Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concluded their campaign at the 2024 Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand with a sixth-place finish. Despite a valiant effort from an inexperienced squad, the Sunshine Girls ended the tournament winless after tough matches on Sunday, the second day of competition, where they faced a formidable lineup of opponents.

In their opening Sunday game, Jamaica faced defending champions Australia and struggled to keep pace, eventually falling 39-56 to the three-time title holders. Later, they encountered Uganda, who managed a decisive 43-26 victory over the Sunshine Girls. Jamaica's final match of the day was a close showdown against England, where they were edged out 38-36, securing a sixth-place finish for Jamaica.

The fifth/sixth-place playoff against England was particularly intense, with both teams evenly matched in a low-scoring game. Heading into the fourth-quarter Power Play tied, England's Paige Reed scored a critical four-pointer, followed by more points from Jones. Jamaica kept pushing, with Amanda Pinkney attempting three six-pointers in the closing moments, any of which could have swung the game Jamaica’s way. However, the shots didn't connect, and England held on for a narrow win, securing fifth place with Kelly named Player of the Match.

Meanwhile, Australia capped off their campaign with a thrilling 34-30 victory over hosts New Zealand, rallying from 15 points down to claim their third consecutive Fast5 title.

South Africa finished third after defeating Uganda 46-42.

Pakistan's dominant bowling performance paved the way for a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Australia that clinched the ODI series in Perth.

The hosts were dismantled, being bowled out in just 31.5 overs over before Pakistan easily completed the chase to claim their first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years.

Shaheen Afridi (3-32) and Naseem Shah (3-54) did the damage as Australia struggled to build any momentum despite Matt Short's opening 22.

As the wickets toppled, Sean Abbott salvaged some pride with his knock of 30, but it was not enough to bolster Australia's score as they finished on 140.

It did not take Pakistan long to hit their target, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique getting 42 and 37 respectively, before Lance Morris (2-24) dismissed them both in the 18th over.

Babar Azam (28) and Mohammad Rizwan (30) kept the rhythm going with a flurry of boundaries to reach 143-2 and round off an impressive 2-1 series win.

Data Debrief: A rare sight

Having lost the first match of the series, Pakistan have put in two almost-perfect performances since to completely turn things on their head.

Not since 2002 had Pakistan won an ODI series on Australian soil, but Pakistan were deserving winners after overwhelming the world champions. 

Australia were facing the prospect of a humiliating 10-wicket loss on home soil after the impressive display from the tourists' bowlers, at least until Morris stopped them from making an unwanted mark in the history books. 

Nathan McSweeney is set to open the batting on his Australia debut in their first Test against India in Perth.

He will open alongside experienced batter Usman Khawaja, while the uncapped Josh Inglis is also included in the 13-man squad.

Australia are seeking a consistent replacement for the retired David Warner, with the 25-year-old being preferred to previous openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft.

McSweeney opened for the first time in first-class cricket against India A, and overall, has six centuries.

The first of the five-match Test series against India starts on November 22, with India winning the past four Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia squad for first Test v India:

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.

England captain Jamie George labelled his side's performance as "unforgivable" after their 42-37 defeat to Australia on Saturday.

The Red Rose came flying out of the blocks with two early tries from Chandler Cunningham-South before Australia hit back through Tom Wright and Harry Wilson at Twickenham.

Noah Lolesio's penalty ensured the Wallabies snatched a 20-18 lead at the break, only for England replacement Ollie Sleightholme to drag his side ahead with a brilliant double.

Andrew Kellaway and Mario Itoje exchanged late scores for either side before Max Jorgensen’s last-gasp try secured victory for Australia.

George lamented his side's defensive showing after ending on the wrong side of a high-scoring thriller.

"I think the blueprint of how we wanted to play was in the first 20 minutes," George told TNT Sport. "We put Australia under a lot of pressure. Sometimes in a Test match like that you think the job is done.

"We took our foot off the gas. Credit to Australia they were very good but we cannot keep doing that, it will be a tough one to watch back.

"It is a fine balance between closing up shop and trying to see out the win rather than attacking. We talk about being brave and courageous and that [Itoje] try was exactly that. We will look at being better.

"The system and the principle all work. We know it works, but we didn't quite get what we wanted out if it.

"Leaking 42 points at home is unforgivable. They got front-foot ball and then have some pretty good runners outside."

Saturday marked the first time England have lost four Test matches in a row since 2018, when they suffered five straight defeats under Eddie Jones.

England head coach Steve Borthwick echoed George's sentiment after the Autumn Nations Series defeat.

"Gutting. We made such a number of errors, and it gave opportunities to the opposition to run in tries and they did," he told TNT Sport.

"In terms of our mindset, you are seeing a team wanting to move the ball and we want that, but we have to understand the consequences of it, and we saw that here.

"We didn't give our defence the chance to show what it can do, there was so much turnover and loose ball that the system couldn't set itself.

"There'll be no shortage of motivation for next week for South Africa."

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls faced a tough opening day at the Fast5 Netball World Series on Friday, as they lost all three of their opening encounters, but will be hoping for better fortunes on Saturday’s final day in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The young, relatively inexperienced Jamaican squad—fielding seven debutants—was visibly affected by the high-stakes atmosphere, showing early jitters and struggling to find their usual rhythm. Their opponents—New Zealand, England, and South Africa—capitalized on the team's early nerves and shaky play to clinch solid 39-19, 35-15, and 33-25 wins.

In their first game against the host nation, New Zealand, Jamaica faltered under the pressure and succumbed to a 20-goal blowout. The Sunshine Girls’ normally steady ball movement and confident shooting were absent as they grappled to find cohesion on the court before Amanda Pinkney eventually scored 13 goals and Simone Gordon, six.

New Zealand, buoyed by their home crowd, put Jamaica on the defensive from start to finish, with Martina Salmon scoring 17 goals, while Maia Wilson and Saviour Tui had 11 goals each.

Jamaica’s next matchup, against England, unfolded similarly as the shooting struggles persisted, and unforced errors cost them valuable scoring opportunities and inevitably resulted in another 20-goal defeat. Pinkney again led the way for the Jamaicans with nine goals, while Shadine Bartley had the other six.

England’s disciplined defence and polished offensive execution widened the gap, as Harriet Jones hit a solid 13 goals from as many attempts, with support from Sophie Egbaran (8 goals), Paige Reed (8 goals), and Sophie Kelly (6 goals).

However, the Jamaicans returned for their final game against South Africa determined and refocused, and it was evident in what was their best showing of the day.

The Sunshine Girls appeared more positive and organized across the court, as they found moments of fluidity in their movement and delivered some confident shots, giving fans a glimpse of the team's potential.

Despite ultimately falling short by eight goals, they had much to smile about as this time it was Bartley that led from the front with 12 goals, supported by Kestina Sturridge (7 goals) and Pinkney (six goals).

South Africa used their experience to good effect, as Zandre Smith scored 18 goals and Kamogelo Maseko had a perfect seven goals from seven attempts. Rolene Streukter, also scored seven goals, with Lefebre Rademan getting the other goal.

With the first day out the way, the Jamaicans will be hoping for better fortunes on the second day as they face reigning champions Australia, who are so far unbeaten in the tournament, and Uganda. However, fatigue could set in as playing fast-paced games involving four six-minute quarters against five of the world’s best teams is by no means easy.

Those games are scheduled for 6:00pm and 10:30pm Jamaica time.

NB: Fast5 action can be seen live on SportsMax and the SportsMax app.

Haris Rauf’s second five wicket-haul and half-centuries by Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique led Pakistan to a nine-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI on Friday. 

Pakistan's win also levelled the three-match series with their biggest ODI win over the world champions in Australia, setting up a decider in Perth on Sunday. 

The hosts started poorly with the bat, losing Jake Fraser-McGurk (13) and Matt Short (19) inside the first seven overs, with Shaheen Afridi claiming both early wickets. 

Steve Smith top scored with 35 but was bowled out by Mohammad Hasnain (1-27), before Rauf ripped through Australia's middle order for the second consecutive game.

On his way to figures of 5-29, the 31-year-old claimed the wickets of Inglis (18), Marcus Labuschagne (six), Aaron Hardie (14), Glenn Maxwell (16) and Pat Cummins (13). 

Shaheen Afridi secured the final wicket of Adam Zampa (18), with Pakistan handed a target of 164 runs to take the series to a decider. 

And the tourists made light work of their run chase, with Ayub (83) and Abdullah Shafique (64) combining brilliantly to produce an opening stand of 137. 

Zampa eventually made the breakthrough with the wicket of Ayub, but the damage had already been done. Babar Azam sealed the win with a six, with Pakistan reaching their target in just 26.3 overs. 

Data Debrief: Shaheens stars play their part

Pakistan have not won an ODI series in Australia since 2002, but their showing on Friday will give them confidence of claiming a historic win. 

They registered their biggest ODI win against the world champions in Australia in terms of both balls (141 balls) and wickets (nine) remaining. Previously, Pakistan's biggest ODI triumph over Australia in their own backyard had come in Sydney in 1981, winning by six wickets.

But the victory was inspired by Ayub and Shafique's 137-run stand for the first wicket, which was Pakistan’s second-best opening stand in an ODI against Australia, only behind Mohsin Khan and Mudassar Nazar (141) in 1985. 

Mohammad Rizwan also played his part. His tally of six catches is the joint-most for any wicket-keeper in an ODI for Pakistan, going level with Sarfaraz Ahmed against South Africa in 2015. 

Joe Schmidt is choosing to view the inclusion of rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii for Australia's November international against England as an opportunity rather than a risk.

The inclusion of the 21-year-old former Sydney Roosters player, who signed a lucrative three-year deal to feature for the Waratahs, is the Wallabies' only change from their last fixture with New Zealand back in September.

Head coach Schmidt said the time felt right to give Suaalii, in at centre for the injured Hunter Paisami, his shot at Twickenham on Saturday with the Lions series taking place in 2025.

In quotes reported by BBC Sport, Schmidt said: "The thing that gives me confidence around Joseph is how well he prepares himself.

"He's a very professional young man and hopefully he can hit the ground running in a couple of days’ time.

“Everything's a risk, but I would challenge that with ‘everything's an opportunity’, and it's a fantastic opportunity for a young man who's really excited about getting the chance.

“There are four test matches left this year before we embark on a massive Lions’ tour next year. So if not now, when?

"I think it makes some sense for him to play. It's unlikely it'll go perfectly, but it will be a benchmark that he can build from.”

Australia squad in full:

Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Dylan Pietsch, Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon, Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Matt Faessler, Angus Bell

Replacements: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Allan Alaalatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen

George Furbank thinks England are "starting to create a DNA" as they prepare to face Australia on Saturday.

Steve Borthwick's side are gearing up for their second match of this year's Autumn Nations Series, which began with a narrow 24-22 defeat against New Zealand last weekend.

Borthwick has named an unchanged starting XV to face the All Blacks, with Furbank set to earn his 12th cap.

The Northampton Saints full-back believes that consistency is key for England, who are targeting an 11th win from 12 meetings with the Wallabies. 

"We wanted to win all four of these autumn games," Furbank told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We put ourselves in a great position to win the first one, but didn't, so now the focus is on the next one.

"It is now about creating a new energy and a new drive against fresh opposition. Australia play differently to New Zealand, so it will be a different challenge.

"I don't think we are going to change our gameplan too much. We are starting to create a DNA in the way we want to play in attack and defence.

"Australia are definitely building as a side, like we are, and I have never played Australia before, so I'm quite excited about that."

The only tweaks from last weekend come in the centre partnership with Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence swapping places, while Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ollie Sleightholme replace Theo Dan and Ben Curry on the bench.

"Ollie [Lawrence] and Sladey have been interchangeable in the way they play from an attack and defence point of view," Borthwick explained.

"The number of Test matches they have played together in a row as a centre partnership is also very high in terms of frequency.

"They have a good understanding of how we wish to play, so I'm looking forward to seeing them go in their slightly tweaked roles this weekend."

Steve Borthwick has named an unchanged starting team for England's match against Australia on Saturday with two changes on the bench.

England enter their second November Test looking to bounce back from their narrow 24-22 defeat to New Zealand last weekend. 

Borthwick, however has elected to name the same group that started against the All Blacks, though Henry Slade will shift to inside centre, while Ollie Lawrence moves to outside centre.

Marcus Smith retains his place at fly-half while Jamie George continues to lead the side at hooker, but there is no place for Theo Dan or Ben Curry. 

The pair are replaced by Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ollie Sleightholme as England move from a six-two split between forwards and backs to a five-three combination.

Hooker Cowan-Dickie will make his first England appearance since November 2022 if he is introduced off the bench.

“Facing Australia is always a massive challenge, and we’ll work diligently this week to ensure we’re physically and tactically prepared to take on the Wallabies,” said Borthwick.

“The passion and energy from the crowd at Allianz Stadium last weekend was absolutely brilliant, from the opening whistle to the final moments, and we can't wait to be back at home this Saturday."

England squad in full:

George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Tommy Freeman, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer; Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Ollie Sleightholme

Australia rallied to overcome Pakistan by two wickets in the first of three one-day internationals between the teams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

Roared on by vocal travelling support, Pakistan were in the ascendency when their pacemen dropped Australia from 113-2 to 115-7, with the hosts chasing 204 for victory.

Harif Rauf dismissed three while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain also got in on the act to decimate the hosts' middle order.

Naseem Shah had earlier scored 40 off 39 balls to salvage a score of 203 all out for the tourists, but a crucial cameo from captain Pat Cummins got Australia over the line.

Cummins calmly came up with an unbeaten 32 from 31 balls as the hosts sealed victory with 16.3 overs remaining, with even Sean Abbott's error in being run out for 13 failing to inspire a change in the momentum. 

Bowler Mitchell Starc told ABC Grandstand after the match: "We probably didn't like that Patty and I had pads on, but it's a positive start to the summer.

"A win is a win no matter how you get there."

Data Debrief: Cummins leads from the front

Cummins' unbeaten 32 may not go down as his most memorable knock in ODIs, but it did equal his best innings for Australia in the format.

That proved crucial after Matthew Short (1), Jake Fraser-McGurk (16), Marnus Labuschagne (16), Aaron Hardie (10) and Glenn Maxwell (0) disappointed with the bat.

Australia, who have won both of their ODI series versus West Indies and England since lifting the World Cup in 2023, can now seal a series triumph in Adelaide on Friday.

Trinidad and Tobago’s ace swimmer Dylan Carter secured his second gold of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup Series as he produced a breathtaking performance to land win the men’s 50-metre freestyle in Singapore on Thursday.

Carter, a three-time Olympian, won the event in a brisk 20.82 seconds and left the field in his wake as he was the only swimmer under the 21-second barrier in the final. He won ahead of Australia’s Isaac Cooper (21.01s) and Germany’s Marius Kusch (21.04s).

The 28-year-old Carter is expected to line up in the heats of the men’s 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle on Thursday’s evening session before bringing the curtains down on his campaign in the men’s 50m butterfly on Friday.

An own goal at either end saw Japan and Australia draw 1-1 in the third round of World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

Australia's stuttering start to qualifying continued, as Cameron Burgess bundled into his own net as the visitors failed to hold onto their lead.

It was all Japan in the opening stages, but despite their first-half dominance, they struggled to create an opening, with only Ritsu Doan testing Joe Gauci.

Australia, whose only shot came in the seventh minute, took the lead against the run of play – Lewis Miller's low cross was turned into the back of the net by Shogo Taniguchi, who should have done better with the clearance.

Japan got their own slice of luck in the 76th minute though, as Keito Nakamura weaved his way down the left to the byline before pulling it back into the middle, and Gauci could not keep out Burgess' attempted block.

The hosts attempted to push for a late winner, but Australia sat deep to protect what could prove a crucial point against another of Asia's best teams.

Data Debrief: Firing blanks

It was far from a classic, with both teams offering little in terms of attacking threat. In fact, Australia did not manage a single shot on target, only logging one overall. 

Indeed, their expected goals (xG) tells the story, with Australia mustering just 0.01, in contrast to Japan's 0.76, which came from 12 shots, and only three of those were on target.

Taniguchi's own goal is the fourth that Australia have benefitted from in 2024, while only in 2018 have they ever recorded more such goals (five).

Harry Brook focused on the positives as he saluted England's performances, despite their 3-2 ODI series defeat to Australia.

Australia clinched a 49-run victory by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the final ODI in Bristol.

England had recovered from 2-0 down in the series with Brook, who captained the hosts in Jos Buttler's absence, leading their charge with 110 not out and 87 in the third and fourth ODI respectively.

Brook (72) and Ben Duckett (107) put on a fantastic 132-run stand on Sunday to set a target of 310, though it proved academic as DLS came into play with the tourists on 165-2 with 29 overs remaining when rain stopped play.

However, the stand-in skipper believes the experience will benefit him and his team-mates in the long run.

"It's not just the present now, we're looking long-term," said Brook, who was named the ODI player of the summer.

"We're trying to build towards the bigger series and competitions. It's a new brand of cricket we're trying to play, and I think we've done that perfectly.

"Getting out of the power play, we didn't get the wickets we wanted, but outside of that, we've done really well."

On his own performance, he added: "It's nice to get on the board, score a few runs and contribute to some wins. I haven't played too much, but it's nice to finally get the tempo of ODI cricket.

"Captaincy has been good. It's something I might think about in the future, but I'll sit back and let Jos do it for now."

Australia clinched a 49-run victory on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the final ODI against England to seal a 3-2 series win.

Having won the third and fourth ODIs to tee up a grandstand finish to the series in Bristol, England started well on Sunday.

England, inspired by Ben Duckett's second ODI century and Harry Brook (72), looked well set after storming to 202 before the latter was dismissed.

Yet the hosts slipped from 202-3 to 238-6 in less than 10 overs, with Duckett going for 107, and though Adil Rashid (36) steadied the ship, Australia were set a manageable target of 310 to win.

In total, eight wickets fell for 107 runs, all of them to spin, with Travis Head (4-28) doing the damage for the tourists, who subsequently set about making inroads into the target.

Head reached 31 from 26 balls before he was dismissed by Brydon Carse (1-36) in the eighth over, while Matthew Short had plundered his way to 58 by the time he was sent packing in the 13th.

Steve Smith (36 not out) and Josh Inglis (28 not out) subsequently took control before the rain closed in with Australia on 165-2 with 29 overs remaining, leaving them clear winners once DLS came into play.

Data Debrief: England's comeback falls short

The weather ultimately frustrated England, but they only have themselves to blame for another batting collapse. 

England have slipped to their first defeat in an ODI series of four games or more since a 3-2 loss to South Africa in February 2016, while this loss also snapped a run of three straight 50-over wins at the County Ground.

Australia, meanwhile, clinched their first win in an ODI series of at least four games since they beat Pakistan 5-0 in 2019.

Australia coach Joe Schmidt is determined to build on a disappointing Rugby Championship after being "frustrated" by their 33-13 defeat to New Zealand.

The Wallabies made a strong start on Saturday but found themselves trailing at the break after a topsy-turvy first half, and failed to get a single point on the board in the second as the All Blacks stretched their lead.

It was their ninth consecutive loss to New Zealand, who also beat them 31-28 in round five, and they have now won only one of their last six Test matches, losing the other five after making an unbeaten start under Schmidt.

Australia finished last in the four-nation tournament, with Schmidt rueing some of their missed chances after they slumped in the second half.

"I thought we created a few things early but what we had a lot of frustration [about] in that first half was slow ball," said Schmidt on Stan Sport.

"We were digging the ball out from amongst bodies on our side and that was really frustrating because it broke our rhythm.

"We started really strongly, got that try and then missed a couple of chances. They connect so well back off the sideline a couple of times, running back laterally and then connecting up with square runners.

"But just talking to Scott Barrett there, we made them work for it, and we're going to keep working for ourselves and make sure opponents do have to work for anything they get, and we try to get a little bit more."

Australia's tour in November, which includes Tests against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the nations that contribute players to the Lions, is next up, and Schmidt is looking forward to their next challenge.

"It's a bit like when we come up against the All Blacks, you know it's going to be a really tough tour.

"But if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in a position of potentially being competitive next July [against the Lions]."

Meanwhile, New Zealand's victory was their first in Wellington since June 2018, ending a five-game winless run in the capital.

They made a slow start to the game before rallying to a dominant comeback win, but captain Scott Barrett was just happy to triumph in Wellington. 

"Really pleased to reverse the curse," All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett said.

"We didn't start too well, but I'm really pleased with how we finished: some grit in defence, and we held out the Aussies."