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• Guyana Amazon Warriors secure first victory in 2024 Massy WCPL with Burns' blazing knock

  The Guyana Amazon Warriors claimed their first victory in the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with a commanding eight-wicket win over the Trinbago Knight Riders at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. A stunning 78 off 48 balls from Erin Burns was the cornerstone of their successful chase, helping the Warriors overcome a shaky start to secure the win with 16 balls to spare.

  Chasing a target of 131 in favorable batting conditions, the Warriors found themselves in early trouble at 15-2 after losing Natasha McLean and Stafanie Taylor within the first few overs. The pressure mounted as Jonassen and seamer Shikha Pandey applied the brakes, making run-scoring difficult in the powerplay.

  However, Burns, alongside captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who scored a solid 46 off 47 balls, steadied the ship with an unbroken 119-run partnership, the highest ever in the competition. The duo expertly navigated the tricky period, combining aggressive stroke play with calculated risk-taking, which paid off handsomely.

  Burns, who was dropped twice during her innings, capitalized on those chances to anchor the chase. She reached her half-century off just 32 balls and continued to find the boundary with ease, particularly down the ground and through the leg side. Winfield-Hill played the perfect supporting role, rotating the strike and allowing Burns to dominate the innings.

  Earlier, the Knight Riders posted a total of 130-6, a score that seemed competitive at the halfway mark. The team’s captain, Deandra Dottin, and Harshitha Samarawickrama laid a strong foundation with a half-century opening partnership. Samarawickrama, replacing the injured Meg Lanning, was particularly impressive, displaying elegant strokes and punishing anything short as she guided the team to 37-0 after the powerplay.

  Despite the solid start, the Knight Riders' momentum stalled once spinner Chloe Tryon was introduced into the attack. Tryon, who finished with figures of 4-21, struck with her very first delivery, dismissing Dottin with a brilliant catch by Ashmini Munisar at gully. She then bowled Samarawickrama, who attempted a reverse sweep, and stifled the Knight Riders in the middle overs.

  Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen provided a late surge with a quick 44-run partnership, but Tryon once again swung the momentum in the Warriors' favor by removing Jonassen for 28 and then dismissing Kycia Knight in the penultimate over.

  The Knight Riders' final total ultimately fell short, and the Warriors, despite the early hiccups in their chase, displayed their depth and resilience to record their first points of the tournament.

  This victory will serve as a significant confidence boost for the Warriors as they look to build momentum in the competition. Both teams had entered this match desperate for a win after losing to the Barbados Royals in their opening fixtures, but it was the Warriors who emerged triumphant, thanks to Burns' heroics and Tryon's pivotal bowling performance.

   

   

   

• Mehidy stars as Bangladesh earn maiden Test win over Pakistan

  An outstanding performance in the field by Bangladesh, led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, secured a 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in their first Test.

  The tourists have an unassailable lead in the series after getting their first win against Pakistan, whose only hope now is to get a tie after their early collapse on Sunday.

  After a strong fourth day for Bangladesh, which saw Mushfiqur Rahim score 191 to give them control, Pakistan went into the final day trailing by 94 runs with Saim Ayub already dismissed.

  Bangladesh's bowlers picked up where they left off, and Babar Azam’s stand ended on 22 before Shakib Al Hasan (3-44) and Mehidy (4-21) swiftly took care of the final seven wickets.

  Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha were both dismissed for ducks, while only Mohammad Rizwan hit double figures (51) as Pakistan limped to 146.

  That left Bangladesh with the simple target of 30 to hit, which they did inside seven overs, as Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam got them over the line. 

  Data Debrief: Tourists find away joy

  While the first Test finally came to life on the final day, Bangladesh had put themselves in a commanding position to earn a rare away Test victory.

  It is just the third time in seven years that they have managed to win on the road, while they ensured Pakistan's winless run at home stretched on, with the hosts failing to win a Test at home since February 2021. 

  Bangladesh are the first team to beat Pakistan in Pakistan by 10 wickets, and they will be hoping they can produce a similar display to win the series.

• Sri Lanka triumph shows England are not 'one-dimensional', says Pope

  Ollie Pope believes England's five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka showed they are not a "one-dimensional" team after battling through difficult conditions at Old Trafford.

  England showed possible signs of a collapse after falling to 70-3 early on, only for a calm showing from Joe Root to steady the hosts' run chase. 

  Their 205-run pursuit was eventually completed in the 58th over, having at one stage scored just two runs an over, with Root finishing on an unbeaten 62. 

  England have been known for their aggressive approach during the Bazball era, but stand-in captain Pope insists the triumph has shown a different side to the team. 

  "On another day you might see us try to knock that off in 20 less overs," Pope told BBC Sport.

  "It shows where we're coming on as a team overall, we're not just a one-dimensional team where we want to go out and score quickly.

  "We want to keep reading situations slightly better and try to be as ruthless as we can.

  "If we feel like that is a way to go, it's not all about trying to score as quickly as we can, it's about getting the job done."

  Pope is serving as captain for the injured Ben Stokes, who has been with the squad throughout the first Test to offer guidance to the Surrey man. 

  He led England for the first time in Manchester despite only taking charge of one previous first-class match, and will remain in charge for the rest of the three-match series.

  "It was different, more so in the field," said Pope. "There were some good lessons learned for me.

  "I think Stokesy was bored at times. He'd much rather be playing. He was great. Every now and again I'd pick his brain, more than he comes to me.

  "He wanted to give me my own space to do it my own way, but I know there will be conversations with him and [McCullum] while we're on the pitch about potential plans for different batters, which is great to have when we come off for a break."