1st Test Day 5 SA 455/9d & 206/6d bt SL 292 & 216 by 153 runs

South Africa have beaten Sri Lanka by 153 runs in the first Test at Galle.

After declaring on 206 for 6 in their second innings, South Africa set Sri Lanka 370 to win, but the hosts never came close to recording a victory.

With the exception of Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara the hosts' batsmen struggled to bed themselves in, as South Africa's attack - led admirably by Dale Steyn - whittled through the batting lineup.

Steyn took the wicket of Silva and eight others as he fell just one short of a 10-wicket haul.

If South Africa win the second Test in Columbo, which starts on Thursday, they will overtake Australia as the world's best Test side.

2nd Test Day 3 ENG 319 V IND 295 & 169/4 (Lead 145)

India will begin day four of the second Test against England with a 145-run lead after a dogged afternoon at the crease on day three at Lord's.

After being bowled out for 319 with a first-innings lead of 24, England took their first wicket at the end of the 14th over when Shikhar Dhawan (31) was acrobatically caught at backward-point by Joe Root off the bowling of Ben Stokes.

Cheteshwar Pujara came in and steadied the Indians before England took three wickets for the loss of just five runs in the final session.

First Pujara fell for 43 by edging a Liam Plunkett delivery through to Matt Prior before Plunkett removed Virat Kohlifor a golden duck with the next ball.

Kohli thought that the Yorkshire man's delivery was safely carrying through to Prior, but the ball clipped the top of off-stump to send Kohli straight back to the pavilion.

The last wicket of the day came when Stuart Broad's bouncer looped off Ajinkya Rahane and was caught by Prior. Replays showed that Rahane shouldn't have been given out as the ball hit his forearm guard, not his glove.

Indian opener Murali Vijay has continued his fine tour and remains at the crease on a stubborn 59 from 190 balls. Alongside him for the start of day four will be captain MS Dhoni (12*).

England now have two days to bowl the Indians out and chase down the victory target to take a 1-0 series lead.

1st Test Day 4 SA 455/9d & 206/6d v SL 292 & 110/1

Stumps: Sri Lanka showed resilience with the bat in the evening session on day four of their first Test against South Africa in Galle as they reached 110-1 at the close of play.

Having opened up a 369-run lead by tea, the tourists declared during the interval to bring Sri Lanka to the crease for the final session of the day.

South Africa made a strong start with the ball as Dale Steyn claimed the wicket of Upal Tharanga (8) early on.

However, Kaushal Silva (37 not out) and Kumar Sangakkara (58 not out)formed a solid partnership, with the latter completing his half-century shortly before stumps.

Despite South Africa pressing hard for a breakthrough in the final couple of overs, Sangakkara and Silva played sensibly, ensuring that both sides remain in contention ahead of the final day of the match.

Tea: A half-century from AB de Villiers has helped South Africa open up a commanding lead over Sri Lanka at tea on the fourth day of the first Test match in Galle.

After they reached 63-2 at lunch, South Africa added another 25 runs to their total before Hashim Amla was dismissed by Dilruwan Perera after a run-a-ball 22.

That wicket saw De Villiers join Faf du Plessis at the crease, and the pair put on 43 runs for the fourth wicket before Du Plessis departed for 37.

As they looked to give themselves as much time as possible to bowl Sri Lanka out for a second time, De Villiers andQuinton de Kock increased the tempo during the latter part of the session, with De Villiers making 51 off 58 balls.

With a lead in excess of 350 already secured, De Kock continued to score freely, but he fell for 36 during the final over before tea with South Africa sitting on 206-6, an advantage of 369 runs.

Lunch: South Africa are 226 runs ahead of Sri Lanka at lunch during the fourth day of the first Test in Galle.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 292 in their first innings and the South Africans have made a confident start in the second innings.

Sri Lanka came out to attack with spinners but were struggling to make the breakthrough until Dean Elgar threw his bat at one that took the inside edge and Dinesh Chandimalgrabbed a sharp catch.

With Elgar sent packing after 12 runs, Peterson was next to go after strong resistance.

Dilruwan Perera beat the right-hander who had prodded forward in defence, the ball brushed the bat and despite reviewing it, he was out.

The South Africans went into lunch at 63/2 with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis at the crease.

2nd Test Day 2 ENG (219/6) V IND (295)

Stumps: Gary Ballance hit his second century at Lord's this summer to help England reach stumps on 219-6 on day two of the second Test against India.

The hosts looked in trouble after the first two sessions of the day, when they sat at 124-4 at tea following the losses ofAlastair Cook (10), Sam Robson (17), Ian Bell (16) and Joe Root (13).

After resuming play in the evening session, Ballance and Moeen Ali struck a strong partnership as India began to look frustrated on the field.

Ballance kept ticking along and eventually hit his second three-figure score in his fifth Test match by clipping the ball through midwicket for four.

However, Ali's stint at the crease came to an end when Murali Vijay got the batsman out lbw after he hit 32 off 106 balls.

Ballance's fine innings was also stopped when he got the edge on a Kumar delivery, which fell into the hands of MS Dhoni, and forced the batsman back into the pavilion to a round of applause from the Lord's crowd.

Liam Plunkett (four not out) and Matt Prior (two not out) will return to bat tomorrow as England trail by 76 runs.

Tea: England have lost two more wickets in the afternoon session as Ian Bell and Joe Root fall to India on day two of the second Test at Lord's.

The hosts have reached tea on 125-4 following a morning session, which contained an abrupt end to Alastair Cook's innings as he was dismissed for just 10 runs, while Sam Robson (17) followed his teammate back to the pavilion shortly afterwards.

After lunch, Ian Bell and Gary Ballance resumed on 51-2, and the pair were able to make slow progress until Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck for the third time to dismiss Bell (16), who was caught out by Ravindra Jadeja after the ball bounced off the batsman's gloves.

Ballance continued England's attack, but he breathed a sigh of relief when Stuart Binny missed a catch after the batsman edged between MS Dhoni and first slip.

The hosts were able to surpass 100 runs, but Root, who has scored centuries in his last two Tests at Lord's, was sent packing for an lbw, despite replays showing that the Yorkshireman got an inside edge onto his pads.

On the strike of tea, Ballance secured his half century with a single off the bowling of Murali Vijay, and will return to the crease unbeaten on 51, alongside side Moeen Ali (six not out).

England trail by 170 runs.

Lunch: England opener Alastair Cook has continued his dismal run of form after being removed for 10 before lunch on day two of the second Test match with India.

After England had quickly taken India's remaining wicket to bowl them all out for 295, Cook and Sam Robson came to the crease looking to make quick inroads into their opponent's total.

However, after recording a couple of boundaries, Cook edged behind off a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to give India the early momentum, and that continued when Robson fell for 17 shortly afterwards.

Gary Ballance and Ian Bell stood firm to take England to 51-2, but they require a positive afternoon session if they are to avoid conceding the advantage to India.

1st ODI Afghanistan 223/9 v Zimbabwe 224/4 (ZIM win by 6 wkts)

Zimbabwe 224 for 4 (Williams 70, Taylor 43, Raza 42*) beat Afghanistan 223 for 9 (Shenwari 65*, Nabi 54, Chatara 2-37) by six wickets

Sean Williams' 65-ball 70 was the leading performance in Zimbabwe's comfortable six-wicket win against Afghanistan in Bulawayo that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the four-match ODI series.

Williams joined his captain Brendan Taylor in the middle when the team was still 135 runs adrift of the target and carefully set about building a solid foundation. His second scoring shot was a boundary, but he generally preferred rotating the strike in the first half of his innings, scoring at around a run a ball. 

It was only in the second half of the innings that he started opening up, first hitting consecutive boundaries off Dawlat Zadran to reach his 14th ODI half-century, then hitting two fours and a six to take Zimbabwe close. By the time he was dismissed giving a return catch to Mohammad Nabi, Zimbabwe were only 18 short of the target.

It hadn't been a smooth start to the chase though. Playing their first ODI in over 10 months, Zimbabwe lost two early wickets of Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza with only 27 runs on the board. Taylor and Sikandar Raza resisted and brought about the half-century of the partnership in the 18th over. 

They faced a minor flutter when Raza was retired hurt in the 22nd over, but a measured innings from Williams helped them through. Raza came back to bat at the fall of Williams and was unbeaten on 42 at the end.

Zimbabwe decision to bowl brought immediate rewards in the morning as Donald Tiripano dismissed the 17-year-old opener Usman Ghani for 0 in the second over. Afghanistan's innings crawled along at around three runs an over after 20 overs as Tendai Chatara struck twice. Noor Ali Zadran, however, kept one end intact, scoring a painstaking 107-ball 43 before being run out in the 36th over. Afghanistan were yet to reach 100.

The innings took a turn for better as Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari, who was unbeaten on 65, added 73 runs in 8.3 overs, with Nabi scoring a quick 32-ball 54 laced with three sixes and three fours. That injection of momentum helped Afghanistan add another 51 runs in 5.4 overs after the fall of Nabi to post a competitive 223, but it wasn't enough in the end as Zimbabwe chased down the target with 4.4 overs to spare. 

1st Test Day 3 SA 455/9d V SL 283/9

Stumps: Five wickets from bowler Dale Steyn has helped South Africa seize control after day three of the first Test match with Sri Lanka.

After they resumed on 30-0, Sri Lanka soon lost opener Kaushal Silva off the bowling of Steyn, before senior batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene fell before lunch to leave the hosts on 104-3.

Upul Tharanga had look assured during a fantastic knock that saw him record 14 fours and one six, but JP Duminy struck to take the wicket of the opener for 83.

Much of Sri Lanka's hopes rested on the shoulders of Angelo Mathews, and despite him reaching his half-century, wickets continued to tumble around him as Steyn left Sri Lanka in danger of having to follow on.

Mathews managed to take his side to within 200 runs of South Africa's total, but his dismissal late in the day for 89 left Sri Lanka on 272-8, and it got worse for the home side with the final ball of the day when Suranga Lakmal was removed for six to leave Sri Lanka on 283-9 at stumps.

Tea: South Africa have taken the wicket of Upul Tharanga, but Sri Lanka have made steady progress by reaching 182-4 at tea.

The Proteas nabbed three wickets before lunch thanks to Dale Steyn and Jean-Paul Duminy.

Tharanga continued to lead Sri Lanka's attack, but the 29-year-old was out stumped after hitting 83 runs from 155 balls, swaying the momentum in South Africa's direction again.

However, Lahiru Thirimanne (32 not out) and Angelo Mathews (24 not out) were able to frustrate their opponents' bowlers by ending the afternoon session unscathed.

Sri Lanka trail by 273 runs

Lunch: Sri Lanka trail South Africa by 351 runs after they reached 104-3 at lunch on day three of the first Test match in Galle.

After starting the day on 30-0, the hosts soon lost their first wicket when Kaushal Silva was removed by Dale Steynwithout adding to his overnight score of eight.

However, Kumar Sangakkara put on 59 runs for the second wicket with Upul Tharanga, who had eased to 65 with 12 fours, but the wicket-keeper fell for 24 to give South Africa plenty of encouragement before the interval.

It appeared as though Sri Lanka would make lunch without the loss of further wickets, but with the final ball of the session, Steyn trapped Mahela Jayawardene in front of his stumps to give South Africa the advantage.

2nd Test Day 1 ENG V IND 290/9

Stumps: India frustrated England's bowlers in the evening session, butStuart Broad and James Anderson helped their side recover with the new ball as the tourists reached stumps on 290-9 on day one of the second Test at Lord's.

The momentum seemed to be flowing in the hosts' direction as James Anderson, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Broad allnabbed wickets before tea.

Shortly after the break, Anderson secured his third wicket of the Test by dismissing Stuart Binny (9) for lbw, but replays showed that the ball was travelling over the top of the stumps, but due to India deciding against DRS, no challenges could be made.

Ali, Stokes, Broad and Liam Plunkett all tried to find the next wicket, but they failed to stop Ajinkya Rahane reaching his third Test half century with a boundary.

In an effort to find England's eighth wicket, Anderson took the new ball instantly, but Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to hold on until Broad stepped up to unleash a length ball through the stumps to dismiss Kumar on 36.

Despite finding the breakthrough, Rahane was able to hit his first Test century against England, but three balls later, the Indian batsman was sent packing on 103 following a one-handed catch from Anderson.

Mohammed Shami (14 not out) and Ishant Sharma (12 not out) will return to the crease at Lord's for day two tomorrow.

Tea: England have taken a further four wickets in the afternoon session against India on day one of the second Test at Lord's as the tourists reach tea on 140-6.

The hosts struggled in the morning with numerous drop catches, but seamers James Anderson and Liam Plunkettfound the breakthrough by dismissing Shikhar Dhawan andMurali Vijay as India reached 73-2 at lunch.

After the break, Anderson added to his wicket tally as Virat Kholi (25) edged to Matt Prior, while Cheteshwar Pujarawas the next to fall after India surpassed 100 runs.

The 26-year-old was bowled out by Ben Stokes after hitting 28 from 174 balls, and was replaced by MS Dhoni, who was subjected to a few boos from the Lord's crowd.

However, the captain walked back to the pavilion not long later after Stuart Broad nabbed his first wicket of the Test following a delivery, which was edged to Prior and left Dhoni with just one run to his innings.

Ravindra Jadeja was the next to fall for just three after he was sent packing by Moeen Ali for an lbw.

Ajinkya Rahane (26 not out) and Stuart Binny (6 not out) will return to the crease for the evening session.

Lunch: England's pace attack have taken two wickets on the first morning of the second Test against India at Lord's, with the visitors managing 73-2 in the opening session.

Alastair Cook chose to bowl on a pitch that looked suited to seamers, and he was rewarded in the third over as Shikhar Dhawan edged to Gary Ballance in the slips for just seven runs off the bowling of Jimmy Anderson.

After the early breakthrough, India managed to slow down the pace of the match and were looking likely to get through the rest of the session without further loss at a run rate of 2.7 an over.

However, Liam Plunkett continued with his short of a length deliveries and got the wicket that his patience deserved as Murali Vijay also edged to Ballance.

India will resume the second session with Cheteshwar Pujara (11) and Virat Kohli (20) at the crease.

1st Test Day 2 SL 30/0 V SA 455/9d

Stumps: Sri Lanka have reached stumps on day two of the second Test against South Africa in Galle on 30-0 in response to the Proteas' 455-9/d.

Resuming on 414-8 after tea, South Africa continued to bat well with Morne Morkel acting as a fine foil for Jean-Paul Duminy, who was looking for his century.

Morkel managed 22 runs before being bowled by Dilruwan Perera, but captain Hashim Amla called an end to the innings once Duminy hit his 100 off 202 deliveries.

The declaration meant that Sri Lanka needed to survive a difficult 12 overs at the end of the day, but they managed it well with Upul Tharanga making 20 and Kaushal Silva a more conservative eight to reach stumps without loss.

Tea: South Africa have made steady progress in the afternoon session on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka by reaching 414-8 at tea in Galle.

Quinton de Kock struck a maiden Test half century before getting dismissed just one run later as the Proteas reached331-7 at lunch.

Jean-Paul Duminy took charge of South Africa's attack, but lost his partner Vernon Philander (27), who was dismissed for an lbw following a delivery from Angelo Mathews, who claimed his first wicket of the Test.

Morne Morkel came to the crease, but Sri Lanka's bowlers were able to slow down the run-rate as the 29-year-old hit just nine from 22 balls.

Morkel will return to the crease for the evening session alongside Duminy, who is unbeaten on 72.

Lunch: Quinton de Kock struck his maiden Test half-century to leave South Africa on 331-7 at lunch on day two of their second test against Sri Lanka.

The Proteas started the day on 268-5, with four wickets being lost in the evening session as Sri Lanka hit back.

De Kock (17) and Dale Steyn (0) resumed play for South Africa, but Steyn was only able to make three runs beforeSuranga Lakmal sent him packing at 290-6.

JP Duminy was brought in to partner De Kock, with the left-handed batsman striking a half-century off 86 balls, before being undone by Dilruwan Perera four balls later.

De Kock, meanwhile, left the field following a catch from Mahela Jayawardene, with Duminy and Vernon Philanderat the crease when play resumes after lunch.

1st Test Day 1 Sri Lanka v South Africa (268/5)

LUNCH report: Dean Elgar registered a half-century as South Africa recorded figures of 111-1 in the first session of their opening Test with Sri Lanka in Galle this morning.

The left-hander took 62 from 91 balls as he and Faf du Plessis(14*) remain unbeaten at the crease at lunch time in the first of a two-Test series.

Alviro Petersen, who partnered Elgar as the Proteas' opening batsmen, was the only casualty of the session having being dismissed by Dilruwan Perera after 34 runs.

Captaining his first game, Hashim Amla is next in line to take the crease as the skipper looks to mark his captaincy by guiding South Africa to a first Test win in Sri Lanka for 21 years.

TEA Report: South Africa have taken a firm grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka after racking up 194 runs for the loss of just one wicket at tea.

The Proteas stormed out of the blocks with opening batsmenAlviro Petersen and Dean Elgar, who was able to score a half century in the morning session.

Petersen is the one and only batsman to fall so far on the opening day after Dilruwan Perera sent the 33-year-old packing with an lbw dismissal after racking up 34 runs from 46 balls.

Elgar continued to frustrate Sri Lanka's bowlers by storming to a century and ending the session unbeaten on 102 runs, including 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Faf du Plessis has already reached a half century, and will return to the crease for the evening session on 57 runs.

Stumps report: Sri Lanka have hit back at the close of play on day one of the first Test against South Africa in Galle.

The tourists were in control during the opening two sessions of the day, reaching 194-1 at tea.

However, four further wickets fell in the evening to leave South Africa on 268-5.

Dean Elgar was the first to go when he was dismissed by Suranga Lakmal for 103, adding just one run to his total after tea.

Hashim Amla (11) then fell to Rangana Herath before Faf du Plessis (80) was bowled by Dilruwan Perera.

The final South African wicket to fall was that of AB de Villiers, who was sent back to the pavilion for 21 off the bowling of Lakmal.

Quinton de Kock (17) and Dale Steyn (0) will resume out in the middle when play continues on Thursday.

1st Test Day 5 ENG 496 v IND 457 & 391/9d (Match Drawn)

England have drawn the first Test with India following a frustrating final day at Trent Bridge.

The tourists started the day on 167-3 with a lead of 128 runs before finishing on 391-9.

India reached 230-6 at lunch as three wickets in the morning gave England some hope.

Virat Kohli (8) and Ajinkya Rahane (24) both fell to Stuart Broad, while captain MS Dhoni (11) was dismissed byLiam Plunkett.

However, a difficult spell for the home side in the afternoon swung the match in favour of a draw.

Ravindra Jadeja was bowled by James Anderson for 31 before Stuart Binny was out for 78 after being bowled lbw by Moeen Ali to leave India on 347-8 heading into the final session.

The final spell of play was notable for Alastair Cook taking his first Test wicket when Ishant Sharma (13) was caught behind by Matt Prior, though the match was all but over as a contest by this point.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (63 not out) and Mohammed Shami (four not out) were the players left at the crease when the match was declared a draw just after 5pm local time.

1st Test Day 4 ENG 496 V IND 457 & 166/3 (IND Lead by 128)

STUMPS: India have reached 167-3 at the close of play on day four of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge, putting them 128 runs ahead.

Having resumed on 57-1 after tea, Murali Vijay (52) andCheteshwar Pujara (55) were dismissed with successive balls by Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett respectively to leave the tourists on 140-2 midway through the evening session.

England continued to toil out in the middle in search of further Indian wickets, but they were unable to make the breakthrough.

Virat Kohli (eight not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (18 not out) will return to the crease tomorrow morning.

TEA: India have reached 57-1 at tea on day four of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge, giving them a lead of 18 runs.

With England starting the session on 485-9, Joe Root and James Anderson added a further 11 runs to their record-breaking 10th-wicket partnership before Anderson was dismissed for 81. Root finished with an unbeaten knock of 154.

India's return to the crease got off to a disappointing start as Shikhar Dhawan was caught and bowled by Moeen Alifor 29 to leave the tourists on 49-1.

Murali Vijay (19 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (eight not out) will resume out in the middle when play gets back underway.

LUNCH: England have found their way back into the first Test against India in the morning session on day three at Trent Bridge.

Having resumed on 352-9, 105 runs short of the tourists' first-innings total, Joe Root (143 not out) and James Anderson (81 not out) have continued their record-breaking 10th-wicket partnership to reach 485-9 at lunch, giving England a 28-run lead.

Anderson has produced his highest ever Test score, having previously only hit 34 during a match against South Africa, and also scored the runs that drew the scores level.

India toiled as they tried to wrap up the home side's innings just before the break, even bringing Murali Vijay into the attack, despite the opening batsman having only bowled one previous over in Test cricket.

The session was extended by 30 minutes in order to give India time to find the final wicket, but Root and Anderson continued to pick up runs to edge England in front, surpassing the world record 10th-wicket partnership set by Australia during last summer's Ashes.

Multiple cricket records have been broken on day three of the first Test between England and India at Trent Bridge this morning.

Joe Root and James Anderson's 100-run 10th-wicket partnership meant that for the first time in Test history, there were two 100+ 10th-wicket partnerships in the same game after India managed the same with Bhuvneshwar Kumar andMohammed Shami.

Anderson was in tears last month when he was dismissed two bowls from salvaging a draw against Sri Lanka, but put that disappointment behind him today.

The Lancashire bowler went past his previous best of 34 early in the day and then reached a landmark first 50 with a hook shot to the boundary in his 131st Test innings.

That meant that Anderson had waited longer than any other batsman for his first Test 50 and he then broke another record by becoming the highest-scoring number 11 in England Test history.

The previous record of 59 was held by John Snow from 1966, but was broken when Anderson reached 60 not out.

Soon after, yet another record was smashed when Root and Anderson's partnership reached 134 not out - the highest 10-wicket partnership in England Test history.

Senanayake banned from bowling due to action

Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake has been banned from bowling in international cricket, after his action was found to be illegal following bio-mechanical assessment in Cardiff.

Senanayake was reported for a suspect action during Sri Lanka's fourth ODI against England at Lord's on May 31, and testing at the end of June found he exceeded the allowed 15-degree flex limit in all four types of his deliveries which were assessed. Among Senanayake's variations from the stock offbreak were the doosra, an arm ball and a seam-up slider.

If the bowler is unhappy with how the biomechanical tests were conducted, he now has the option of lodging a notice with the ICC within 14 days, in order to request a hearing with a Bowling Review Group (BRG). A BRG usually includes a human-movement specialist, a former player, a former umpire, a current match referee and two ICC officials.

If Senanayake doesn't appeal the decision, he will have to undergo remedial work on his action before he is allowed to bowl in international cricket again. He had been suspected of an illegal action once before when he had toured England with Sri Lanka A in 2011. But he had worked on his action on that occasion, and been cleared in subsequent tests undertaken at the University of Western Australia.

If he comes back to international cricket and is then reported and then found guilty of having an illegal action again, within two years of his first suspension, Senanayake will be banned from international cricket for a minimum of one year. Though Senanayake has been through the testing process before this occasion, this is his first suspension. Both he and Sri Lanka cricket will however be wary of rushing him back to top-level cricket until thorough remedial work has been undertaken.

Senanayake has been a key component of Sri Lanka's limited-overs success in 2014, often bowling inside the Powerplay overs and presenting significant menace through the middle overs. He had been the top wicket-taker in Sri Lanka's ODI series in England in May and June, and had contributed to World T20 and Asia Cup victories as well. He had an ODI average of 34.82 from 37 appearances, stretching back to early 2012.

The ICC's findings are also a significant blow to Sri Lanka's World Cup preparation, as Senanayake was expected to be Sri Lanka's lead spinner in that competition. He is also on a Category 4 SLC contract, ostensibly until the end of February next year.

Sri Lanka Cricket have a mechanism in place for redressing faulty actions, and a release on Friday evening said Senanayake's case would be referred to the board's cricket committee.

3rd ODI SL 257 V SA 339/5 (SA win by 82 runs)

South Africa 339 for 5 (De Kock 128, De Villiers 108, Herath 2-48) beat Sri Lanka 257 (Mathews 58, McLaren 3-37) by 82 runs

Grinding hundreds like Hashim Amla's in the first ODI and glorious ones like AB de Villiers' in Hambantota. Quickfire starts like Tillakaratne Dilshan's fifty off 40 balls in Pallekele and Sri Lanka's 99 off the first ten overs in the finale. 

Dramatic collapses - Sri Lanka recorded 5 for 13 in Colombo and 5 for 11 in the second ODI, South Africa contributed 5 for 26 in the same game - this series seemed to have it all. 

Except a run-out. So it was only fitting that when one came, it proved decisive in a contest which saw South Africa make history by winning a first-ever fifty-over rubber in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had polished off almost a third of the target in the powerplay with Kusal Perera pouncing on anything too full, too short or too much on his pads. 

When he fell on his sword, Dilshan and a belligerent Kumar Sangakkara took over and continued to knock South Africa's plans out of shape. With the wind causing havoc and the runs coming easily, Sri Lanka didn't need to do anything too risky. But then South Africa introduced the man they hoped would be their trump card, Imran Tahir.

Dilshan hit his first legitimate ball to de Villiers at short midwicket and unthinkingly charged to the other side of the pitch. Sangakkara initially moved forward but then turned back. 

What could have been a tightly scampered single became a two-horse race to the non-strikers' end. 

De Villiers didn't need to pull off anything acrobatic, de Kock could afford to fumble and yet Dilshan lost his battle. His fury with Sangakkara would only have got worse over the minutes that followed.

At the end of the next over, Sangakkara was snaffled down the leg side in almost a carbon copy of the way he was dismissed by Morne Morkel on Wednesday. The past continued to hound Sri Lanka when Mahela Jayawardene fell to Tahir for the third time in the series, this time off a top-edged sweep.

Sri Lanka lost three wickets for six runs in the space of 14 balls and with it the chance to pull off the highest chase in the country.

The hosts' middle-order managed to keep the fight alive until the 45th over. Ashan Priyanjan withstood South Africa's seamers peppering him with short balls and put on 83 for the sixth-wicket with Angelo Mathews. 

The Sri Lankan captain's form continued but when he was dismissed - caught by Morkel at short fine leg to make Ryan McLaren the series' highest wicket-taker - Sri Lanka folded. 

McLaren was South Africa's most successful bowler but Tahir's control and crucial wicket was what turned a match South Africa would have thought they had by the scruff of the neck at the innings break.

Twin tons from Quinton de Kock and de Villiers took South Africa to their largest score against Sri Lanka. 

They smothered a spin threat that had grown with the inclusion of Rangana Herath. Although Herath was Sri Lanka's best bowler he had little back-up from anyone else, particularly Lasith Malinga who was off colour for the second time in the series.

De Kock displayed immense progress from South Africa's tour to Sri Lanka last year when he was strangled by the turning ball. His century was his fourth in six innings, fifth overall in an ODI career which is only 18 months old and the highest by a South African in an ODI against Sri Lanka. 

It also maintained his 100% conversion rate of half-centuries into three figures. His only lapse was a mis-hit into the covers, when on 38, and Priyanjan dived to his left but could not hold on.

With Hashim Amla at his side for the opening exchanges and de Villiers to guide him at the end, de Kock also learned how to pace his innings. 

He featured in a solid opening stand of 118 and resolutely survived the Sri Lankan stranglehold. Mathews' men did not concede a boundary between the 21st and 31st overs, a period in which de Villiers made sure de Kock stayed focused as their union blossomed to 116.

On a flat pitch, De Villiers reprised his usual rapid pace and heralded the late-overs assault with a slog-sweep off Mendis. Malinga's wayward lines were dealt with as de Villiers took complete control of the innings when de Kock was dismissed. Duminy was a silent partner and the pair put on 80 runs in eight overs. 

Even though Mendis dismissed them both in successive balls, South Africa had scored 187 runs in the last 20 overs of their innings; 95 of which came in the last ten, and put themselves in a position of advantage early on.

Their sole concern will be the struggles of Jacques Kallis. He scored just four to take his series tally to five and keep the questions about his place in the XI swirling. 

1st Test Day 3 ENG 352/9 v IND 457 (ENG trail by 105)

LUNCH Report: England's number two and three have come through the morning session unscathed on day three of the first Test match against India in the reply to the visitors' 457.

The hosts lost Alastair Cook at the start of the innings last night, but his fellow opener Robson and Ballance have steadied the ship, although they remain more than 300 runs behind India's first innings total.

Ballance brought up his 50 with a cut behind point off the bowling of Stuart Binny in the 42nd over, with Robson following suit two overs later with a similar shot.

The England run rate was even slower than India's, at 2.64, but Ballance (59*) and Robson (59*) safely saw them through the session for the afternoon's play, which will resume on 131-1.


Tea FOW: 134-2 (Robson 59) 154-3 (Ballance 71), 172-4 (Bell 25), 197-5 (Moeen 14), 
202-6 (Prior 5), 202-7 (Stokes 0)

Ishant Sharma has starred for India as England reach tea having lost six wickets in the afternoon session on day three of the first Test at Trent Bridge.

The partnership between Sam Robson and Gary Ballance was broken after Sharma claimed the wicket of Robson (59) for an lbw, while Ballance (71) fell the same way not long after following another delivery from the batsman.

Joe Root and Ian Bell attempted to steady England's innings, but Sharma struck again when Bell made a poor late decision to pull out of the shot, but he caught the edge and the ball fell into the hands of MS Dhoni.

The batsman headed back to the pavilion having hit 25 from 37 balls, but it wasn't long before he was joined byMoeen Ali (14) and Matt Prior (5), who was unfairly declared out by the umpire after being caught behind, despite no evidence of a nick.

Another wicket fell in quick succession following Prior's dismissal as Ben Stokes went out for a duck after getting caught out by Dhoni following Bhuvneshwar Kumar's delivery.

Joe Root (13 not out) and Stuart Broad (1 not out) have ended the session on 205-7.

STUMPS: India remain in control of the first Test after England reached stumps on 352-9 on day three at Trent Bridge, despite a late surge from Joe Root and James Anderson in their tenth-wicket partnership.

The hosts suffered a disastrous afternoon session by losing six wickets before tea, with Ishant Sharma claiming three of them.

England managed to avoid the follow-on with Root and Stuart Broad trying to revive their team's attack, but after an impressive showing, Broad was dismissed just shy of his half century.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to send Broad packing for an lbw, which was met with a chorus of boos from the Trent Bridge crowd, but replays showed that the ball would have hit leg stump.

Broad, who hit 47 from 42 balls, was shortly joined in the pavilion by Liam Plunkett, who was bowled out by Kumar having reached just seven runs.

With one wicket remaining, Root tried to keep the attack going by reaching 50, his fifth in Test format, while Anderson unleashed numerous reverse sweeps after entering the field.

However, there was an injury doubt for Anderson after the ball smashed onto the top of his right hand, which required treatment from the physio, but he was able to continue.

Both Root and Anderson remain unbeaten on 78 and 23 respectively, while England trail by 105 runs.

1st Test Day 2 England 43/1 v India 457 (Eng trail by 414 runs)

England captain Alastair Cook's batting woes continued as India took control of the first Test with a record last-wicket partnership.

The opener was bowled off his thigh pad for five as England closed on 43-1 in reply to India's 457 at Trent Bridge.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, the hosts had hurtled back into contention with four wickets for two runs after lunch to reduce India to 346-9 following Murali Vijay's 146.

But an extraordinary stand of 111 between number nine Bhuvneshwar Kumar and number 11 Mohammed Shami, who both scored their maiden Test fifties, sapped England's spirit and put the tourists firmly back in charge.

Having watched the unlikely duo punish his tiring attack for two-and-a-half hours, Cook walked to the crease desperate to end a run of 24 innings without a century.

However, in a moment typical of his recent cruel luck, he missed a ball from Shami down the leg side and watched in horror as it deflected off his thigh pad and down on to the stumps.

Cook, whose team have lost six of their last seven Tests, has now scored only 606 runs in his last 13 Tests at an average of 24.24.

Geoffrey Boycott, Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"I don't think people can criticise Cook too much because of the pitch. He tried different things but you would have be an absolute crackerjack to get something out of this. The express pace of Waqar Younis or the tricks of Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan - even they might have struggled on this."

England seamer Stuart Broad, who finished with impressive figures of 2-53 off 33 overs, told BBC Sport: "Cookie is going through one of those periods where everything is going against him.

"But it only takes a dropped catch or a great cover drive to change that. I'd put a lot of money on him getting a hundred in these next Tests."

England's predicament would have been far rosier without Kumar and Shami's remarkable effort.

The partnership started with Kumar farming the strike to protect a player with a highest Test score of 11, but, as both grew in confidence, they began to bat with real skill.

Deep into the evening session, they brought up their half-centuries in successive balls, with Shami heaving James Anderson for six to sum up another chastening day for England's seamers.

Soon afterwards, Kumar finally put an end to England's misery when he tamely holed out to mid-on off-spinner Moeen Ali, whose 18 overs cost 97 runs.

England are making habit of turning tailenders into star batsmen. Tino Best and Ashton Agar both came within a hit of scoring a century against them from number 11 in the past two years, while Rangana Herath helped put on 149 for Sri Lanka's eighth wicket to set up their victory at Headingley last month.

Broad added: "There was a moment in my 33rd over when the ball bounced twice through to Matt Prior and someone on his fifth pint shouted, 'bend your back, Broad'. I nearly stormed off and gave him the ball."

England's 10th-wicket turmoil
2013: Australia debutant Ashton Agar makes 98 at number 11 in a stand of 163 with Phil Hughes in the Ashes at Trent Bridge
2012: Last man Tino Best hits 95 and adds 143 with Denesh Ramdin for West Indies at Edgbaston

The tone was set for another difficult day for England when Matt Prior shelled a routine chance to remove Mahendra Dhoni off Broad inside the first 15 minutes after India resumed on 259-4.

The India captain, on 52, slashed loosely at a wide delivery and the England wicketkeeper - standing closer to the stumps to ensure the ball carried - could only push it aside with his fingertips.

Anderson gave England their only breakthrough before lunch when he brought an end to Vijay's innings with a ball that nipped back and trapped him lbw.

After lunch, a match that had meandered for five sessions suddenly took flight as four wickets fell in 21 balls.

Ravindra Jadeja, who had earlier clobbered Moeen for two sixes, started the rout when he swung at a ball outside off stump and got a thick edge through to Prior.

Dhoni was denied a first Test century outside Asia when he was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Anderson at mid-off for 82 and, four balls later, debutant Stuart Binny chopped Ben Stokes straight to point.

When Ishant Sharma shouldered arms and was bowled by Broad, England looked to be back in the game.

Their ascendancy was short-lived, however, as a mammoth last-wicket stand and another Cook failure put India on a high.

1st Test Day 1 England v India 259/4

IND 259/4

FOW: Dhawan c Prior b Anderson IND 33/1

Now then, if you're going to take wickets on this deck, it will require this sort of brilliance. James Anderson, pretty listless so far, changes the angle to Shikhar Dhawan and produces a beauty from around the wicket. Nibble away, drawing the left-hander in to the shot, with a thick edge brilliantly taken one-handed by a diving Matt Prior. From nowhere, England have a breakthrough.

WICKET- Pujara c Bell b Anderson 38 (Ind 106-2)

What a catch! We talked about the brilliance required for England to take wickets and Ian Bell has pulled off off magic moment. James Anderson the bowler, finding some reverse swing back in to Cheteshwar Pujara. No fully forward, Pujara pokes the ball towards silly mid on, where Bell takes off, goalkeeper-style, to his right, plucking a wonderful one-hander out of the air. Great stuff.

WICKET- Kohli c Bell b Broad 1 (Ind 107-3)

What was in the England lunch? They've got another, the huge wicket of Virat Kohli. This time it's Stuart Broad, who has bowled well without reward. Outside off stump, the should I, shouldn't I play area for the batsman. Kohli prods, getting a thick edge to that man Ian Bell again, with the catch being pouched low at second slip. Brilliant stuff.

WICKET - Rahane c Cook b Plunkett 32 (Ind 178-4)

The brigade can desist for now Chris. Rahane is on his way in bizarre fashion. He had fended one just short of Cook at silly point earlier in the over but this one came off the toe end of the bat as he tried to pull and nestled comfortably in the midriff of England's under-fire captain. A change in his fortunes perhaps.

2nd ODI Sri Lanka 267 v South Africa 180 (SL won by 87 runs)

Sri Lanka 267 (Dilshan 86, McLaren 4-48) beat South Africa 180 (Amla 101, Malinga 4-24) by 87 runs

Thirteen is thought to be the number of misfortune. For Hashim Amla and South Africa, it was the opposite until today.

On the 13 occasions before this one when Amla has scored an ODI century, South Africa have emerged victorious. He recorded his 14th century - becoming the quickest to the mark - in Pallekele but the result was not in his team's favour.

Tillakaratne Dilshan's enterprise in the first ten overs and wickets in the middle and latter portions of the South African chase bookended a the Sri Lankan comeback and ensured the three-match series will go to a decider on Saturday. 

Dilshan raced to a half-century in 40 balls to set Sri Lanka up for a competitive total and then ended South Africa's biggest partnership - 75 between Amla and AB de Villiers - to clear Sri Lanka's path to victory.

South Africa were 101 for 2 in the 20th over when Dilshan lured de Villiers forward with a flighted delivery but the South African captain could not clear long-on. 

He was comfortably caught by the substitute fielder Thisara Perera well inside the field to spark a mini-collapse. South Africa lost five wickets for 26 runs with Dilshan claiming three of those and the gash was too big for even Amla, who scored his second successive ODI century, his third in four matches and his third on this tour so far, to mend.

The visitors' shortcomings were further highlighted by a much improved Lasith Malinga, who took wickets at the top and tail of the South African innings, and the loss Dale Steyn. 

The pace spearhead had bowled 2.2 overs when he was struck on the right thumb after Dilshan drilled the ball back at him. Steyn was taken for an x-ray which revealed severe bruising. 

Though there wasn't a fracture, he will need to be monitored over the next few days to determine his availability for the rest of the tour.

What will hearten South Africa is that Steyn batted for 35 minutes. He appeared in discomfort at times but scored 23 runs and starred in a 53-run stand with Amla that almost gave South Africa the unlikeliest of resurgences.

Steyn batted with a resolve that was absent in some of his team-mates, most worryingly Jacques Kallis. After Quinton de Kock was bowled by Malinga from around the wicket, it was up to Kallis to build a foundation in the chase but he lasted only seven balls before being bounced out by the same bowler.

Despite Steyn's injury, Kallis did not bowl either, which has left his contribution in the series to just one run in two matches and he has been thoroughly outplayed by his competitor in the all-rounders department, Ryan McLaren. 

Although McLaren was dismissed cheaply, overcome by the pressure created by the spinners, he dismissed four batsmen at the death of the Sri Lankan innings, including three in one over, to curb their charge.

Sri Lanka's lower order implosion - five wickets for 11 runs - was sparked by Mathews edging McLaren to the keeper. 

The Sri Lankan captain had contributed to his team's highest stand of the innings, 71-runs with Mahela Jayawardene which ensured the efforts of Dilshan upfront were not squandered.

Jayawardene had battled through the stranglehold Imran Tahir and JP Duminy created and the trouble he had with legspinner's googly. 

He eventually fell to a wrong 'un but ushered Mathews through a tricky middle-overs period to help build a competitive total in the same mentoring way as Dilshan had handled his stand with Lahiru Thirimanne.

By the time Thirimanne, who was promoted to No. 4 arrived at the crease, Dilshan already had a half-century, had single-handedly got Sri Lanka's scoring rate above six an over before South Africa began to rein Sri Lanka in. 

Tahir, Duminy, McLaren and Morne Morkel conceded only 44 runs between the 10th and 19th overs. 

Thirimanne could only score slowly and eventually succumbed to frustration when he hit Tahir straight to mid-wicket but the 62 runs he put on with Dilshan were crucial to Sri Lanka's chances.

Soft dismissals aside, Sri Lanka batted with a good enough understanding of the surface to ensure they would not have to rue mistakes. 

Similarly, their lapses in the field which included two dropped catches - Amla on 67 and Miller on 0 - can be overlooked because they did not prove too costly even though Amla moved on to a three-figures. Instead they will focus on the advantage their spinners gave them. 

Dilshan, Sachitra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis bowled 24.1 overs between them and their six wickets cost only 102 runs. The Sri Lankan performance was not perfect but it did not have to be. 

2nd T20 WI 165/6 V NZ 126 (WI win by 39 runs)

West Indies 165 for 6 (Fletcher 62, Simmons 36) beat New Zealand 126 (Williamson 37, Cottrell 3-28) by 39 runs

Following their demoralising Test series defeat, West Indies found solace in the format they relish the most by squaring the T20s 1-1 with an all-round performance in Roseau. 

West Indies were guilty of not putting enough runs on the board on Saturday, but they addressed that issue by posting a competitive 165 in an uninterrupted innings. 

Their bowlers choked New Zealand, with the spinners and medium-pacers proving difficult to get away from. Never at any stage did New Zealand pose a threat and the lack of lasting partnerships led to their downfall.

Unlike on Saturday, when West Indies struggled to gain traction either side of a rain interruption, the batsmen found momentum via a solid second-wicket of stand of 66 between Andre Fletcher and Lendl Simmons and in the last five overs when 56 was scored. 

Simmons described the pitch producing tennis-ball bounce, with a few balls stopping on the batsmen, but West Indies saw through an edgy beginning and ensured they kept wickets intact for a late surge.

Fletcher was lucky to survive early in his innings when he set off for a single from the non-striker's end and was sent back by Simmons. 

Fletcher had given up but the bowler Trent Boult missed the mark. Simmons regularly shuffled across his stumps to target fine leg and third man while Fletcher charged down the track to the seamers and targeted the straighter boundaries.

Given how the batsmen struggled on Saturday, the pair showed greater intent to get on with it. Simmons moved across his stumps to Corey Anderson and scooped it for six over fine leg and in the same over, played a glorious extra cover drive. 

Anderson had the last laugh against Simmons when he caught him at long-on. Anderson caught the ball and threw it up as he back pedaled outside the boundary but managed to jog back in and take it on the second attempt.

Boult came up with an more spectacular effort later in the innings when he had Pollard caught at deep midwicket. He plucked it one-handed, threw it up and caught the ball again as he swooped back from outside the boundary. 

Those two postcard moments were the only takeaways for New Zealand in the match. 

Their slower bowlers, Ish Sodhi and Kane Williamson couldn't impose themselves in the manner in which Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine managed later on.

On Saturday, West Indies managed only a paltry 6.80 in the last five overs but a day later, they cranked it up to 11.20. 

Fletcher sped towards his second T20 fifty with a scooped six over long-off. He was yorked by Boult for 62 but his exit didn't slow down West Indies as Darren Sammy and Andre Russell took the score past 160.

New Zealand decided to rotate the captaincy by putting Williamson in charge but although he top-scored, he failed to anchor the innings. 

Brendon McCullum swung his bat around but his soft dismissal increased the pressure on Williamson. New Zealand's other power hitters, Jimmy Neesham and Anderson didn't make an impact. Narine and Badree applied the stranglehold by not going for more than five an over.

New Zealand needed a massive 91 off the last ten but even at that stage, they still had three more Narine overs to contend with. 

They also had the awkward slower balls from Pollard to negotiate, and with every desperate swing and a miss from the middle and lower order, the asking rate climbed. Sheldon Cottrell, brought in for this game, got the in-form Neesham early to give West Indies the early advantage and there was no looking back. 

1st ODI SL V SA

South Africa 304 for 5 (Amla 109, de Villiers 75, Mendis 3-61) beat Sri Lanka 229 (Sangakkara 88, Tahir 3-50) by 75 runs

What a difference a year makes. Rewind to the July 2013 series between these two sides: South Africa could not manage a single total over 300 or one centurion in the five ODIs they played, and their lack of a wicket-taking spinner was exposed so dearly that they only managed to bowl the hosts out once. 

Fast-forward to the July 2014 rubber and South Africa ticked all those boxes in the first match.

Hashim Amla anchored the innings with a hard-fought hundred and had a 151-run partnership with AB de Villiers. The pair set their team up for a final assault, which David Miller provided. Miller led the late charge and South Africa scored 53 runs in the final five overs to post their highest total in Sri Lanka, leaving with hosts with the challenge of scoring the highest second-innings total at the Premadasa.

Despite a speedy start and a sparkling 88 from Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for 13 runs and were left to rue the tactical mistakes they made in the first half of the match. They put down de Villiers on 17 and Amla on 49, which cost them, but Angelo Mathews seemed overly reliant on the notion South Africa would struggle against spin. He held his seamers back to his own detriment.

Lasith Malinga bowled just seven of his 10 overs - though he went for 7.42 per over - while Nuwan Kulasekera and Angelo Mathews, who conceded 4.33 and 5.00, only bowled six overs each. Sachithra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis bowled out and took four wickets between them, but the 11 overs from Ashan Priyanjan and Tillakaratne Dilshan cost Sri Lanka 78 runs.

Amla and de Villiers, who faced the bulk of the balls, are accomplished players of spin and were largely untroubled. They came together in the 14th over, after Amla had got some measure of the surface and steered South Africa to a safe start despite losing both his opening partner Quinton de Kock and Jacques Kallis.

Kallis will be South Africa's only concern. After being declared fully fit following an upper back problem that kept him out of the warm-up match, Kallis was out for a second-ball duck when he failed to read Mendis' carrom ball. He did not bowl, so his impact on the game was negligible.

That did not matter to Amla and de Villiers as they built steadily. After their respective let-offs, one of which allowed Amla to get to fifty, they called for the batting Powerplay and scored 34 runs in the five-over period. That was where Sri Lanka allowed the game to slip. Mathews did not look to strike, though it was evident he also could not contain.

It took a moment of fortune for the hosts to find a way back when de Villiers hit Mendis to long-off, but they could not rein South Africa in as much as they would have wanted. Amla hung around to reach his hundred - the 13th of his career and second against Sri Lanka - before Miller aided by Ryan McLaren took the total past 300.

For all the talk of a slow surface, Sri Lanka's brisk beginning banished any concerns it would hold them up. Kusal Perera enjoyed the pace of Dale Steyn and cashed in on a poor line from Vernon Philander to take Sri Lanka past 50 inside eight overs. 

He picked out Morne Morkel at short fine leg to give Philander a wicket but with Sangakkara next in, South Africa's relief was short lived. He was off the mark with a straight drive for four, an ominous sign of what was to come, but it would only come later.

Sangakkara slowed down and took his time to settle in, while Dilshan kept the innings moving. He treated Imran Tahir with disdain - not hard to do given the full tosses the legspinner was dishing up. It seemed South Africa's premier spin option would unravel, but smart captaincy ensured he did not.

De Villiers took Tahir off after two overs and brought on the quicks to deal with Dilshan. Morkel had him caught behind and by the time Tahir was reintroduced, the scoring rate had cooled. With the first ball of his second spell, Tahir had Mahela Jayawardene caught behind and his confidence swelled.

In his next over, Tahir lured Ashan Priyanjan forward and the outside edge was caught at short third man. Sri Lanka reached the halfway stage needing 165 runs to win but with Sangakkara at the crease, that did not seem impossible.

Despite Angelo Mathews giving his wicket away, Sangakkara ushered Lahiru Thirimanne through a tricky period and kept up with the required run-rate with one eye on the looming clouds. Sangakarra announced his intent to get within the Duckworth-Lewis score with three successive fours off McLaren, who lost his line as he came under attack.

Thirimanne should have simply held up his end but he tried to emulate Sangakkara and target McLaren. 

He was bowled while trying to hit across the line and his dismissal exposed the Sri Lankan tail. 

McLaren also had Sangakkara's scalp when the batsman skied one to extra cover, with the hosts 88 away from the target. 

Tahir and Steyn cleaned up the tail, and Sri Lanka had been dismissed in 40.3 overs.