the reports revealed a lateral ligament injury," BCCI said in a statement. "Shaw will be unavailable for the first Test against Australia in Adelaide.

"He will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to hasten the recovery and be available for selection at the earliest."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-australia-2018-19-schedule-teams-time-and-venue-177740">India vs Australia 2018-19: Schedule, Squad, Time and Venue</a>

It was a massive blow for India with the promising teenager an almost certain starter in the four-match series after a spectacular debut against West Indies last month.

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Update: The medical team is assessing Prithvi Shaw at the moment. He hurt his left ankle while attempting to take a catch at the boundary ropes. Shaw is being taken to the hospital for scans <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/PVyCHBO98e">pic.twitter.com/PVyCHBO98e</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1068297480452759552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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UPDATE: Prithvi Shaw ruled out of first Test against Australia in Adelaide. Full details here ---&gt; <a href="https://t.co/bKZRSodVyR">https://t.co/bKZRSodVyR</a> <a href="https://t.co/gqFWUJKxNf">pic.twitter.com/gqFWUJKxNf</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1068372247792934912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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India's other opening batsman Lokesh Rahul has struggled for runs and the third option, Murali Vijay, is on the comeback trail after he was dropped following a poor tour of England earlier this year.

Shaw scored an attacking 134 on his debut against West Indies and followed up with a 70 and unbeaten 33 in the second Test against the Caribbean side.

He was also impressive on Thursday with a sparkling 66, hitting 11 boundaries in his 69-ball knock.

India would hope to have him back in the starting lineup for the second Test at Perth, starting on Dec. 14.

India batsman Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of next week's first Test against Australia after the young opener injured his ankle while fielding during a tour match in Sydney on Friday, according to the country's cricket board (BCCI).

India batsman Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out of next week's first Test against Australia after the young opener injured his ankle while fielding during a tour match in Sydney on Friday, according to the country's cricket board (BCCI). The 19-year-old was taken to hospital for scans after he rolled his left ankle when taking a catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary and tumbled over the rope during the third day of the warm-up contest against an Australia XI. Shaw was chaired off the field by India physiotherapist Patrick Farhart and a support staff member into the away team dressing room at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). "Shaw underwent scans this morning and the reports revealed a lateral ligament injury," BCCI said in a statement. "Shaw will be unavailable for the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. "He will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to hasten the recovery and be available for selection at the earliest." Also Read: India vs Australia 2018-19: Schedule, Squad, Time and Venue It was a massive blow for India with the promising teenager an almost certain starter in the four-match series after a spectacular debut against West Indies last month. Update: The medical team is assessing Prithvi Shaw at the moment. He hurt his left ankle while attempting to take a catch at the boundary ropes. Shaw is being taken to the hospital for scans #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/PVyCHBO98e — BCCI (@BCCI) November 30, 2018 × UPDATE: Prithvi Shaw ruled out of first Test against Australia in Adelaide. Full details here ---> https://t.co/bKZRSodVyR pic.twitter.com/gqFWUJKxNf — BCCI (@BCCI) November 30, 2018 × India's other opening batsman Lokesh Rahul has struggled for runs and the third option, Murali Vijay, is on the comeback trail after he was dropped following a poor tour of England earlier this year. Shaw scored an attacking 134 on his debut against West Indies and followed up with a 70 and unbeaten 33 in the second Test against the Caribbean side. He was also impressive on Thursday with a sparkling 66, hitting 11 boundaries in his 69-ball knock. India would hope to have him back in the starting lineup for the second Test at Perth, starting on Dec. 14.

India vs Australia: Prithvi Shaw ruled out of Adelaide Test with ankle injury

Debutant spinner Ajaz Patel claimed five wickets in the second innings as New Zealand beat Pakistan by four runs on a dramatic fourth day of the opening Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Pakistan resumed the day on 37 for no loss, needing 139 runs for a victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, but suffered two separate batting collapses that resulted in a tense finish at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 171 in 58.4 overs as the visitors wrapped up the fifth-smallest win by runs in Test history.

"We knew the surface wasn't an easy one. There was turn from day one and all the spinners bowled well," New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said.

"It's a great advertisement for Test cricket. In the end, it came down to the wire. We'll sit down and review our performance and the things to improve upon. The attitude, certainly today and throughout the game, was brilliant."

Azhar Ali (65), who stitched together an 82-run stand with Asad Shafiq (45) to keep Pakistan's hopes alive, was the last batsman to fall when he was trapped in front of the wicket by Patel who finished with 5-59.

"It's a dream come true. We know Pakistan have got good players of spin, but we kept chipping in there," left-armer Patel said.

Earlier, Patel dismissed opener Imam-ul-Haq leg-before and spin partner Ish Sodhi struck twice to remove Mohammad Hafeez and Haris Sohail as Pakistan lost three batsmen in eight balls to find themselves in trouble at 48-3.

Shafiq edged pace bowler Neil Wagner to wicketkeeper BJ Watling before lunch and Babar Azam was run out after the break. Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was then caught behind off Patel for three with his team down 154-6 and needing 22 runs to win.

Bilal Asif was bowled for a duck as he attempted to slog Patel and Wagner had Yasir Shah caught at slip. Hasan Ali was the next to go, offering a simple catch to substitute fielder Tim Southee off Patel.

Azhar played more cautiously as the wickets continued to tumble, but despite the 33-year-old's battling effort, Pakistan could not avoid defeat.

The second Test will be played in Dubai from Nov. 24-28 before the teams return to Abu Dhabi for the final Test from Dec. 3-7.

Debutant spinner Ajaz Patel claimed five wickets in the second innings as New Zealand beat Pakistan by four runs on a dramatic fourth day of the opening Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Debutant spinner Ajaz Patel claimed five wickets in the second innings as New Zealand beat Pakistan by four runs on a dramatic fourth day of the opening Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Pakistan resumed the day on 37 for no loss, needing 139 runs for a victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, but suffered two separate batting collapses that resulted in a tense finish at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 171 in 58.4 overs as the visitors wrapped up the fifth-smallest win by runs in Test history. "We knew the surface wasn't an easy one. There was turn from day one and all the spinners bowled well," New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said. "It's a great advertisement for Test cricket. In the end, it came down to the wire. We'll sit down and review our performance and the things to improve upon. The attitude, certainly today and throughout the game, was brilliant." Azhar Ali (65), who stitched together an 82-run stand with Asad Shafiq (45) to keep Pakistan's hopes alive, was the last batsman to fall when he was trapped in front of the wicket by Patel who finished with 5-59. "It's a dream come true. We know Pakistan have got good players of spin, but we kept chipping in there," left-armer Patel said. Earlier, Patel dismissed opener Imam-ul-Haq leg-before and spin partner Ish Sodhi struck twice to remove Mohammad Hafeez and Haris Sohail as Pakistan lost three batsmen in eight balls to find themselves in trouble at 48-3. Shafiq edged pace bowler Neil Wagner to wicketkeeper BJ Watling before lunch and Babar Azam was run out after the break. Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was then caught behind off Patel for three with his team down 154-6 and needing 22 runs to win. Bilal Asif was bowled for a duck as he attempted to slog Patel and Wagner had Yasir Shah caught at slip. Hasan Ali was the next to go, offering a simple catch to substitute fielder Tim Southee off Patel. Azhar played more cautiously as the wickets continued to tumble, but despite the 33-year-old's battling effort, Pakistan could not avoid defeat. The second Test will be played in Dubai from Nov. 24-28 before the teams return to Abu Dhabi for the final Test from Dec. 3-7.

Ajaz Patel scythes down Pakistan as Kiwis seal four-run win in first test

30 unique facts about Virat Kohli on his 30th birthday

Sri Lanka's left-arm bowler Rangana Herath is retiring earlier than expected and will bid farewell after next month's opening Test against England in Galle, the cricket board announced Monday.

Herath, 40, was expected to bow out at the conclusion of England's three-Test tour, but he will now call it quits from international cricket at the same ground where he made his Test debut against Australia in 1999.

"We respect and support Rangana's decision even though his retirement will be a big loss for Sri Lanka Cricket," the Sri Lankan board said.

"We wish to thank him for the invaluable contribution he has made." Herath has played 92 Tests, taking 430 wickets -- making him Sri Lanka's second most prolific bowler behind Muttiah Muralitharan, who holds the all-time world record of 800.

His last ODI appearance was in Wellington against England in March 2015. The first Test against England starts on November 6.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka's left-arm bowler Rangana Herath is retiring earlier than expected and will bid farewell after next month's opening Test against England in Galle, the cricket board announced Monday.

Sri Lanka's left-arm bowler Rangana Herath is retiring earlier than expected and will bid farewell after next month's opening Test against England in Galle, the cricket board announced Monday. Herath, 40, was expected to bow out at the conclusion of England's three-Test tour, but he will now call it quits from international cricket at the same ground where he made his Test debut against Australia in 1999. "We respect and support Rangana's decision even though his retirement will be a big loss for Sri Lanka Cricket," the Sri Lankan board said. "We wish to thank him for the invaluable contribution he has made." Herath has played 92 Tests, taking 430 wickets -- making him Sri Lanka's second most prolific bowler behind Muttiah Muralitharan, who holds the all-time world record of 800. His last ODI appearance was in Wellington against England in March 2015. The first Test against England starts on November 6.

Rangana Herath to retire after first Test against England

China has successfully tested the world's largest unmanned transport drone which can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes, official media reported on Wednesday.

A large commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a successful test flight at Baotou test site in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday, state-run China Daily reported.

Feihong-98 (FH-98) is now the world's largest unmanned transport aircraft, with a maximum payload of up to 1.5 tonnes, it said.

It was adapted from the prototype of the Shifei Y5B, a China-developed transport plane.

As China's first fully domestically-built transport aircraft, the Shifei Y5B has a history of over 60 years since its first flight in 1957 and has been widely used.

According to Liu Meixuan, president of the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology, the FH-98 features simple take-off and landing, simple operation, advanced technology, at an affordable cost.

The FH-98 has a maximum takeoff weight of 5.25 tonnes, a maximum capacity of 1.5 tonnes and 15 cubic metres, a flight height of 4,500 metres, a cruising speed of 180 kilometers per hour, and a maximum range of 1,200 kms, the report said.

China has been making advances in the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

On October 9, state media reported that China will sell 48 of its Wing Loong II high-end reconnaissance and multi-role Chinese drones to its all-weather ally Pakistan.

China has successfully tested the world's largest unmanned transport drone which can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes, official media reported on Wednesday. A large commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a successful test flight at Baotou test site in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday, state-run China Daily reported.

China has successfully tested the world's largest unmanned transport drone which can carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes, official media reported on Wednesday. A large commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a successful test flight at Baotou test site in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Tuesday, state-run China Daily reported. Feihong-98 (FH-98) is now the world's largest unmanned transport aircraft, with a maximum payload of up to 1.5 tonnes, it said. It was adapted from the prototype of the Shifei Y5B, a China-developed transport plane. As China's first fully domestically-built transport aircraft, the Shifei Y5B has a history of over 60 years since its first flight in 1957 and has been widely used. According to Liu Meixuan, president of the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology, the FH-98 features simple take-off and landing, simple operation, advanced technology, at an affordable cost. The FH-98 has a maximum takeoff weight of 5.25 tonnes, a maximum capacity of 1.5 tonnes and 15 cubic metres, a flight height of 4,500 metres, a cruising speed of 180 kilometers per hour, and a maximum range of 1,200 kms, the report said. China has been making advances in the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. On October 9, state media reported that China will sell 48 of its Wing Loong II high-end reconnaissance and multi-role Chinese drones to its all-weather ally Pakistan.

China successfully tests world's largest unmanned transport drone

At least 26 people have tested positive for dengue in five districts of Jammu region this year, a health official said Sunday.

The maximum 11 cases were reported from Kathua district followed by seven in Samba, six in Jammu and one each in Kishtwar and Udhampur districts, the official said.

He said the people who tested positive for the vector-borne disease included 10 women and five boys.

A total of 460 samples were taken for screening since January, the official said, adding, 442 test reports were received by Saturday evening, of which 416 were found negative.

Eighteen test reports were awaited.

He said a majority of the cases tested positive for dengue last month.

The first dengue case was reported in January, one in July and two in August, while two cases were found positive this month, he said. Twenty cases were reported last month.

Among those tested positive, the official said three residents of Jammu were outside the state.

The official said there was no need to panic as all necessary measures have been taken to keep the situation under control.

The dengue cases usually go up after the monsoon season as the main trigger for the disease is stagnant water, he said, and advised people not to allow water to stagnate around residential structures.&nbsp;

At least 26 people have tested positive for dengue in five districts of Jammu region this year, a health official said Sunday. The maximum 11 cases were reported from Kathua district followed by seven in Samba, six in Jammu and one each in Kishtwar and Udhampur districts, the official said.

At least 26 people have tested positive for dengue in five districts of Jammu region this year, a health official said Sunday. The maximum 11 cases were reported from Kathua district followed by seven in Samba, six in Jammu and one each in Kishtwar and Udhampur districts, the official said. He said the people who tested positive for the vector-borne disease included 10 women and five boys. A total of 460 samples were taken for screening since January, the official said, adding, 442 test reports were received by Saturday evening, of which 416 were found negative. Eighteen test reports were awaited. He said a majority of the cases tested positive for dengue last month. The first dengue case was reported in January, one in July and two in August, while two cases were found positive this month, he said. Twenty cases were reported last month. Among those tested positive, the official said three residents of Jammu were outside the state. The official said there was no need to panic as all necessary measures have been taken to keep the situation under control. The dengue cases usually go up after the monsoon season as the main trigger for the disease is stagnant water, he said, and advised people not to allow water to stagnate around residential structures.

26 test positive for dengue in Jammu region

18-year-old Prithvi Shaw on Thursday became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a century on debut after he slammed a 99-ball ton on Day 1 of the first Test match against West Indies in Rajkot.

Shaw, who played at a strike rate of 97.14 slammed 15 boundaries to reach the milestone.&nbsp;

In the process, he became the fourth youngest batsman overall to score a century on debut after Mohammad Ashraful, Hamilton Masakadza and Saleem Malik.

Shaw announced his arrival with a historic 546 for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D’Assisi in the prestigious Harris Shield as he became the became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match.

He also became the first Indian cricketer to score a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and in Test matches.&nbsp;

Sachin Tendulkar also scored a century on his Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy debut, but the legendary batsman had to wait for 13 matches to score his first Test century.

Shaw became the second-youngest Indian test cricketer after Vijay Mehra, who made his debut at 17 years against New Zealand in 1955.&nbsp;

18-year-old Prithvi Shaw on Thursday became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a century on debut after he slammed a 99-ball ton on Day 1 of the first Test match against West Indies in Rajkot.

18-year-old Prithvi Shaw on Thursday became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a century on debut after he slammed a 99-ball ton on Day 1 of the first Test match against West Indies in Rajkot. Shaw, who played at a strike rate of 97.14 slammed 15 boundaries to reach the milestone. In the process, he became the fourth youngest batsman overall to score a century on debut after Mohammad Ashraful, Hamilton Masakadza and Saleem Malik. Shaw announced his arrival with a historic 546 for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D’Assisi in the prestigious Harris Shield as he became the became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match. He also became the first Indian cricketer to score a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and in Test matches. Sachin Tendulkar also scored a century on his Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy debut, but the legendary batsman had to wait for 13 matches to score his first Test century. Shaw became the second-youngest Indian test cricketer after Vijay Mehra, who made his debut at 17 years against New Zealand in 1955.

India vs West Indies: 18-year-old Shaw shatters records, hits century on Test debut 

Australian opener Matt Renshaw is a doubt for the series-opening Test against Pakistan after suffering a head injury in a tour match in Dubai.

Renshaw, who has a history of concussions, exited the match against a Pakistan 'A' side after being hit by a pull shot from batsman Abid Ali when fielding at short leg on Sunday.

Renshaw was wearing a helmet when he was struck in the side of the head. He pulled it off immediately and sat with his head in his hands before being examined by medical staff.

He came off the ground for further checks and was replaced in the lineup by Marnus Labuschagne.

Opening batsman Aaron Finch said Renshaw was in good spirits, but the selectors are likely to be cautious about playing the Yorkshire-born 22-year-old in the first Test starting on Sunday.

Renshaw suffered a&nbsp;concussion in a warm-up mishap before a Sheffield Shield match for Queensland in March and was subbed out of the game.

He was also withdrawn from a 2017 Test against Pakistan in Sydney having been hit while fielding just days after being struck by a bouncer when batting.

"He's okay," Finch told reporters. "It was a pretty heavy knock to the head there.

"He's been with the medical staff all afternoon but he seems in really good spirits. He's confident that his headaches are subsiding pretty quickly."

The Renshaw blow soured an otherwise positive day for Australia's batsmen with Finch, Shaun Marsh and younger brother Mitchell all spending valuable time in the middle as the tourists moved to 207 for two at the close of the second day's play, in reply to 278.

One-day specialist Finch, hoping to make his Test debut after his surprise selection in Tim Paine's squad, scored 54 in an 82-run opening stand with Usman Khawaja, while number three Shaun Marsh and Mitchell were unbeaten on 54 and 53 respectively.

"It was nice to get out in the middle after training away for the best part of a week and doing the hard yards," said 31-year-old Finch.

"It's still about playing my natural game which is quite aggressive generally."

Australian opener Matt Renshaw is a doubt for the series-opening Test against Pakistan after suffering a head injury in a tour match in Dubai. Renshaw, who has a history of concussions, exited the match against a Pakistan 'A' side after being hit by a pull shot from batsman Abid Ali when fielding at short leg on Sunday.

Australian opener Matt Renshaw is a doubt for the series-opening Test against Pakistan after suffering a head injury in a tour match in Dubai. Renshaw, who has a history of concussions, exited the match against a Pakistan 'A' side after being hit by a pull shot from batsman Abid Ali when fielding at short leg on Sunday. Renshaw was wearing a helmet when he was struck in the side of the head. He pulled it off immediately and sat with his head in his hands before being examined by medical staff. He came off the ground for further checks and was replaced in the lineup by Marnus Labuschagne. Opening batsman Aaron Finch said Renshaw was in good spirits, but the selectors are likely to be cautious about playing the Yorkshire-born 22-year-old in the first Test starting on Sunday. Renshaw suffered a concussion in a warm-up mishap before a Sheffield Shield match for Queensland in March and was subbed out of the game. He was also withdrawn from a 2017 Test against Pakistan in Sydney having been hit while fielding just days after being struck by a bouncer when batting. "He's okay," Finch told reporters. "It was a pretty heavy knock to the head there. "He's been with the medical staff all afternoon but he seems in really good spirits. He's confident that his headaches are subsiding pretty quickly." The Renshaw blow soured an otherwise positive day for Australia's batsmen with Finch, Shaun Marsh and younger brother Mitchell all spending valuable time in the middle as the tourists moved to 207 for two at the close of the second day's play, in reply to 278. One-day specialist Finch, hoping to make his Test debut after his surprise selection in Tim Paine's squad, scored 54 in an 82-run opening stand with Usman Khawaja, while number three Shaun Marsh and Mitchell were unbeaten on 54 and 53 respectively. "It was nice to get out in the middle after training away for the best part of a week and doing the hard yards," said 31-year-old Finch. "It's still about playing my natural game which is quite aggressive generally."

Australian opener Matt Renshaw a doubt for first Pakistan Test

West Indies completed a crushing 226-run victory over Sri Lanka just after lunch on the final day of the first Test on Sunday as the tourists surrendered meekly following the demise of century-maker Kusal Mendis and captain Dinesh Chandimal.

Set a daunting target of 453, the Sri Lankans crashed from 189 for three in mid-morning to be dismissed for 226 just after lunch, suffering their first Test match defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side for ten years, when they were also beaten at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

Off-spinning all-rounder Roston Chase triggered the final capitulation in which five wickets fell for just eight runs.

His dismissal of Chandimal in the last over before the lunch interval broke the back of the tourists’ resistance and he claimed three of the remaining four wickets to fall to finish with the impressive figures of four for 15 off 8.2 overs.

It looked so much better for Sri Lanka when Mendis, 94 not out overnight with Sri Lanka on 176 for three, reached his fifth Test century shortly after the start of the day’s play.

However any hope of the visitors seriously challenging a world record target effectively evaporated with his dismissal, caught behind for 102 off fast bowler Shannon Gabriel.

Even the prospects of saving the match or at the very least taking the game into the final session disappeared with the loss of three more wickets before the break, including two off the final over bowled by Chase.

Stubborn nightwatchman Lahiru Gamage had fallen LBW to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for just three after more than an hour’s resistance but the death knell was really sounded for the Sri Lankans when Chase accounted for both Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella in the space of five deliveries.

Chandimal was forced to curtail his innings on Saturday afternoon when on 15 because he was feeling unwell.&nbsp

He resumed after the fall of Mendis and showed no signs of further discomfort in getting to 27 until a flighted delivery from Chase tempted him into attempting to heave over midwicket only for the miscue to offer a simple catch to Kraigg Brathwaite running around to short mid-on.

It was hardly the sort of example he would have wanted to set as Sri Lanka’s captain.

Within minutes he was joined by Dickwella in the dressing room as the wicketkeeper-batsman was trapped palpably leg-before by a quicker delivery from Chase.

"I think our fielding was below par in the first innings when we dropped some important catches,” said Chandimal in reflecting on his team’s disappointing overall performance.

“We need to learn from our mistakes and regroup quickly for the next match.”

Sri Lanka expect to welcome back middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva for the second Test starting Thursday in St Lucia.

'Striving for consistency'

His arrival in the region was delayed by the shooting death of his father.

West Indies were in no mood to slacken their grip on the match on the resumption after lunch as Bishoo had Rangana Herath taken at short-leg before Chase sealed victory with the wickets of Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara off successive balls, both adjudged caught behind by 'man of the match' Shane Dowrich.

“I just wanted to stick to the basics and make the most of all my preparation coming into this series, and it worked out for me,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman, whose unbeaten 125 was the cornerstone of the West Indies first innings recovery and final total of 414 for eight declared.

“Consistency is something I have been striving for because I want to score runs in every game.”

Earlier, Mendis had wasted no time in getting to three figures.

He flicked a delivery from West Indies captain Jason Holder to backward square-leg for his tenth boundary.&nbsp

He also hoisted two sixes in a determined innings that occupied 110 deliveries. Yet for all that time at the crease, there was nothing he could do to avoid an unplayable delivery from Gabriel which kicked off a good length to brush the batsman’s gloves on the way through to Dowrich.

“Everyone in this team deserves enormous credit for the way we battled through on a pitch that wasn’t the easiest,” said Holder in reflecting on a victory achieved after two declarations by him.

“I wasn’t worried coming into this final day because the pitch was deteriorating a bit and I just felt our bowlers had to build a bit of pressure and we would be able to strike, and when we struck we got wickets in clusters.”

Sri Lankans crashed on the final day suffering their first Test match defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side for ten years

West Indies completed a crushing 226-run victory over Sri Lanka just after lunch on the final day of the first Test on Sunday as the tourists surrendered meekly following the demise of century-maker Kusal Mendis and captain Dinesh Chandimal. Set a daunting target of 453, the Sri Lankans crashed from 189 for three in mid-morning to be dismissed for 226 just after lunch, suffering their first Test match defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side for ten years, when they were also beaten at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. Off-spinning all-rounder Roston Chase triggered the final capitulation in which five wickets fell for just eight runs. His dismissal of Chandimal in the last over before the lunch interval broke the back of the tourists’ resistance and he claimed three of the remaining four wickets to fall to finish with the impressive figures of four for 15 off 8.2 overs. It looked so much better for Sri Lanka when Mendis, 94 not out overnight with Sri Lanka on 176 for three, reached his fifth Test century shortly after the start of the day’s play. However any hope of the visitors seriously challenging a world record target effectively evaporated with his dismissal, caught behind for 102 off fast bowler Shannon Gabriel. Even the prospects of saving the match or at the very least taking the game into the final session disappeared with the loss of three more wickets before the break, including two off the final over bowled by Chase. Stubborn nightwatchman Lahiru Gamage had fallen LBW to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for just three after more than an hour’s resistance but the death knell was really sounded for the Sri Lankans when Chase accounted for both Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella in the space of five deliveries. Chandimal was forced to curtail his innings on Saturday afternoon when on 15 because he was feeling unwell. He resumed after the fall of Mendis and showed no signs of further discomfort in getting to 27 until a flighted delivery from Chase tempted him into attempting to heave over midwicket only for the miscue to offer a simple catch to Kraigg Brathwaite running around to short mid-on. It was hardly the sort of example he would have wanted to set as Sri Lanka’s captain. Within minutes he was joined by Dickwella in the dressing room as the wicketkeeper-batsman was trapped palpably leg-before by a quicker delivery from Chase. "I think our fielding was below par in the first innings when we dropped some important catches,” said Chandimal in reflecting on his team’s disappointing overall performance. “We need to learn from our mistakes and regroup quickly for the next match.” Sri Lanka expect to welcome back middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva for the second Test starting Thursday in St Lucia. 'Striving for consistency' His arrival in the region was delayed by the shooting death of his father. West Indies were in no mood to slacken their grip on the match on the resumption after lunch as Bishoo had Rangana Herath taken at short-leg before Chase sealed victory with the wickets of Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara off successive balls, both adjudged caught behind by 'man of the match' Shane Dowrich. “I just wanted to stick to the basics and make the most of all my preparation coming into this series, and it worked out for me,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman, whose unbeaten 125 was the cornerstone of the West Indies first innings recovery and final total of 414 for eight declared. “Consistency is something I have been striving for because I want to score runs in every game.” Earlier, Mendis had wasted no time in getting to three figures. He flicked a delivery from West Indies captain Jason Holder to backward square-leg for his tenth boundary. He also hoisted two sixes in a determined innings that occupied 110 deliveries. Yet for all that time at the crease, there was nothing he could do to avoid an unplayable delivery from Gabriel which kicked off a good length to brush the batsman’s gloves on the way through to Dowrich. “Everyone in this team deserves enormous credit for the way we battled through on a pitch that wasn’t the easiest,” said Holder in reflecting on a victory achieved after two declarations by him. “I wasn’t worried coming into this final day because the pitch was deteriorating a bit and I just felt our bowlers had to build a bit of pressure and we would be able to strike, and when we struck we got wickets in clusters.”

Cricket: West Indies thrash Sri Lanka by 226-runs in first Test

India's refusal to play a day-night Test in Adelaide is "selfish" and hinders efforts to reinvigorate test cricket, Australia's former test batsman Mark Waugh said on Wednesday.

India have declined to play their maiden day-night test against Australia, leaving the Dec. 6-10 series-opener in Adelaide a day match, and remain the lone frontline team not to have featured in one.

"It's a little bit selfish from India's point of view because we need to revitalise Test cricket," Waugh said on Australia's Big Sports Breakfast radio show.

"Day-night test cricket in some countries is going to be one of those ingredients that could transform test cricket back to where it should be."

India's reluctance is attributed to their pink-ball inexperience but Waugh, who will step down from his role as a national twenty20 selector in August, is baffled by their refusal given the depth in the Virat Kohli-led squad.

"Their team is pretty well suited to day-night cricket, they've got a string of fast bowlers, so they don't just rely on the spinners, and their batsman are technically very good as well," Waugh explained.

"So for the greater good of the game, I would have loved to have seen that as a day-night Test."

India play three twenty20 internationals, four tests and three one-day internationals in their tour of Australia from November to January.

India's refusal to play a day-night Test in Adelaide is "selfish" and hinders efforts to reinvigorate test cricket,

India's refusal to play a day-night Test in Adelaide is "selfish" and hinders efforts to reinvigorate test cricket, Australia's former test batsman Mark Waugh said on Wednesday. India have declined to play their maiden day-night test against Australia, leaving the Dec. 6-10 series-opener in Adelaide a day match, and remain the lone frontline team not to have featured in one. "It's a little bit selfish from India's point of view because we need to revitalise Test cricket," Waugh said on Australia's Big Sports Breakfast radio show. "Day-night test cricket in some countries is going to be one of those ingredients that could transform test cricket back to where it should be." India's reluctance is attributed to their pink-ball inexperience but Waugh, who will step down from his role as a national twenty20 selector in August, is baffled by their refusal given the depth in the Virat Kohli-led squad. "Their team is pretty well suited to day-night cricket, they've got a string of fast bowlers, so they don't just rely on the spinners, and their batsman are technically very good as well," Waugh explained. "So for the greater good of the game, I would have loved to have seen that as a day-night Test." India play three twenty20 internationals, four tests and three one-day internationals in their tour of Australia from November to January.

India's decision not to play day-night Test is 'selfish': Mark Waugh

The controversy surrounding a 29-year-old police constable’s request to the Maharashtra government to undergo a sex reassignment surgery, has prompted the state police to include gender determination test in their recruitment process.

Lalita Salve, who now prefers to be called Lalit, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last month seeking his permission to undergo the surgery and be retained in the police force as a male police constable after the procedure.

“Till now, we did not have a gender determination test during police recruitment. However, going by this case, we felt the need to introduce such a test to avoid complications in future,” Rajkumar Vhatkar, inspector general of police (establishment), told PTI in Mumbai today.

The recruitment process of around 8,000 police constables is underway in Maharashtra, he said, adding the gender determination test will be included during the process.

Besides physical tests, the police force is including the gender test to avoid male candidates being selected in the female category, another police official said. &nbsp;This case is unique for the 1.80-lakh-strong police constabulary in Maharashtra. Salve grew up as a woman and was recruited as a woman police constable, he said.

Salve moved the Bombay High Court in November, seeking a direction to the DGP to grant Salve leave to undergo the surgery. Salve also sought a month’s leave for the surgery, but it was rejected by Beed police authorities, after which the constable approached the high court.

Later, Fadnavis asked the DGP to consider Salve’s case favourably. Salve is a member of the all-women patrolling team called “Damini” squad, formed to keep eve-teasers at bay, at Majalgaon in Beed district. When Salve met Fadnavis last month, the latter asked DGP Satish Mathur to take a “quick decision” in the case. After meeting the chief minister, Salve had appeared “hopeful” of getting permission for the surgery and of being retained as a male police constable.

Lalita Salve, who now prefers to be called Lalit, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last month seeking his permission to undergo the surgery and be retained in the police force as a male police constable after the procedure.

The controversy surrounding a 29-year-old police constable’s request to the Maharashtra government to undergo a sex reassignment surgery, has prompted the state police to include gender determination test in their recruitment process. Lalita Salve, who now prefers to be called Lalit, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last month seeking his permission to undergo the surgery and be retained in the police force as a male police constable after the procedure. “Till now, we did not have a gender determination test during police recruitment. However, going by this case, we felt the need to introduce such a test to avoid complications in future,” Rajkumar Vhatkar, inspector general of police (establishment), told PTI in Mumbai today. The recruitment process of around 8,000 police constables is underway in Maharashtra, he said, adding the gender determination test will be included during the process. Besides physical tests, the police force is including the gender test to avoid male candidates being selected in the female category, another police official said. This case is unique for the 1.80-lakh-strong police constabulary in Maharashtra. Salve grew up as a woman and was recruited as a woman police constable, he said. Salve moved the Bombay High Court in November, seeking a direction to the DGP to grant Salve leave to undergo the surgery. Salve also sought a month’s leave for the surgery, but it was rejected by Beed police authorities, after which the constable approached the high court. Later, Fadnavis asked the DGP to consider Salve’s case favourably. Salve is a member of the all-women patrolling team called “Damini” squad, formed to keep eve-teasers at bay, at Majalgaon in Beed district. When Salve met Fadnavis last month, the latter asked DGP Satish Mathur to take a “quick decision” in the case. After meeting the chief minister, Salve had appeared “hopeful” of getting permission for the surgery and of being retained as a male police constable.

Maharashtra to start gender determination test for police recruitment

South Africa beat Australia by 492 runs on the fifth day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Tuesday to win the controversy-driven Test series by 3-1 against scandal hit tourists.&nbsp;

Australians were playing in the absence of their regular skipper Steve Smith as he was given a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia and 1 match ban by International Cricket Council for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that happened in the third Test match.

Vernon Philander grabbed six wickets in a devastating spell of swing bowling as South Africa crushed Australia by a record 492 runs.

South African pacer Kagiso Rabada was awarded 'Player of the Series' and Vernon Philander was awarded 'Player of the Match' for his economical bowling in the last Test match.

"The game will always find a way to humble you, so you never stop learning,” said Kagiso Rabada.

The South African skipper said, "Since that first Test match, the guys were extremely motivated to come back."

Australian tried to draw the match and end the tour with a positive not but Philander ripped through their middle and lower order to finish with career-best figures of 6-21 and move to 204 test wickets.

South Africa completed their biggest victory over the Australians in tests in terms of runs, and also completed their first home series win over the demoralised visitors since 1970.

Morne Morkel, playing in his last Test, dismissed both opening batsmen in an impressive eight-over spell despite heavy strapping around his midriff.

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Congratulations Man of the Match <a href="https://twitter.com/VDP_24?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VDP_24</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/473ojCqKYU">pic.twitter.com/473ojCqKYU</a>
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/981104372183642112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Congratulations Man of the Series <a href="https://twitter.com/KagisoRabada25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KagisoRabada25</a>! 
“The game will always find a way to humble you, so you never stop learning.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SunfoilTest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SunfoilTest</a> <a href="https://t.co/0FFqpUyjK1">pic.twitter.com/0FFqpUyjK1</a>
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/981105702298177536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Scorecard:

Final scores on the fifth day of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Tuesday:

South Africa, first innings, 488

Australia, first innings, 221

South Africa, second innings, 344-6 dec

Australia, second innings, 119

Result: South Africa won by 492 runs

Series: South Africa won 3-1

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And there’s the moment, congratulations South Africa on the 3-1 series victory! Take a bow <a href="https://twitter.com/mornemorkel65?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mornemorkel65</a>! What a journey! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SunfoilTest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SunfoilTest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyMorneMoments?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyMorneMoments</a> <a href="https://t.co/BWt9nbyiMq">pic.twitter.com/BWt9nbyiMq</a>
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/981102054084050944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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“Purely on skill, they just outplayed us” - Tim Paine. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/knvBMjRMfe">pic.twitter.com/knvBMjRMfe</a>
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/981104028301045760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

South Africa completed their first home series win over the scandal-hit visitors since 1970

South Africa beat Australia by 492 runs on the fifth day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Tuesday to win the controversy-driven Test series by 3-1 against scandal hit tourists. Australians were playing in the absence of their regular skipper Steve Smith as he was given a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia and 1 match ban by International Cricket Council for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that happened in the third Test match. Vernon Philander grabbed six wickets in a devastating spell of swing bowling as South Africa crushed Australia by a record 492 runs. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada was awarded 'Player of the Series' and Vernon Philander was awarded 'Player of the Match' for his economical bowling in the last Test match. "The game will always find a way to humble you, so you never stop learning,” said Kagiso Rabada. The South African skipper said, "Since that first Test match, the guys were extremely motivated to come back." Australian tried to draw the match and end the tour with a positive not but Philander ripped through their middle and lower order to finish with career-best figures of 6-21 and move to 204 test wickets. South Africa completed their biggest victory over the Australians in tests in terms of runs, and also completed their first home series win over the demoralised visitors since 1970. Morne Morkel, playing in his last Test, dismissed both opening batsmen in an impressive eight-over spell despite heavy strapping around his midriff. Congratulations Man of the Match @VDP_24! #ProteaFire #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/473ojCqKYU — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 3, 2018 × Congratulations Man of the Series @KagisoRabada25! “The game will always find a way to humble you, so you never stop learning.” #ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/0FFqpUyjK1 — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 3, 2018 × Scorecard: Final scores on the fifth day of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Tuesday: South Africa, first innings, 488 Australia, first innings, 221 South Africa, second innings, 344-6 dec Australia, second innings, 119 Result: South Africa won by 492 runs Series: South Africa won 3-1 And there’s the moment, congratulations South Africa on the 3-1 series victory! Take a bow @mornemorkel65! What a journey! #ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest #MyMorneMoments pic.twitter.com/BWt9nbyiMq — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 3, 2018 × “Purely on skill, they just outplayed us” - Tim Paine. #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/knvBMjRMfe — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 3, 2018 ×

In absence of Steve Smith, South Africa destroy Australia by 492 runs in last Test

Faf Du Plessis slammed a magnificent century&nbsp;scored 120 runs off 178 balls. It was his first major contribution of the series as South Africa moved further ahead of Australia on the fourth day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Monday.

South Africa were 202 for three at lunch, an overall lead of 469. South African captain Du Plessis made 81 not out and opening batsman Dean Elgar was on 59 not out.

Only 20 overs were bowled on a heavily overcast morning. Bad light delayed the start, there was a 16-minute stoppage for more bad light and a further delay when Du Plessis was injured.

South Africa, who lead the series 2-1 and need only to draw to clinch their first home series win against Australia since 1969/70, added 68 runs without losing a wicket.

Elgar crawled to a half-century off 199 balls, ironically reaching the mark with a six off Mitchell Marsh.

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FOUR! Big cheers as <a href="https://twitter.com/faf1307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@faf1307</a> brings up career Test century number 8 from 163 balls (17x4s, 1x6), take a bow, you beauty! SA 240/3 after 85 overs, lead by 507. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProteaFire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ProteaFire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SunfoilTest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SunfoilTest</a> <a href="https://t.co/UVttFfPwI3">pic.twitter.com/UVttFfPwI3</a>
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSA/status/980766622712508418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

South Africa, who lead the series 2-1 and need only to draw to clinch their first home series win

Faf Du Plessis slammed a magnificent century scored 120 runs off 178 balls. It was his first major contribution of the series as South Africa moved further ahead of Australia on the fourth day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Monday. South Africa were 202 for three at lunch, an overall lead of 469. South African captain Du Plessis made 81 not out and opening batsman Dean Elgar was on 59 not out. Only 20 overs were bowled on a heavily overcast morning. Bad light delayed the start, there was a 16-minute stoppage for more bad light and a further delay when Du Plessis was injured. South Africa, who lead the series 2-1 and need only to draw to clinch their first home series win against Australia since 1969/70, added 68 runs without losing a wicket. Elgar crawled to a half-century off 199 balls, ironically reaching the mark with a six off Mitchell Marsh. FOUR! Big cheers as @faf1307 brings up career Test century number 8 from 163 balls (17x4s, 1x6), take a bow, you beauty! SA 240/3 after 85 overs, lead by 507. #ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/UVttFfPwI3 — Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 2, 2018 ×

AUS vs SA: Faf Du Plessis slams his eighth Test century, stretches South Africa lead

The first Test match of a two-match series between England and New Zealand will start from March 22 at Eden Park, Auckland.

Ross Taylor, who had been battling a groin injury and a stomach bug is back in the playing squad as New Zealand received a boost on the eve of the first Test with confirmation that Taylor is fit to play.

Recently, Kane Williamson has confirmed that Todd Astle will come into the playing XI for Thursday.

New Zealand&nbsp;playing XI:

Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.

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Kane Williamson has confirmed Todd Astle will come into the playing XI for Thursday. Our XI - Latham, Raval, Williamson, Taylor, Nicholls, Watling, de Grandhomme, Astle, Southee, Wagner, Boult. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvENG</a> <a href="https://t.co/N95xkXrai6">pic.twitter.com/N95xkXrai6</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/976271712995098624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Taylor, who has a Test average of 48.04, was also there in the squad of the second practice match.

Skipper Williamson reportedly said Taylor had completed a full training session without a problem.

He stated, &quot;He&#39;s good to go so that&#39;s great news for us.&quot;

&quot;Roscoe has played beautifully every time he&#39;s walked out to the crease, the calmness at the crease, the confidence.

&quot;It&#39;s reflected in how much success he&#39;s had this year. It&#39;s important for us as a team that he&#39;s there.&quot;

He mentioned about the new changes in the squad as Todd Astle would replace Mitchell Santner as the spinner in the side and BJ Watling would return as wicketkeeper.

The return of Ross Taylor in the playing XI means that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealand-put-martin-guptill-on-standby-for-england-test-36453">Martin Guptill</a>, who was included in&nbsp;the absence of Taylor will be snubbed.

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Things looking a little different at <a href="https://twitter.com/edenparknz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@edenparknz</a> for today&rsquo;s training. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvENG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FindYourNight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FindYourNight</a> <a href="https://t.co/6bAM8K1YWE">pic.twitter.com/6bAM8K1YWE</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/975987234150100992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Kane Williamson said Ross Taylor had completed a full training session without a problem

The first Test match of a two-match series between England and New Zealand will start from March 22 at Eden Park, Auckland. Ross Taylor, who had been battling a groin injury and a stomach bug is back in the playing squad as New Zealand received a boost on the eve of the first Test with confirmation that Taylor is fit to play. Recently, Kane Williamson has confirmed that Todd Astle will come into the playing XI for Thursday. New Zealand playing XI: Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult. Kane Williamson has confirmed Todd Astle will come into the playing XI for Thursday. Our XI - Latham, Raval, Williamson, Taylor, Nicholls, Watling, de Grandhomme, Astle, Southee, Wagner, Boult. #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/N95xkXrai6 — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 21, 2018 × Taylor, who has a Test average of 48.04, was also there in the squad of the second practice match. Skipper Williamson reportedly said Taylor had completed a full training session without a problem. He stated, "He's good to go so that's great news for us." "Roscoe has played beautifully every time he's walked out to the crease, the calmness at the crease, the confidence. "It's reflected in how much success he's had this year. It's important for us as a team that he's there." He mentioned about the new changes in the squad as Todd Astle would replace Mitchell Santner as the spinner in the side and BJ Watling would return as wicketkeeper. The return of Ross Taylor in the playing XI means that Martin Guptill, who was included in the absence of Taylor will be snubbed. Things looking a little different at @edenparknz for today’s training. #NZvENG #FindYourNight pic.twitter.com/6bAM8K1YWE — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 20, 2018 ×

Ross Taylor fit to play in first Test against England: Kane Williamson

New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron has declared Kagiso Rabada as not guilty of level two offence, though, was imposed with&nbsp;a sanction of a fine of 25% of his match fee and will receive one demerit point.

Kagiso Rabada had faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe in the second match due to the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off.

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BREAKING: Rabada cleared to play next <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> Test! 
 
However, he still gets a fine and one demerit point. 
 
➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl">https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl</a> <a href="https://t.co/CLUrqTmcmo">pic.twitter.com/CLUrqTmcmo</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/976001995940114432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: &quot;The ICC wholly accepts today&rsquo;s decision and I would like to thank Mr. Heron for overseeing the hearing in a short time frame before the next Test starts in South Africa.

Rabada contested the ban saying that the incident was accidental and had appealed against the ban. The appeal was heard by New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron by teleconference on Monday in which he was found &quot;not guilty&quot; but he still he still gets a fine and one demerit point.

The South African management was confident and had already put Rabada&#39;s name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday at St George&#39;s Park, Port Elizabeth.

South African squad:

Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

South African was confident and had already put Rabada's name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday

New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron has declared Kagiso Rabada as not guilty of level two offence, though, was imposed with a sanction of a fine of 25% of his match fee and will receive one demerit point. Kagiso Rabada had faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe in the second match due to the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off. BREAKING: Rabada cleared to play next #SAvAUS Test! However, he still gets a fine and one demerit point. ➡️ https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl pic.twitter.com/CLUrqTmcmo — ICC (@ICC) March 20, 2018 × ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "The ICC wholly accepts today’s decision and I would like to thank Mr. Heron for overseeing the hearing in a short time frame before the next Test starts in South Africa. Rabada contested the ban saying that the incident was accidental and had appealed against the ban. The appeal was heard by New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron by teleconference on Monday in which he was found "not guilty" but he still he still gets a fine and one demerit point. The South African management was confident and had already put Rabada's name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth. South African squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

Kagiso Rabada 'not guilty' of level 2 offence, available for next match

New Zealand power hitter Martin Guptill might get another chance to play in the first Test match against England this week if Ross Taylor remains unfit.

Martin Guptill has a remarkable record when it comes limited over format, especially One-Day Internationals (ODIs), averaging 42.99 but his Test records are comparatively poor.

He has yet to prove himself in the longer format, where his figures drop to 29.38.

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Martin Guptill has been added to the BLACKCAPS Test side to round out the squad of 13 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvENG</a> - <a href="https://t.co/fOpCHU3YDV">https://t.co/fOpCHU3YDV</a> <a href="https://t.co/DqyA5d6Bgb">pic.twitter.com/DqyA5d6Bgb</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/975643290912477184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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New Zealand coach Mike Hesson Radio Sport, &quot;Martin&#39;s made a shift to the middle order.&quot;

&quot;He hasn&#39;t had a lot of opportunity there, but with his ability to cover all positions it&#39;s nice to have him back.&quot;

The opening Test of the two-match series, which starts Thursday, is a day-night fixture at Eden Park, the first pink-ball Test ever staged in New Zealand.

&nbsp;

Martin Guptill might get another chance to play the first Test match against England this week if Ross Taylor remains unfit

New Zealand power hitter Martin Guptill might get another chance to play in the first Test match against England this week if Ross Taylor remains unfit. Martin Guptill has a remarkable record when it comes limited over format, especially One-Day Internationals (ODIs), averaging 42.99 but his Test records are comparatively poor. He has yet to prove himself in the longer format, where his figures drop to 29.38. Martin Guptill has been added to the BLACKCAPS Test side to round out the squad of 13 #NZvENG - https://t.co/fOpCHU3YDV pic.twitter.com/DqyA5d6Bgb — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 19, 2018 × New Zealand coach Mike Hesson Radio Sport, "Martin's made a shift to the middle order." "He hasn't had a lot of opportunity there, but with his ability to cover all positions it's nice to have him back." The opening Test of the two-match series, which starts Thursday, is a day-night fixture at Eden Park, the first pink-ball Test ever staged in New Zealand.

New Zealand put Martin Guptill on standby for England Test

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

Team India would be aiming to assert themselves as good travellers when they face South Africa in the opening chapter of a 12-Test overseas challenge, starting in Newlands, Cape Town tomorrow.

The three-Test South Africa series is the first of a gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia.

India boast of a poor record in South Africa as they lost five out of six series with one drawn.

Team&nbsp;India will also face South Africa in six ODIs and three Twenty20 matches.

Here is the full schedule of Team India&#39;s tour of South Africa:&nbsp;

Test Matches:

1st Test: 14:00 IST, Jan 5-9, Newlands, Cape Town

2nd Test: 13:30 IST, Jan 13-17, Supersport Park, Centurion

3rd Test: 13:30 IST, Jan 24-28, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

One-Day Internationals

1st: 16:30 IST, Feb 1, Kingsmead, Durban

2nd: 13:30 IST, Feb 4, Supersport Park, Centurion

3rd: 16:30 IST,&nbsp;Feb 7, Newlands, Cape Town

4th: 16:30 IST, Feb 10, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

5th: 16:30 IST, Feb 13, St George&#39;s Park, Port Elizabeth

6th: 16:30 IST, Feb 16, Supersport Park, Centurion

Twenty20s

1st T20I: 18:00 IST, Feb 18, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

2nd T20I: 21:30 IST, Feb 21, Supersport Park, Centurion

3rd T20I: 21:30 IST, Feb 24, Newlands, Cape Town

India will tour South Africa for a three-Test, six-ODI and three-Twenty20 series, starting January 5.

Team India would be aiming to assert themselves as good travellers when they face South Africa in the opening chapter of a 12-Test overseas challenge, starting in Newlands, Cape Town tomorrow. The three-Test South Africa series is the first of a gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia. India boast of a poor record in South Africa as they lost five out of six series with one drawn. Team India will also face South Africa in six ODIs and three Twenty20 matches. Here is the full schedule of Team India's tour of South Africa: Test Matches: 1st Test: 14:00 IST, Jan 5-9, Newlands, Cape Town 2nd Test: 13:30 IST, Jan 13-17, Supersport Park, Centurion 3rd Test: 13:30 IST, Jan 24-28, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg One-Day Internationals 1st: 16:30 IST, Feb 1, Kingsmead, Durban 2nd: 13:30 IST, Feb 4, Supersport Park, Centurion 3rd: 16:30 IST, Feb 7, Newlands, Cape Town 4th: 16:30 IST, Feb 10, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 5th: 16:30 IST, Feb 13, St George's Park, Port Elizabeth 6th: 16:30 IST, Feb 16, Supersport Park, Centurion Twenty20s 1st T20I: 18:00 IST, Feb 18, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 2nd T20I: 21:30 IST, Feb 21, Supersport Park, Centurion 3rd T20I: 21:30 IST, Feb 24, Newlands, Cape Town

India's tour of South Africa 2018: Test, ODI?and T20 schedule?

South Africa hit back at the end of Day-1 picking up openers Dhawan and Vijay in quick succession including captain Kohli after being shot out for 286 in the Newlands Test on Friday.

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the last wicket&nbsp;South African wicket as Indian pacers kept the hosts on the backfoot throughout the day.

Mohammed Shami bowled a beauty to dismiss Philander ending the day with two wickets having taken Maharaj&#39;s wicket earlier.

Shami&#39;s inswinger bowled Philander as South Africa were reduced to 230/7 post-tea.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck in the 45th over of the day dismissing Quinton de Kock for 43 as South Africa lost their sixth wicket&nbsp;at Newlands.

Kumar&#39;s strike took his tally to four wickets as South Africa struggled to 206/6.

Earlier, Pandya took the vital wicket of&nbsp;F du Plessis as India took a stranglehold of the first Test.

South Africa were reduced to 160/5 after&nbsp;F du Plessis nicked an edge to keeper Saha with the hosts unable to cope with the Indian pace attack.

Bumrah stuck after lunch on the first day in the 33rd over bowling out South African captain de Villiers to take his maiden Test wicket as India kept the hosts on the backfoot at Newlands.

Captain AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis held their nerves after Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran through the South African top order before lunch on the first day.

In-form&nbsp;Indian bowler Bhuvaneshawar Kumar struck in successive overs taking the wicket of Markram lbw for just 5 as South Africa were reduced to 12 for 3 in the first few minutes of the Test match.

The Indian swing bowler stuck in the next over taking the prized wicket of Amla as he edged to the keeper for just 3.&nbsp;

India&#39;s gamble of playing 4 fast bowlers paid off as&nbsp;Bhuveneshwar struck in the third ball of the match taking the wicket of Elgar caught behind by&nbsp;Wriddhiman Saha.

AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis battled their way to take South Africa to 107/3 at lunch.&nbsp;de Villiers led from the front remaining unbeaten on 59 in just 65 balls hitting 11 boundaries with&nbsp;Plessis giving him company at the other end batting on 37 which contained seven strikes to the fence.

Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to&nbsp;bat first. India is set ready to tackle the Proteas with four pacers Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuveneshwar Kumar&nbsp;and one spinner Ravichandran Aswin.

India&#39;s gamble of playing 4 fast bowlers paid off as&nbsp;Bhuveneshwar struck in the third ball of the match taking the wicket of Elgar caught behind by&nbsp;Wriddhiman Saha.

Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma,&nbsp;Parthiv Patel,&nbsp;Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lokesh Rahul has been dropped out for the game and Ravindra Jadeja continues to recover from flu.

Jaspiprit Bumrah is making his Test debut. He has proved himself with the ball in the limited overs,&nbsp;especially in death overs. He is quite comfortable in taking pressure which is much needed in today&#39;s game.

South Africa is not known for producing spin-friendly tracks. Indian pacers must&nbsp;create enough rough&nbsp;on the Newlands pitch for R Ashwin to save runs.&nbsp;

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South Africa wins the toss. Elects to bat first in the 1st Test at Cape Town <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreedomSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreedomSeries</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/lFkTJMVNpb">pic.twitter.com/lFkTJMVNpb</a>
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On the other hand, South Africa will open with&nbsp;&nbsp;Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram. Snubbing all the rumours regarding injuries,&nbsp;Dale Steyn is in playing XI where Temba Bavuma is dropped for the first Test match.

The playing XI:

South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

&nbsp;

India is set ready to tackle the Proteas with four pacers Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuveneshwar Kumar?and one spinner Ravichandran Aswin

South Africa hit back at the end of Day-1 picking up openers Dhawan and Vijay in quick succession including captain Kohli after being shot out for 286 in the Newlands Test on Friday. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the last wicket South African wicket as Indian pacers kept the hosts on the backfoot throughout the day. Mohammed Shami bowled a beauty to dismiss Philander ending the day with two wickets having taken Maharaj's wicket earlier. Shami's inswinger bowled Philander as South Africa were reduced to 230/7 post-tea. Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck in the 45th over of the day dismissing Quinton de Kock for 43 as South Africa lost their sixth wicket at Newlands. Kumar's strike took his tally to four wickets as South Africa struggled to 206/6. Earlier, Pandya took the vital wicket of F du Plessis as India took a stranglehold of the first Test. South Africa were reduced to 160/5 after F du Plessis nicked an edge to keeper Saha with the hosts unable to cope with the Indian pace attack. Bumrah stuck after lunch on the first day in the 33rd over bowling out South African captain de Villiers to take his maiden Test wicket as India kept the hosts on the backfoot at Newlands. Captain AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis held their nerves after Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran through the South African top order before lunch on the first day. In-form Indian bowler Bhuvaneshawar Kumar struck in successive overs taking the wicket of Markram lbw for just 5 as South Africa were reduced to 12 for 3 in the first few minutes of the Test match. The Indian swing bowler stuck in the next over taking the prized wicket of Amla as he edged to the keeper for just 3. India's gamble of playing 4 fast bowlers paid off as Bhuveneshwar struck in the third ball of the match taking the wicket of Elgar caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis battled their way to take South Africa to 107/3 at lunch. de Villiers led from the front remaining unbeaten on 59 in just 65 balls hitting 11 boundaries with Plessis giving him company at the other end batting on 37 which contained seven strikes to the fence. Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first. India is set ready to tackle the Proteas with four pacers Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuveneshwar Kumar and one spinner Ravichandran Aswin. India's gamble of playing 4 fast bowlers paid off as Bhuveneshwar struck in the third ball of the match taking the wicket of Elgar caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha. Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Parthiv Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lokesh Rahul has been dropped out for the game and Ravindra Jadeja continues to recover from flu. Jaspiprit Bumrah is making his Test debut. He has proved himself with the ball in the limited overs, especially in death overs. He is quite comfortable in taking pressure which is much needed in today's game. South Africa is not known for producing spin-friendly tracks. Indian pacers must create enough rough on the Newlands pitch for R Ashwin to save runs. South Africa wins the toss. Elects to bat first in the 1st Test at Cape Town #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/lFkTJMVNpb — BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018 × On the other hand, South Africa will open with Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram. Snubbing all the rumours regarding injuries, Dale Steyn is in playing XI where Temba Bavuma is dropped for the first Test match. The playing XI: South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel India: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

1st Test: South Africa 286 all out, India lose three quick wickets on Day 1

India&#39;s tail batted defiantly before Sri Lanka bowled the hosts out for 172 in the first innings of the opening test on Saturday.

Resuming day three on 74-5, the bottom half of the Indian order contributed 98 valuable runs in the morning session to lend some respectability to their total on a green track at the Eden Gardens.

Overnight batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was key to India&#39;s hopes of putting up a decent total after Sri Lanka had blown away the top half of the lineup by the time they reached 50.

Pujara hit Rangana Herath for his 10th boundary to bring up his 16th test fifty but his formidable defence soon gave in, Lahiru Gamage nipping one back through the bat-pad gap to peg back Pujara&#39;s off-stump with the batsman on 52.

Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja refused to retreat into a defensive shell, though they were not entirely convincing during their innings-high 48-run partnership.

Stumper-batsman Saha, who made 29, was lucky to get a reprieve on 25 when Niroshan Dickwella missed an easy stumping with the batsman way down the crease trying to hit Dilruwan Perera out of the ground.

Jadeja hit Perera for a six over long-on but the off-spinner ended the partnership by removing both in the same over.

Perera trapped Jadeja leg-before for 22 and three balls later had Saha caught by Angelo Mathews in the slip.

Jadeja was originally given not-out before Sri Lanka challenged the decision and got it overturned, while Saha&#39;s bid to change the original verdict failed.

Suranga Lakmal dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 13 to claim his fourth wicket. The paceman proved difficult to score off, bowling 19 tidy overs including 12 maidens.

Mohammad Shami made a breezy 24 down the order but India still fell short of the 175-mark.

Overnight batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was key to India's hopes of putting up a decent total after Sri Lanka had blown away the top half of the lineup by the time they reached 50

India's tail batted defiantly before Sri Lanka bowled the hosts out for 172 in the first innings of the opening test on Saturday. Resuming day three on 74-5, the bottom half of the Indian order contributed 98 valuable runs in the morning session to lend some respectability to their total on a green track at the Eden Gardens. Overnight batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was key to India's hopes of putting up a decent total after Sri Lanka had blown away the top half of the lineup by the time they reached 50. Pujara hit Rangana Herath for his 10th boundary to bring up his 16th test fifty but his formidable defence soon gave in, Lahiru Gamage nipping one back through the bat-pad gap to peg back Pujara's off-stump with the batsman on 52. Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja refused to retreat into a defensive shell, though they were not entirely convincing during their innings-high 48-run partnership. Stumper-batsman Saha, who made 29, was lucky to get a reprieve on 25 when Niroshan Dickwella missed an easy stumping with the batsman way down the crease trying to hit Dilruwan Perera out of the ground. Jadeja hit Perera for a six over long-on but the off-spinner ended the partnership by removing both in the same over. Perera trapped Jadeja leg-before for 22 and three balls later had Saha caught by Angelo Mathews in the slip. Jadeja was originally given not-out before Sri Lanka challenged the decision and got it overturned, while Saha's bid to change the original verdict failed. Suranga Lakmal dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 13 to claim his fourth wicket. The paceman proved difficult to score off, bowling 19 tidy overs including 12 maidens. Mohammad Shami made a breezy 24 down the order but India still fell short of the 175-mark.

Cricket: India all out for 172 after tail resists Sri Lanka

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. 
 
Clinton hit her rival as coming from a &quot;very fortunate&quot; background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of &quot;who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency.&quot; 
 
Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. 
 
&quot;We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs,&quot; he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. 
 
Clinton hit back, accusing Trump&#39;s economic platform of amounting to &quot;the most extreme&quot; package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that&#39;s exactly what it would be,&quot; she quipped. 
 
This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. 
 
When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked.&nbsp; 
 
But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign.

&nbsp;

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It was a debate of two halves, with Mr Trump doing well in the first. (Getty)
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&nbsp;

 
 
He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. 
 
Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. 
 
Clinton, &nbsp;the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. 
 
She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state.

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<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cN69u_fyPvA"></iframe></div>
</div>

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Axerbaijan votes on extending presidential term from 5 to 7 years (WION)
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

 
 
But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. 
 
Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012.

&nbsp;

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. 
 
Clinton hit her rival as coming from a &quot;very fortunate&quot; background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of &quot;who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency.&quot; 
 
Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. 
 
&quot;We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs,&quot; he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. 
 
Clinton hit back, accusing Trump&#39;s economic platform of amounting to &quot;the most extreme&quot; package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that&#39;s exactly what it would be,&quot; she quipped. 
 
This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. 
 
When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked.&nbsp; 
 
But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. 
 
He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. 
 
Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. 
 
Clinton, &nbsp;the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. 
 
She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. 
 
But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. 
 
Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012.

&nbsp;

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. 
 
Clinton hit her rival as coming from a &quot;very fortunate&quot; background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of &quot;who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency.&quot; 
 
Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. 
 
&quot;We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs,&quot; he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. 
 
Clinton hit back, accusing Trump&#39;s economic platform of amounting to &quot;the most extreme&quot; package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that&#39;s exactly what it would be,&quot; she quipped. 
 
This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. 
 
When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked.&nbsp; 
 
But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. 
 
He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/army1-20160927045146.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
More than 40 troops built temporary shelters at &#39;Plum post&#39;, reports said. In photo: Indian army soldiers travel inside an armoured vehicle after an encounter with suspected militants at Aragam village of Bandipora district in Kashmir on Sep 22. (AFP)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

 
Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. 
 
Clinton, &nbsp;the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. 
 
She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. 
 
But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. 
 
Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LgwJzkJKaUM"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
More than 100 million are expected to tune into the debate in America (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. Clinton hit her rival as coming from a "very fortunate" background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of "who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency." Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. "We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs," he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. Clinton hit back, accusing Trump's economic platform of amounting to "the most extreme" package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history. "I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that's exactly what it would be," she quipped. This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked. But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. It was a debate of two halves, with Mr Trump doing well in the first. (Getty) × He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. Clinton, the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. Axerbaijan votes on extending presidential term from 5 to 7 years (WION) × But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. Clinton hit her rival as coming from a "very fortunate" background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of "who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency." Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. "We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs," he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. Clinton hit back, accusing Trump's economic platform of amounting to "the most extreme" package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history. "I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that's exactly what it would be," she quipped. This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked. But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. Clinton, the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. Clinton hit her rival as coming from a "very fortunate" background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of "who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency." Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. "We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs," he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. Clinton hit back, accusing Trump's economic platform of amounting to "the most extreme" package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history. "I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that's exactly what it would be," she quipped. This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked. But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. More than 40 troops built temporary shelters at 'Plum post', reports said. In photo: Indian army soldiers travel inside an armoured vehicle after an encounter with suspected militants at Aragam village of Bandipora district in Kashmir on Sep 22. (AFP) × Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. Clinton, the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012. More than 100 million are expected to tune into the debate in America (WION) ×

Sample test

Sean Williams scored a maiden test century in vain as New Zealand clinched a comprehensive innings and 117-run victory over hosts Zimbabwe on day four of the first test on Sunday. 
 
Williams, who was battling flu, scored the quickest test ton by a Zimbabwean off 106 balls before becoming the ninth man out for 119 having smashed 21 fours. 
 
Zimbabwe were dismissed shortly before tea in their second innings for 295, with seamer Trent Boult the pick of the visiting bowlers as he picked up 4-52 on a flat batting track. 
 
&quot;The fight was excellent. After the first innings, I thought we were soft,&quot; Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer said at the post-match presentation, before highlighting his teams troubles in the test. &quot;We probably have 10 guys sick in the change room.&quot; 
 
Zimbabwe faced a mammoth task to make New Zealand bat again, having been skittled for 164 in their first innings and allowing the tourists to amass 576 for six declared in reply. 
 
New Zealand would have had thoughts of a quick finish on the fourth morning as Zimbabwe resumed on 121 for five, especially when Craig Ervine (50) was out in the second over soon after bringing up his maiden test half-century. 
 
But a magnificent 118-run seventh-wicket stand between Williams and Cremer (33) took the home side past lunch before the latter was trapped lbw by Ish Sodhi. 
 
Regis Chakabva (11), who missed the second and third days&rsquo; play with a virus, hung around for 41 balls before he was bowled by Tim Southee. 
 
A visibly wilting Williams then holed out to deep mid-wicket off Mitchell Santner after scoring 119 off 148 balls. 
 
The win was complete when Neil Wagner, who finished with match figures of 8-103, had Donald Tiripano (14) caught by wicketkeeper BJ Watling. 
 
&quot;The first innings bowling effort after [losing] the toss was outstanding, and it put us ahead in the game,&quot; New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. 
 
&quot;To get the score we did and put Zimbabwe under pressure was outstanding. We&#39;re looking forward to the next match. 
 
Zimbabwe continued their dismal record against New Zealanders and are now winless in 16 meetings, this being their 10th loss. 
 
The second and final test starts on Saturday at the same venue. 
 
(Reuters)

Williams was battling flu, but managed to score the quickest test ton by a Zimbabwean off 106 balls

Sean Williams scored a maiden test century in vain as New Zealand clinched a comprehensive innings and 117-run victory over hosts Zimbabwe on day four of the first test on Sunday. Williams, who was battling flu, scored the quickest test ton by a Zimbabwean off 106 balls before becoming the ninth man out for 119 having smashed 21 fours. Zimbabwe were dismissed shortly before tea in their second innings for 295, with seamer Trent Boult the pick of the visiting bowlers as he picked up 4-52 on a flat batting track. "The fight was excellent. After the first innings, I thought we were soft," Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer said at the post-match presentation, before highlighting his teams troubles in the test. "We probably have 10 guys sick in the change room." Zimbabwe faced a mammoth task to make New Zealand bat again, having been skittled for 164 in their first innings and allowing the tourists to amass 576 for six declared in reply. New Zealand would have had thoughts of a quick finish on the fourth morning as Zimbabwe resumed on 121 for five, especially when Craig Ervine (50) was out in the second over soon after bringing up his maiden test half-century. But a magnificent 118-run seventh-wicket stand between Williams and Cremer (33) took the home side past lunch before the latter was trapped lbw by Ish Sodhi. Regis Chakabva (11), who missed the second and third days’ play with a virus, hung around for 41 balls before he was bowled by Tim Southee. A visibly wilting Williams then holed out to deep mid-wicket off Mitchell Santner after scoring 119 off 148 balls. The win was complete when Neil Wagner, who finished with match figures of 8-103, had Donald Tiripano (14) caught by wicketkeeper BJ Watling. "The first innings bowling effort after [losing] the toss was outstanding, and it put us ahead in the game," New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. "To get the score we did and put Zimbabwe under pressure was outstanding. We're looking forward to the next match. Zimbabwe continued their dismal record against New Zealanders and are now winless in 16 meetings, this being their 10th loss. The second and final test starts on Saturday at the same venue. (Reuters)

Sean William hits century but New Zealand seals innings win

After reports of Narsingh Yadav failing doping test surfaced on Sunday, his roommate Sandeep Yadav, in a latest development, has also been reported to have failed the test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). 
 
The two wrestlers are roommates at the Sports Authority of India, Sonepat, according to zeenews.com. Narsingh, who tested positive for a banned steroid in the &#39;B&#39; sample, appeared in front of the NADA disciplinary panel on Saturday. Both of them tested positive in methandienone, an anabolic steroid, the tests of which were conducted on June 25.
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I am doing so well, why would I even take banned steroids? : Narsingh Yadav
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/757489324447371264">July 25, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
 
While Narsingh had won a long legal battle against Sushil Kumar to be a part of Rio 2016 squad, Sandeep was not selected in the Indian contingent. Narsingh&#39;s Rio dreams, however, look over as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have reportedly withheld his accreditation card. 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I should be sent to Rio Olympics and hope this will be sorted out soon. I have written to federation,want justice: Narsingh Yadav
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/757490070966378496">July 25, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
 
 
 
The WFI team has postponed their preparatory camp trip to Georgia, which was supposed to leave on Monday. If found guilty, Narsingh&#39;s absence at Rio will be a huge blow to India as the final date to send the list of athletes participating in Olympics was July 18, leaving no chance for a replacement in the 74 kilogram category. 
 
(DNA)

Sandeep can't make it to Rio anyway, but his roommate Narsingh's Olympics hopes appear to be over

After reports of Narsingh Yadav failing doping test surfaced on Sunday, his roommate Sandeep Yadav, in a latest development, has also been reported to have failed the test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The two wrestlers are roommates at the Sports Authority of India, Sonepat, according to zeenews.com. Narsingh, who tested positive for a banned steroid in the 'B' sample, appeared in front of the NADA disciplinary panel on Saturday. Both of them tested positive in methandienone, an anabolic steroid, the tests of which were conducted on June 25. I am doing so well, why would I even take banned steroids? : Narsingh Yadav — ANI (@ANI_news) July 25, 2016 While Narsingh had won a long legal battle against Sushil Kumar to be a part of Rio 2016 squad, Sandeep was not selected in the Indian contingent. Narsingh's Rio dreams, however, look over as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have reportedly withheld his accreditation card. I should be sent to Rio Olympics and hope this will be sorted out soon. I have written to federation,want justice: Narsingh Yadav — ANI (@ANI_news) July 25, 2016 The WFI team has postponed their preparatory camp trip to Georgia, which was supposed to leave on Monday. If found guilty, Narsingh's absence at Rio will be a huge blow to India as the final date to send the list of athletes participating in Olympics was July 18, leaving no chance for a replacement in the 74 kilogram category. (DNA)

Wrestlers Narsingh and Sandeep Yadav both fail Olympic doping test

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has offered positive feedback on the pink ball in Indian conditions, after it was used on an experimental basis during a domestic game at Eden Gardens. 
 
In April, India&#39;s cricket board decided that one game of an upcoming three-test series against New Zealand would be a day-night affair, pending trials of the pink ball. 
 
The 26-year-old, who picked up five wickets playing for Mohun Bagan in the day-night final, said South Asian conditions favoured swing with the pink ball, which was an exciting prospect. 
 
&quot;With red or white balls, there was some visibility problem as it took (on) the colour of grass,&quot; he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. 
 
&quot;Definitely I will prefer this (pink) ball, this is much better. The biggest plus point is (the swing) under lights, what else does a bowler want? It&#39;s challenging for both batsmen and bowlers. 
 
&quot;If we can maintain the dryness, I&#39;m sure it will reverse. It did (reverse), I noticed.&quot; 
 
Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha echoed Shami&#39;s sentiments but said pace would prove challenging for batsmen. 
 
&quot;Every ball is swinging a bit either way which was never the case with the red (ball). The visibility is perfect,&quot; Saha told PTI. &quot;But batsmen will have problem if a pacer consistently bowls at 140 km per hour.&quot; 
(Reuters)

In April, India's cricket board decided that one game of an upcoming three-test series against New Zealand would be a day-night affair

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has offered positive feedback on the pink ball in Indian conditions, after it was used on an experimental basis during a domestic game at Eden Gardens. In April, India's cricket board decided that one game of an upcoming three-test series against New Zealand would be a day-night affair, pending trials of the pink ball. The 26-year-old, who picked up five wickets playing for Mohun Bagan in the day-night final, said South Asian conditions favoured swing with the pink ball, which was an exciting prospect. "With red or white balls, there was some visibility problem as it took (on) the colour of grass," he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. "Definitely I will prefer this (pink) ball, this is much better. The biggest plus point is (the swing) under lights, what else does a bowler want? It's challenging for both batsmen and bowlers. "If we can maintain the dryness, I'm sure it will reverse. It did (reverse), I noticed." Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha echoed Shami's sentiments but said pace would prove challenging for batsmen. "Every ball is swinging a bit either way which was never the case with the red (ball). The visibility is perfect," Saha told PTI. "But batsmen will have problem if a pacer consistently bowls at 140 km per hour." (Reuters)

Indian pacer Shami gives the thumbs up to pink balls for day-night tests

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{134}" paraid="100684559">Delhi&#39;s population of 10 million&nbsp;is served by 38&nbsp;state-run&nbsp;hospitals.&nbsp;&nbsp;The job they do is admirable given the workload --&nbsp;India&#39;s doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,700 -- a&nbsp;visit to one is not always a pleasant experience. Government-run&nbsp;hospitals tend to be&nbsp;a&nbsp;messy, chaotic affair.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{215}" paraid="365142878">Madhuri,&nbsp;therefore,&nbsp;is fortunate. She has a fever and has been feeling nauseous but she will not have to make the trek to the nearest government hospital.&nbsp;She&nbsp;will&nbsp;instead&nbsp;go&nbsp;to her&nbsp;mohalla&nbsp;or&nbsp;neighbourhood&nbsp;clinic&nbsp;the first of which was set up by Delhi&#39;s&nbsp;Aam&nbsp;Aadmi&nbsp;Party (common&nbsp;man&nbsp;party) government in July 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{222}" paraid="1477063622">At the clinic,&nbsp;Madhuri&nbsp;is taken to a doctor who gives her a&nbsp;physical check-up&nbsp;and then takes a blood sample to test for dengue fever.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{226}" paraid="756363643">Madhuri&#39;s&nbsp;results come back in under a minute.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{229}" paraid="12864790">In under a minute! How can that be possible?&nbsp;Even a private laboratory&nbsp;in Delhi takes at least a day to return test results.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{237}" paraid="1948929865">The miracle worker in this little two-room clinic in the Indian capital&#39;s&nbsp;Peeragarhi&nbsp;area is&nbsp;Swasthya&nbsp;Slate, a compact, 8x12-inch&nbsp;portable device that hooks up to Android phones and tablet computers and allows doctors to conduct as many as 33 diagnostic tests &ndash; including for&nbsp;malaria, dengue, hepatitis B, typhoid, and HIV. A blood or urine sample is placed on a disposable strip, inserted into the Slate, and in less than a minute the results show up on the doctor&#39;s tablet or phone.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{241}" paraid="1181462168">The Slate can also do an ECG&nbsp;and check blood pressure and heart rates.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{9fd84d5c-04e8-4ea1-91ba-ec51a0e20ba0}{246}" paraid="1949557041">((insert picture here of the&nbsp;Swasthya&nbsp;Slate)&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{28}" paraid="2020582874">The&nbsp;Swasthya&nbsp;(means health in Hindi)&nbsp;Slate has been a hit so far with both doctors and patients.&nbsp;Each unit costs about&nbsp;Rs&nbsp;40,000 or&nbsp;US$&nbsp;600.&nbsp;Aided&nbsp;by the Slate, a doctor is able to see and diagnose about 50&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;more patients than he did before. &ldquo;As many as 300 patients come to us a day. Earlier, I could diagnose about&nbsp;100 of them. Today,&nbsp;over an eight-hour shift and with the help of the Slate, I can diagnose as many as 150,&quot; says Rather&nbsp;Basit&nbsp;Nazir, the government doctor who&nbsp;has been manning the&nbsp;Peeragarhi&nbsp;clinic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{35}" paraid="1791850438">The next time those 150 patients come in,&nbsp;Nazir&nbsp;will have their medical history handy,&nbsp;for the Slate stores it in the cloud.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{40}" paraid="424907524">&ldquo;I have all his information handy before a patient gets to me. I don&rsquo;t have to call him back with his test reports. That helps both us and the patient save time,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Nazir.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{55}" paraid="1980413343">Which was exactly why&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Kanav&nbsp;Kahol, a biomedical engineer and researcher at Arizona State University, invented the Slate &ndash; to speed up testing and to cut costs. The Slate also recommends what treatment and medication can be given to patients, says&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Vijender&nbsp;Jeph, who heads business development for the Slate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{61}" paraid="322069114">Madhuri&#39;s&nbsp;test comes back positive. She does have&nbsp;dengue&nbsp;fever.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{77}" paraid="1960217798">Dr&nbsp;Basit&nbsp;checks his phone &ndash; to see what the Slate tells him about treatment &ndash; and writes out a prescription. As an added precaution, he also tests&nbsp;Madhuri&#39;s&nbsp;four-year-old son.&nbsp;His test&nbsp;has a&nbsp;negative&nbsp;report.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{102}" paraid="929087681">The&nbsp;mohalla&nbsp;clinics have themselves been revolutionary. They were set up to pare down the overcrowding that government hospitals in India, especially in the bigger cities, are&nbsp;synonymous&nbsp;with and,&nbsp;of course,&nbsp;to provide affordable healthcare&nbsp;to people closer to their homes. Private hospitals in India tend to be good but expensive. The Delhi government had promised that a 100 clinics would come up by July.&nbsp;So far they&nbsp;have set up 22.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{f9893b57-de3e-46bf-984c-e6a3b871b3ef}{121}" paraid="499288928">Which means they will probably miss their deadlines,&nbsp;but the clinics&nbsp;which will be staffed by doctors from government hospitals and will also function as&nbsp;immunisation&nbsp;centres&nbsp;for children, have certainly found a fan in&nbsp;Madhuri. Going to a government hospital earlier&nbsp;would take up almost two days,&nbsp;she says. One day to get there, wait in line, and then go back the next day to collect her reports. &quot;Plus, I never got free medicine there. Here I do. And the tests are so quick. I certainly hope my&nbsp;mohalla&nbsp;clinic stays. In fact, I hope they build all 100.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

The 8x12-inch Swasthya Slate hooks up to Android phones and tablets, and is able to conduct 33 medical tests, including those for dengue, malaria, HIV, and even ECGs, in under a minute

Delhi's population of 10 million is served by 38 state-run hospitals. The job they do is admirable given the workload -- India's doctor to patient ratio is 1:1,700 -- a visit to one is not always a pleasant experience. Government-run hospitals tend to be a messy, chaotic affair. Madhuri, therefore, is fortunate. She has a fever and has been feeling nauseous but she will not have to make the trek to the nearest government hospital. She will instead go to her mohalla or neighbourhood clinic the first of which was set up by Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (common man party) government in July 2015. At the clinic, Madhuri is taken to a doctor who gives her a physical check-up and then takes a blood sample to test for dengue fever. Madhuri's results come back in under a minute. In under a minute! How can that be possible? Even a private laboratory in Delhi takes at least a day to return test results. The miracle worker in this little two-room clinic in the Indian capital's Peeragarhi area is Swasthya Slate, a compact, 8x12-inch portable device that hooks up to Android phones and tablet computers and allows doctors to conduct as many as 33 diagnostic tests – including for malaria, dengue, hepatitis B, typhoid, and HIV. A blood or urine sample is placed on a disposable strip, inserted into the Slate, and in less than a minute the results show up on the doctor's tablet or phone. The Slate can also do an ECG and check blood pressure and heart rates. ((insert picture here of the Swasthya Slate) The Swasthya (means health in Hindi) Slate has been a hit so far with both doctors and patients. Each unit costs about Rs 40,000 or US$ 600. Aided by the Slate, a doctor is able to see and diagnose about 50 per cent more patients than he did before. “As many as 300 patients come to us a day. Earlier, I could diagnose about 100 of them. Today, over an eight-hour shift and with the help of the Slate, I can diagnose as many as 150," says Rather Basit Nazir, the government doctor who has been manning the Peeragarhi clinic. The next time those 150 patients come in, Nazir will have their medical history handy, for the Slate stores it in the cloud. “I have all his information handy before a patient gets to me. I don’t have to call him back with his test reports. That helps both us and the patient save time,” says Nazir. Which was exactly why Dr Kanav Kahol, a biomedical engineer and researcher at Arizona State University, invented the Slate – to speed up testing and to cut costs. The Slate also recommends what treatment and medication can be given to patients, says Dr Vijender Jeph, who heads business development for the Slate. Madhuri's test comes back positive. She does have dengue fever. Dr Basit checks his phone – to see what the Slate tells him about treatment – and writes out a prescription. As an added precaution, he also tests Madhuri's four-year-old son. His test has a negative report. The mohalla clinics have themselves been revolutionary. They were set up to pare down the overcrowding that government hospitals in India, especially in the bigger cities, are synonymous with and, of course, to provide affordable healthcare to people closer to their homes. Private hospitals in India tend to be good but expensive. The Delhi government had promised that a 100 clinics would come up by July. So far they have set up 22. Which means they will probably miss their deadlines, but the clinics which will be staffed by doctors from government hospitals and will also function as immunisation centres for children, have certainly found a fan in Madhuri. Going to a government hospital earlier would take up almost two days, she says. One day to get there, wait in line, and then go back the next day to collect her reports. "Plus, I never got free medicine there. Here I do. And the tests are so quick. I certainly hope my mohalla clinic stays. In fact, I hope they build all 100."

Delhi makes health check-ups easy with Swasthya Slate ? its one-stop medical test kit

Cricket Australia (CA) will push for up to two day-night Tests at next year&#39;s Ashes series despite the misgivings of captain Steven Smith and his England counterpart Alastair Cook. 
 
Both skippers said they felt the game&#39;s most enduring series could survive without being played under lights but CA CEO James Sutherland said he felt it was a &quot;natural progression&quot;. &quot;I respect the views of Steven and Alastair,&quot; he told reporters in Melbourne today. 
 
&quot;The Ashes is a great contest and will no doubt attract a huge audience both at the grounds and on television, but the facts of the matter are by playing day-night Tests, we&#39;re going to get even bigger audiences at the game and on television.&nbsp;The Ashes series is still a long way off and we want to get through this summer first but we will play somewhere between zero and two day-night Tests during the Ashes in 18 months&#39; time.&quot; 
 
Australia played the maiden day-night Test against New Zealand at Adelaide Oval last November and have just agreed another flood-lit match with South Africa at the same venue during the home summer. 
 
The hosts will also play their series-opener against Pakistan with the pink ball in Brisbane for the first time in December. 
 
Smith has backed day-night cricket repeatedly but said he did not feel it necessary for the Ashes, which reliably draws big crowds.&nbsp;&quot;I think it works pretty well with the red ball,&quot; he told media while on tour in the Caribbean.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s been around for years and I think playing against England we always get the viewers and the crowds out,&quot; added Smith. 
 
Cook echoed Smith&#39;s position. &quot;It&#39;s probably not a series where you need to do it exactly at this time,&quot; he said. 
 
England and Wales Cricket board chairman Colin Graves has also backed day-night cricket, saying it was only a matter of time that a match would be played in England.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland believes that day-night tests will draw bigger audiences to the game and on television

Cricket Australia (CA) will push for up to two day-night Tests at next year's Ashes series despite the misgivings of captain Steven Smith and his England counterpart Alastair Cook. Both skippers said they felt the game's most enduring series could survive without being played under lights but CA CEO James Sutherland said he felt it was a "natural progression". "I respect the views of Steven and Alastair," he told reporters in Melbourne today. "The Ashes is a great contest and will no doubt attract a huge audience both at the grounds and on television, but the facts of the matter are by playing day-night Tests, we're going to get even bigger audiences at the game and on television. The Ashes series is still a long way off and we want to get through this summer first but we will play somewhere between zero and two day-night Tests during the Ashes in 18 months' time." Australia played the maiden day-night Test against New Zealand at Adelaide Oval last November and have just agreed another flood-lit match with South Africa at the same venue during the home summer. The hosts will also play their series-opener against Pakistan with the pink ball in Brisbane for the first time in December. Smith has backed day-night cricket repeatedly but said he did not feel it necessary for the Ashes, which reliably draws big crowds. "I think it works pretty well with the red ball," he told media while on tour in the Caribbean. "It's been around for years and I think playing against England we always get the viewers and the crowds out," added Smith. Cook echoed Smith's position. "It's probably not a series where you need to do it exactly at this time," he said. England and Wales Cricket board chairman Colin Graves has also backed day-night cricket, saying it was only a matter of time that a match would be played in England.

Cricket Australia pushing for two day-night Ashes Tests

Test

Nestle, the world&#39;s biggest food company, is stepping up its push into medicine with a global deal worth up to 100 million euros ($111 million) to develop and market an experimental milk allergy test for infants.

The Swiss group will pay DBV Technologies 10 million euros upfront for rights to its skin patch test for cow&rsquo;s milk protein allergy (CMPA), with the balance depending on successful development, the two companies said on Tuesday.

Shares in the French biotech company rose 5 percent on the news.

The deal underscores Nestle&#39;s ambitions for its&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Science division, which it believes could eventually generate more than 10 billion Swiss francs ($10 billion) in annual sales.

It also complements the company&#39;s market-leading infant formula business and could help lift sales of products designed for babies with food intolerance.

Nestle has signed a series of similar deals with other small companies in its bid to create a new kind business that is midway between food and pharmaceuticals. The goal is to find new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent a range of diseases, from gastrointestinal problems to Alzheimer&#39;s.

CMPA affects up to 2 or 3 percent of infants and toddlers, according to the companies. Many others, however, have symptoms suggestive of the condition, creating a need for a simple diagnostic test.

Under the terms of the agreement, DBV will be eligible to receive up to 90 million euros in development, regulatory and commercial milestones - on top of the upfront payment - and will also collect royalties on eventual product sales.

&ldquo;This innovation can become the breakthrough diagnostic for CMPA,&quot; said Greg Behar, chief executive of Nestl?&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Science.

The new test will need to go through extensive clinical trials before it is cleared for sale and DBV expects it to be submitted for approval to regulators worldwide by 2021.

Behar&#39;s division, which employs around 3,000 people, is an expanding part of Nestle&#39;s operations.

Given ageing populations around the world and spiralling cases of lifestyle diseases, the Swiss group sees big opportunities in&nbsp;health&nbsp;- but the initiative also poses new challenges by taking it into the highly regulated medical field.

Strategically the shift towards&nbsp;health&nbsp;offers Nestle a hedge against slowing growth in packaged foods and may also offset crackdowns on unhealthy foods blamed for obesity and other lifestyle problems.

The milk allergy test dovetails with Nestle&#39;s presence in infant formula, where it had 22 percent of the market in 2015, according Euromonitor International. It already has a range of products called Althera, Alfare and Alfamino that are designed for infants allergic to cow&rsquo;s milk.

For DBV, the deal is a vindication of its Viaskin patch technology. The company also has a patch to treat peanut allergy in clinical trials, as well as an earlier-stage programme for egg allergy.

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, is stepping up its push into medicine with a global deal worth up to 100 million euros ($111 million) to develop and market an experimental milk allergy test for infants

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, is stepping up its push into medicine with a global deal worth up to 100 million euros ($111 million) to develop and market an experimental milk allergy test for infants. The Swiss group will pay DBV Technologies 10 million euros upfront for rights to its skin patch test for cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA), with the balance depending on successful development, the two companies said on Tuesday. Shares in the French biotech company rose 5 percent on the news. The deal underscores Nestle's ambitions for its Health Science division, which it believes could eventually generate more than 10 billion Swiss francs ($10 billion) in annual sales. It also complements the company's market-leading infant formula business and could help lift sales of products designed for babies with food intolerance. Nestle has signed a series of similar deals with other small companies in its bid to create a new kind business that is midway between food and pharmaceuticals. The goal is to find new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent a range of diseases, from gastrointestinal problems to Alzheimer's. CMPA affects up to 2 or 3 percent of infants and toddlers, according to the companies. Many others, however, have symptoms suggestive of the condition, creating a need for a simple diagnostic test. Under the terms of the agreement, DBV will be eligible to receive up to 90 million euros in development, regulatory and commercial milestones - on top of the upfront payment - and will also collect royalties on eventual product sales. “This innovation can become the breakthrough diagnostic for CMPA," said Greg Behar, chief executive of Nestl? Health Science. The new test will need to go through extensive clinical trials before it is cleared for sale and DBV expects it to be submitted for approval to regulators worldwide by 2021. Behar's division, which employs around 3,000 people, is an expanding part of Nestle's operations. Given ageing populations around the world and spiralling cases of lifestyle diseases, the Swiss group sees big opportunities in health - but the initiative also poses new challenges by taking it into the highly regulated medical field. Strategically the shift towards health offers Nestle a hedge against slowing growth in packaged foods and may also offset crackdowns on unhealthy foods blamed for obesity and other lifestyle problems. The milk allergy test dovetails with Nestle's presence in infant formula, where it had 22 percent of the market in 2015, according Euromonitor International. It already has a range of products called Althera, Alfare and Alfamino that are designed for infants allergic to cow’s milk. For DBV, the deal is a vindication of its Viaskin patch technology. The company also has a patch to treat peanut allergy in clinical trials, as well as an earlier-stage programme for egg allergy.

Nestle, on health kick, moves into milk allergy testing

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