Travis Head hit his first Ashes century as Australia reached 343-7 to take control of the first Test in Brisbane.
Head's place in Australia's line-up was under some scrutiny heading into the series, but the decision to give him the nod over Usman Khawaja paid off emphatically and he is still in place on 112 not out heading into day three.
His century came after David Warner fell just short of a ton, striking 94 before falling to Ollie Robinson, the pick of England's bowlers with 3-48.
A blow to the underside of Head's chin from an errant Mark Wood delivery could not even dampen Australia's mood.
England were desperate for a fast start after a nightmare opening day at the Gabba, where the tourists were skittled for 147.
Joe Root's men got what they wanted – Ashes debutant Robinson making the early breakthrough when he had Marcus Harris (3) caught at slip.
Ben Stokes knocked over Warner for 17 but he was afforded a reprieve with a no-ball call, while Marnus Labuschagne's edge fell agonisingly short of Root.
Warner was granted two more lives following lunch – Rory Burns dropping a routine catch on 49, while the opener was stranded outside his crease on 60 – but Jack Leach's dismissal of Labuschagne sparked England.
Four wickets in the space of eight overs followed. Warner, Cameron Green (0) and Steve Smith (12) all sent to the pavilion as Robinson just missed out on a hat-trick.
Despite the wickets of Alex Carey (12) and captain Pat Cummins (12), England – walking wounded with Stokes struggling and most of their attacking fading in the sun – were unable to maintain their charge.
Head surpassed his century with a sublime on-drive from Chris Woakes and though Wood's beamer did deliver a blow to the batsman's jaw, his efforts moving Australia into a 196-run lead.
Head stars as team-mates set the stage
Head could well have put this game out of England's reach. His innings so far has included 12 boundaries and two sixes. Only four players have scored a faster hundred for Australia in a men's Test innings (Adam Gilchrist, Jack Gregory, Warner, Matthew Hayden).
While they did not have centuries to show for their efforts, Warner and Labuschagne enjoyed stellar days. Warner posted his sixth 50-plus score as an opening batsman at the Gabba, equalling Bill Lawry for the second most at the ground in the format as an opener – only Mark Taylor (eight) has more. Labuschagne, meanwhile, recorded his fourth 50-plus score in five career innings at the Gabba.
No-ball embarrassment
Umpiring and technology were in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after Stokes' early spell. Having been denied the wicket of Warner due to a no-ball, analysis of his spell showed the England star had overstepped 14 times with only two no-balls called. The reason? The technology had failed, leaving the umpires to make the calls.
As for Stokes, he finished with disappointing figures of 0-50 from nine overs, suffering a knee injury in the field to further compound a so-far frustrating return.
Super Arshdeep sets up routine India win over Bangladesh
Arshdeep Singh's fine performance with the ball paved the way for India's convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.
Fast bowler Arshdeep recorded eye-catching figures of 3-14 in Gwalior before India made light work of chasing their 127-run target in the three-match T20I series opener.
Both Bangladesh openers fell to Arshdeep without reaching double figures as Parvez Hossain Emon was removed for eight and Litton Das on four to leave the hosts struggling at 14-2.
Last batter Mustafizur Rahman proved to be Arshdeep's last victim to wrap up the underwhelming Bangladesh innings, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy also impressed with 3-31 from his four-over allocation.
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav all got starts before falling in India's response, though Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya had little trouble in lifting their side from 80-3 to victory.
Hardik did most of the damage in that game-clinching partnership, blasting an impressive 16-ball 39 that included five fours and two sixes to see India over the line with 49 deliveries to spare.
Data Debrief: Arshdeep leads the way
Arshdeep continues to set the tone for India against batters at the top order, with numerous batters struggling to cope with his dominant left-arm action.
Sunday marked the 11th time he has taken three or more wickets in this format, the most by any India bowler in T20I history.
Brighton 3-2 Tottenham: Rutter inspires remarkable Seagulls comeback
Brighton managed a remarkable second-half comeback as Georginio Rutter scored one and played a key role for another in a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou's visitors had won their last five games, including their EFL Cup and Europa League exploits, and started well on Sunday as in-form Brennan Johnson scored for a sixth straight outing.
James Maddison doubled the away side's lead before the interval, aided by Bart Verbruggen's handling blunder, but Yankuba Minteh halved that deficit after the restart with a thumping finish.
Destiny Udogie was somewhat at fault for Minteh's finish, and the Spurs defence again struggled as Rutter restored parity before the hour mark after dancing around a couple of defenders.
Former Leeds United star Rutter then edged past numerous Tottenham charges once more, with his cross deflecting up for Danny Welbeck to head in the 66th-minute winner and seal a memorable turnaround.
Verbruggen was still required to deny Udogie late on, however, as Fabian Hurzeler's side held on for a victory that lifted them to sixth and ended Spurs' impressive winning run.
Data Debrief: Johnson's heroics in vain
Johnson has now scored in each of his last six appearances in all competitions, becoming the first Spurs player to do so since departed talisman Harry Kane between December 2018 and January 2019.
The winger's six goals across 10 appearances this season are also more than he managed in 34 outings for Spurs last campaign, though Johnson's efforts proved ultimately in vain.
Sunday marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals – they are the first club to hit double figures for this, and have done so three more times than any other club in the competition's history.
Indeed, this memorable turnaround saw Brighton win a league game after trailing by two or more goals at half-time for the first time since a 3-2 victory against Charlton in the Championship in December 2015.
West Indies Women bounce back with dominant six-wicket win over Scotland in ICC Women's T20 World Cup
The West Indies Women delivered a clinical performance to claim an emphatic six-wicket victory over Scotland in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday, bouncing back from their humiliating 10-wicket loss to South Africa in the opening match. The West Indies, led by Afy Fletcher’s impressive bowling, restricted Scotland to a modest total of 99-8 from their 20 overs, setting the stage for a confident chase.
Fletcher was the standout bowler, taking 3-22 as she helped stifle Scotland’s batting efforts. Hayley Matthews, Karishma Ramharack, and Chinelle Henry also chipped in with a wicket apiece, putting Scotland under immense pressure. Ailsa Lister (26) and captain Kathryn Bryce (25) provided some resistance, contributing to a crucial third-wicket stand of 46 after Scotland had stumbled to 13-2 in the third over. However, once Fletcher broke their partnership, the rest of the Scottish lineup crumbled, with only Lorna Jack-Brown (11) and Darcey Carter (14 not out) offering any additional resistance.
Scotland’s total of 99-8 seemed unlikely to trouble the West Indies, but they suffered an early setback in their chase. Star batters Hayley Matthews (8) and Stafanie Taylor (4) were both dismissed cheaply, raising concerns of a potential collapse. However, Qiana Joseph quickly turned the tide with a blistering knock of 31 from 18 balls, while Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 28 from 15 balls and Chinelle Henry’s quickfire 18 from 10 ensured a comfortable victory for the Caribbean side. The West Indies reached their target in just 11.4 overs, with 50 balls to spare.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews expressed satisfaction with her team’s turnaround performance. "100 percent, we were able to go out as a group and restrict them to 99. Qiana Joseph was positive and Dottin finished it off. We did pretty well with the ball, limited the boundary balls, and got ourselves in a secure position. We also had to think about the net run rate, and we executed that well," said Matthews. "Next, we have Bangladesh, and if we win that and then against England, we’ll be in the semifinals."
Player of the Match Chinelle Henry also shared her thoughts on the team’s effort. "I first thank my teammates and coach. Our goal was to give the team a good start and improve our net run rate. We figured the wicket was slow, and batting was difficult, but we had a clear plan, we backed our skills, and we executed."
With this victory, the West Indies Women have reignited their World Cup campaign and will look to carry the momentum forward in their upcoming matches against Bangladesh and England.
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