Joe Root guided England through a tricky final session as the hosts beat Sri Lanka by five runs in Manchester.

England looked like they could collapse when they were left at 70-3 following the dismissals of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence on Saturday.

Yet Root, along with Harry Brook, steadied the ship before the latter was caught and bowled by Prabath Jayasuriya on 32, leaving the hosts on 116-4, chasing a target of 204 to win.

Root, however, remained nerveless, with Jamie Smith contributing an entertaining and useful 39 from just 48 balls in a brief stint at the other end.

Smith's stand came to an end with England still 21 runs shy of their target, but Root would not let victory slip through their fingers.

And it was Root who fittingly had the final say as he struck his second boundary to take himself onto 62 and seal a convincing win.

Data Debrief: Root comes up big

Root has scored 60+ in five of his last seven Test innings, after managing 42 in the first innings of this match (84, 68, 14, 122, 87, 42, 62).

He is just one century away, meanwhile, from matching Alastair Cook's record of 33 Test tons for England.

Bangladesh are in a strong position heading into the final day of their opening Test against Pakistan, thanks largely to Mushfiqur Rahim.

Mushfiqur scored 191 before he was dismissed in the third session on Saturday, as Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 565.

After declaring on 448-6, Pakistan had been hoping to make inroads with the ball, but the day belonged to Bangladesh, with Shadman Islam (93), Mominul Haque (50), Litton Das (56) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (77) helping Mushfiqur along the way as the tourists mounted a huge total in Rawalpindi.

Naseem Shah was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers with 3-93, while Mohammad Ali (2-88) eventually ended Mushfiqur's momentous stand.

Bangladesh still had time to do some damage with the ball late on, with Shoriful Islam (1-13) dismissing Saim Ayub in the third over of Pakistan's second innings.

The hosts trail by 94 runs ahead of the final day, with a draw almost certainly the best Pakistan can hope for.

Data Debrief: Mushfiqur makes his mark in style

This was Mushfiqur's 11th Test ton, but his first against Pakistan in the format, and he did it in fantastic fashion, falling just short of a double-century.

Mushfiqur had not been in great form on the road before this match, either. Indeed, he had scored fewer than 10 runs in four of his last five innings away from home, but he is now clear of Tamim Iqbal in second place on the list of the most Test hundreds for Bangladesh.

The West Indies took advantage of an inexperienced South Africa bowling line-up to take a 1-0 T20I Series lead at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Friday.

The hosts, after winning the toss and electing to field first, took advantage of some bowler friendly conditions early due to an hour-long rain delay to have the South Africans reeling at 42-5 after eight overs.

A 71-run sixth wicket partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Patrick Krueger made things more respectable for South Africa.

They eventually made 174-7 from their 20 overs, an excellent recovery from where they were at the halfway stage.

Stubbs starred with a 42-ball 76 including eight fours and three sixes while Kruger made 44 off 32 balls.

Matthew Forde was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3-27 from his four overs.

The hosts then needed only 17.5 overs to reach 176-3. Openers Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope put on 84 for the first wicket and set an excellent foundation for the rest of the chase.

Nicholas Pooran, in his turn in the middle, took advantage of that foundation with a brutal 65* off just 26 balls including two fours and seven mighty sixes.

Shai Hope made 51 in support while Athanaze made 40.

Ottneil Baartman took 2-30 from his four overs for South Africa.

The second game of the series is set for Sunday at the same venue.

Rovman Powell insists West Indies must not get too far ahead of themselves after what he saw as an "unacceptable" level of rustiness against South Africa.

The Windies won by seven wickets in Friday's T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

They have now won five of their last six T20Is against the Proteas, having bounced back from a three-wicket defeat at the T20 World Cup in June.

However, Powell was far from happy with what he saw, with South Africa posting a competitive 174-7 - Tristan Stubbs top-scoring with 76 and Patrick Kruger adding 44.

Powell said: "I think it's always good to go 1-0 up. We bowled well in the powerplay and though we let them off a bit, we were good with the bat.

"The guys look a bit rusty, which is unacceptable at this level.

"To be honest, a lot of talk is around the next T20 World Cup but we have to play one game at a time and see different players. We have to stay in the moment and the 2026 T20 World Cup is too far for us."

Shai Hope's 51 and Alick Athanaze's 40 got the Windies' chase off to a strong start, paving the way for Nicholas Pooran to take centre stage with an unbeaten 65, which included reeling off four straight sixes in one over.

"I just felt like Shai and Alick put South Africa under pressure in the powerplay," said Pooran, who was named Player of the Match.

"At the ten-over mark, we knew it was a better wicket and my job was simple and I just had to take on my match-ups.

"With rain around, the first ten overs were tricky when South Africa batted. Stubbs and Kruger played well, but we knew the wicket would get better."

Along with Stubbs' performance with the bat, one other bright spark for South Africa in their defeat was teenager Kwena Maphaka, who claimed his maiden international wicket.

"Maphaka has a lot of X-factor and is really young," said Proteas captain Aiden Markram. "He has hunger when you speak to him off the field and he wants to win games for South Africa."

Sri Lanka batting coach Ian Bell believes Jamie Smith will be a "world class player" for years to come with England after striking his maiden century against Sri Lanka on day three of the first Test. 

Smith, who started on 72 after rain halted play on the second day, scored 111 from 148 deliveries at Old Trafford, claiming his ton in the 77th over of proceedings. 

He had a strike rate of 75.00 and showed 90% control through the balls he faced, the most controlled Test century by an Englishman since Joe Root versus India at Edgbaston in 2022 (92%).

Smith also became the fifth wicketkeeper to score a ton for England at Old Trafford, after Alec Stewart (three times), Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell and Ben Foakes.

And Bell, whose 7,727 runs put him ninth on England's all-time list in Tests, has seen first-hand the 24-year-old's talents, having worked with him for England Lions and Hundred side Birmingham Phoenix. 

"He's going to be a world-class player for England over a long period of time," said Bell. "He's confident, and he's taken to international cricket with ease," he said. 

Surrey's Smith was given the gloves by England ahead of county team-mate Foakes and Jonny Bairstow for the series against West Indies.

He missed out on a maiden century in the third Test against the Windies, scoring 95 at Edgbaston, but made no mistake with 111 in Manchester on Friday.

But Bell believes there is still more to come from Smith on the international stage after his showing in Manchester. 

"The small part that I played in his development, I've watched a guy who's worked extremely hard," said Bell.

"I'm sure he's going to be a massive part of this England team in all formats over a long time."

Jamie Smith completed his maiden Test century but it was England's bowlers who took centre-stage on Friday as they assumed control of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Wicketkeeper Smith resumed on 72 following a rain-affected second day at Old Trafford, and he batted patiently early on before clinching his ton in the 77th over of the innings. 

His excellent knock of 111 was brought to an end three overs later with England 315-7, with Prabath Jayasuriya earning his third wicket as Smith toe-ended his ball through to Dinesh Chandimal.

Sri Lanka quickly polished off the tail as Mark Wood (22) and Matthew Potts (17) fell within a further six overs, leaving England with a first-innings lead of 122 runs.

The hosts started brilliantly with the ball to assume a more dominant position, though, with Sri Lanka's first two wickets falling for just a single run within 10 balls.

They shared the spoils as Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson struck early to dismiss Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis for ducks, then Wood and Potts got in on the act to drop Sri Lanka to 95-4. 

Angelo Mathews' defiant knock of 65 helped Sri Lanka steady the ship and reach 173-4, but his luck ran out in the 51st over after a couple of near-misses, as he looped Woakes' seam ball through to Potts.

Root dealt another blow to the tourists to remove Milan Rathnayake for 10 late on, with Sri Lanka closing at 204-6, 82 runs ahead but with wickets running out.

Data Debrief: Smith joins Old Trafford club

Smith had a first Test century in his sights by stumps on day two, and he got over the line in composed fashion on Friday, becoming just the fifth wicketkeeper to score a ton for England at Old Trafford, after Alec Stewart (three times), Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell and Ben Foakes.

He had a strike rate of 75.00 and showed 90% control through his 148 balls faced, the most controlled Test century by an Englishman since Joe Root versus India at Edgbaston in 2022 (92%).

Cricket West Indies (CWI) will hold an election for the Vice President on September 20, 2024. This follows the recent judicial decision from the High Court of Guyana regarding the Vice President's election, which has led to Mr. Azim Bassarath vacating the position.

At the close of nominations, Mr. Bassarath is the sole candidate, having been nominated by the Jamaica Cricket Association and Leeward Islands Cricket Board. The nominations were circulated as customary, and every territorial board, which constitutes the shareholders, was adequately notified. CWI is being guided by its Articles of Association in conducting this election to ensure the process is handled with the highest standards of democratic principles and transparency. 

The upcoming election will provide a timely resolution to the current vacancy of the Office of the Vice President and reinforce CWI’s commitment to fair governance.

The organization looks forward to the completion of this robust and transparent electoral process while continuing its efforts to advance the sport of cricket across the region.

Bangladesh cut Pakistan's commanding 421-run lead to 132 on day three of the first Test in Rawalpindi, with Shadman Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das putting together defiant knocks.

Bangladesh were faced with a mountain to climb after day two as Pakistan declared at 448-6, but the tourists kept themselves in the contest in sweltering conditions on Friday.

Shadman set the tone with a composed 93 off 183 balls faced, steadying the ship after an early Pakistan onslaught led to the dismissals of Zakir Hasan (12) and Najmul Hossain Shanto (16).

His knock lasted over five-and-a-half hours before Mohammad Ali's delivery sent stumps flying at the end of the 66th over, but any hopes of that being the all-important breakthrough for Pakistan were frustrated.

Mominul Haque brought up his half-century before falling to Khurram Shahzad's off break, but sixth-wicket duo Mushfiqur and Litton would not be beaten.

They reached stumps still standing at 55 and 52 respectively, launching a fine counterattack late in the day as Pakistan struggled to get to grips with the new ball, with Bangladesh scoring 67 off the final 11 overs before stumps.

They still have it all to do if they are to inch ahead in the two-match series, though, with Pakistan maintaining a decent lead as they close in on the tourists' lower order.

Data Debrief: Pakistan attack frustrated

When Pakistan captain Shan Masood declared and put Bangladesh in with around an hour to go on day two, he might have been envisaging swift wickets and a comfortable first-innings lead.

By the end of day three, those hopes were in question thanks to excellent work from the Bangladesh batters, who relished the hostile conditions to trim Pakistan's advantage.

Some expensive bowling from Agha Salman (0-53), Shaheen Shah Afridi (0-55) and Naseem Shah (1-77) has not helped the hosts' cause, and they will demand better on Saturday. 

Another batting masterclass from captain Hayley Matthews saw Barbados Royals overcome Trinbago Knight Riders in the second match of the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad.

After her decisive innings of 61 not out against Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first game of the competition on Wednesday, Matthews showed again why she is one of the best in the world in the white ball format. The in-form opener struck twelve boundaries to finish unbeaten on 67 off 56 balls to see her side complete a comfortable seven wicket victory with 17 balls to spare.

Matthews started the evening well and never looked back. She won the toss for the second night in a row and chose to insert the opposition, her decision vindicated with the very first ball of the match as Chinelle Henry bowled Knight Riders opener Kycia Knight.

It was a sign of things to come as a procession of wickets fell soon after. The Knight Riders total of 113/9 never looked enough to challenge the Royals stellar batting card and so it proved when Matthews hit the winning four off Shikha Pandey from the first ball of the 18^th over. The 2023 champions have two wins from two games and look the team to beat in the early stages of this year’s WCPL.

The Royals obliterated the Knight Riders top order to leave them reeling on 57/6 at the halfway stage in the innings and it was thanks to Shikha Pandey and Zaida James that the Knight Riders reached the total that they did. A partnership of exactly 50 runs off 47 deliveries for the seventh wicket helped Deandra Dottin’s side bat out their allotted overs and post a total of 113/9.

Pandey, in particular played, well, top scoring for her side with 30 runs, her deft cuts and manipulation of the ball into the gaps was impressive in the face of tight bowling.

Matthews took a fine diving catch in the outfield and topped off a sparkling Player of the Match performance by bowling both Zaida James and Jazhara Claxton to take 2-21 with the ball.

For the second match in a row the Royals bowlers impressed and shared the wickets around, Henry, Matthews and Wellington all picking up two wickets apiece and Qiana Joseph and Aaliyah Alleyne pocketing one each. The Barbados side are firing in all departments.

The West Indies T20 outfit will get their first opportunity to compete since their Super Eight exit at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June when they take on South Africa in the first of three T20 Internationals at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday.

In what promises to be a competitive series, the hosts will be looking for revenge against the team that knocked them out of their home tournament with a three-wicket win via the DLS method in Antigua in their final Super Eight match on June 23.

South Africa eventually got all the way to the final before narrowly losing to India.

West Indies skipper Rovman Powell likes the chemistry he’s seen from his group during their preparation for the upcoming series.

“I think it’s very good. It’s the first series since the World Cup so it’s an important one in the sense that we have to get back on track as a T20 team and I think so far, so good,” he said in a pre-match interview on Thursday.

The squad for the series comprises 12 of the 15 players that represented the region in the World Cup with Powell emphasizing keeping the core of the squad together with one eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Alick Athanaze, Fabian Allen and Matthew Forde are the three new members of the squad, replacing Brandon King, Alzarri Joseph and Andre Russell.

“We try our best as a selection group to keep it as close as possible to those guys in the World Cup looking forward to 2026,” Powell said.

“It’s also an opportunity for us to see other players like Alick (Athanaze), Fabian (Allen), Matthew (Forde) that we identified. Hopefully, once given the opportunity, they can grasp it with both hands,” he added.

Speaking about the team’s performance at the World Cup, Powell found some positives despite exiting the tournament earlier than they had hoped.

“I think we played good cricket. We had a clean slate right through the preliminary stage and faltered in the quarterfinals. I think we showed that we are a quality unit and if we prepare well and have the right plans, we can be successful at the international level,” he said.

With the West Indies currently sitting fourth in the ICC rankings, Powell also spoke about where the team wants to be at the end of 2025. Is it a case of wanting to just be high in the rankings or playing good cricket?

“I think it’s a mixture of both. Gone are the days when you played series just to play them. You use these series as building blocks and nothing is more important than winning. Once you win games you improve your ranking in the ICC standings and also guys become more familiar with roles and more encouraged to play for West Indies because the atmosphere and environment is a winning one,” he said.

“People want to associate themselves with winners so this is a building block for 2026. It might seem a long way away but we just need to continue to play good cricket series by series,” he added.

Jamie Smith and Harry Brook made half-centuries as England ended a rain-affected second day with a slender advantage over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford.

Having bowled the tourists out before avoiding any late wickets on an enjoyable opening day, England were made to wait on Thursday as rain washed out the morning session.

When they were able to pick up the bat, England lost Ben Ducket (18) and stand-in captain Ollie Pope (6) to Asitha Fernando within the space of two overs, the Sri Lanka paceman sending the latter packing with an emphatic delivery.

The wicket of Dan Lawrence (30) left England teetering at 67-3 before Brook (56) and Smith (72 not out) took charge.

Brook saw his knock brought to an end by a ripping turner from the impressive Prabath Jayasuriya, who also accounted for Chris Woakes (25) and ended the day 2-58 from 21 overs bowled.

Playing in just his fourth Test, Smith remained unbeaten when play was abandoned due to further rain and diminishing light with 22 overs unused. 

Having reached 259-6 by that point, England hold a lead of just 23 runs and will hope for further progress on Friday, with both teams' hopes threatened by further rain being forecast throughout the next three days. 

Data Debrief: Smith closes in on century

Moving up a place to number six in the batting order, Smith showcased his potential with an assured performance on Thursday, slamming five fours and one maximum with a strike rate of 74.22.

If England are to build a more commanding first-innings advantage, they may need more of the same from the 25-year-old on Friday.

A first Test century is within his sights, having fallen five runs short against West Indies at Edgbaston last month.

Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel put on a 240-run fifth-wicket stand as Pakistan cruised through day two of the first Test against Bangladesh, building a 421-run lead by stumps.

Having resumed at 158-4, Pakistan surged to 448-6 before captain Shan Masood declared, though the hosts were unable to pick up an early wicket as Bangladesh's openers survived a tense finish before stumps.

Shakeel (141) and Rizwan (171 not out) both produced magnificent knocks to ensure Bangladesh's momentum from a rain-affected first day in Rawalpindi was stunted.

Shakeel and Rizwan battled through most of two sessions before their mammoth stand was finally broken shortly before tea, the former falling to Mehidy Hasan Miraz's off break.

Miraz later caught Agha Salman for 19 off Shakib Al Hasan's delivery, but Bangladesh were unable to make any further inroads and could have found themselves further behind, if not for Masood's decision to put them in for an hour before stumps.

Openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan survived 12 overs, Khurram Shahzad going close to dismissing the latter with a fierce delivery that almost kissed the outside edge in the 10th over.

However, Bangladesh now have it all to do against Pakistan's bowling attack on day three, with the hosts possessing a relatively new ball and a commanding lead on the scoreboard.

Data Debrief: Career-best knock for Rizwan

Masood's declaration was welcomed by most as a sensible decision, giving Pakistan the chance to launch an early assault on the Bangladesh openers, but it might have frustrated Rizwan.

His score of 171 represented his best in any Test, bettering his 115 against South Africa in 2021.

Rizwan racked up 11 fours and six maximums on Thursday with a strike rate of 71.54, and he might have had half an eye on a double century had Pakistan continued with the bat.

An impressive all-round bowling performance and ice-veined innings from captain Hayley Matthews saw Barbados Royals defeat Guyana Amazon Warriors by one wicket with a solitary delivery remaining in a thrilling opening match of the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). 

 Matthews won the toss and chose to field first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and her side restricted the Warriors to what was thought to be a below-par score of 118-9 off their 20 overs. The wickets were shared around between Royals’ seam and spin bowlers, Aaliyah Alleyne taking 3-21 from her four overs including the crucial wicket of a well-set Stafanie Taylor for 38.

 It was far from a comfortable chase for the Royals, the 2023 champions found themselves 44-3 and 50-4 during their innings but Matthews kept her head with wickets falling all around her, finishing unbeaten on 61 not out off 58 deliveries having batted through the innings to secure victory for her side and get the defence of their trophy off to a winning start.

An undulating match began with the Warriors struggling to get any momentum with the bat after losing both openers inside the PowerPlay. Captain Lauren Winford-Hill was bowled by a fast delivery from Alleyne that zipped off the floodlit wicket and Natasha McLean fended off Qiana Joseph to be well caught inside the inner circle by a diving Cherry-Ann Fraser.

At 59-2 after 10 overs the Warriors then lost wickets regularly in the second half of their innings which duly served to stifle their run scoring. 

 Stafanie Taylor played a typically classy knock, hitting four fours and a six to anchor the innings for the Warriors before Alleyne made the crucial breakthrough by bowling her with the second ball of the 17th over.  Amanda-Jade Wellington found turn and a kept a tight line for the Royals, the Australian leg-spinner finishing impressively with 2-19 off her four overs to set up a seemingly straightforward chase.

 The Royals also lost regular wickets in their reply, Shabnim Isamil the pick of bowlers for the Warriors,  picking 4-16 from her four overs and looking threatening with almost every delivery she sent down.

 Erin Burns pulled off an early contender for catch of the competition, a flashing drive by Georgia Redmayne seeing Burns produce a wonderfully athletic diving grab at point. Definitely one for the highlights reel and the repeat button.

 Chloe Tryon ensured the game went down to the wire by stitching together five consecutive dots to Shabika Gajnabi in a penultimate over that went for just one run.

 With seven needed off the final six balls, Winford-Hill entrusted 19-year-old leg-spinner Nyia Latchman with the final over. The teenager kept her nerve impressively but it wasn’t enough to stop Matthews using all her skill and experience to find the gaps in the outfield and get her side over the line at the last.

Chris Woakes is eyeing a place on England's tours of Pakistan and New Zealand before the end of the year, having led their attack impressively on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

Woakes finished with figures of 3-32 on Wednesday as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 236, with the hosts – captained by Ollie Pope with Ben Stokes out injured – reaching 22-0 by stumps.

He took on the role of attack leader after England chose to move on from their all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson, taking his tally to 14 wickets in four matches this summer.

However, Woakes has not played an away Test in over two years and is not considered a shoo-in to tour Pakistan in October or New Zealand in December.

The seamer enjoyed taking up a new role on Wednesday, though, and is positive regarding his prospects, telling BBC's Test Match Special: "I'll play for England where I'm picked to play for England. I certainly wouldn't rule myself out.

"The selectors will have their plans, but I'm certainly not going to turn down a tour if selected. We shall see.

"The more Test cricket you play, you pick up new skills and have more experience to fall back on. 

"I haven't played an away Test for a little while, but that might be a good thing because it can give you a fresh look on things. I wouldn't shy away from it."

Woakes also heaped praise upon stand-in captain Pope, adding: "Obviously it feels different not having Ben out there.

"I thought Ollie was good. He probably found himself having to switch on a little bit more than he would normally.

"He communicated with the bowlers well, talking about options and field settings. For an inexperienced captain, I thought he did a great job.

"I firmly feel we've had a great day. To bowl a team out on day one and then be none down at the close, that's always really pleasing."