England

Australia confident despite Headingley defeat, insists Khawaja

Ben Stokes' inspired display kept the five-Test series alive as hosts England amassed their highest ever fourth-innings run chase in Leeds, where the hosts prevailed by one wicket last week.

Australia, however, will be able to welcome talisman Steve Smith back to the fold for the Old Trafford Test after the star batsman missed the Headingley clash due to a concussion sustained at Lord's.

Smith will play a three-day tour match against Derbyshire, with Khawaja captaining an Australia side which also includes Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Marnus Labuschagne.

Paine hails 'fantastic' Labuschagne

Paine's team were set 267 to win inside 48 overs on the final day at Lord's after the hosts declared on 258-5 following a century from Ben Stokes (115 not out).

However, they were more concerned with batting out the day when Jofra Archer swiftly removed David Warner and Usman Khawaja to bring Labuschagne to the crease.

Vunipola out to create a legacy

England were humbled on home soil in 2015, finishing third in Pool A, with Wales and eventual runners-up Australia securing progression to the knockout stages.

On Monday, Vunipola was included in Eddie Jones' 31-man squad for the upcoming tournament having starred in Sunday's 33-19 defeat of Six Nations champions Wales.

Despite their disappointment in 2015, Jones' side will be favourites to progress from Pool C, with France, Argentina, United States and Tonga their opponents, and Vunipola does not believe England's failure in the last World Cup will haunt them in Japan.

Silver Ferns shock England, will meet Australia in final

The Silver Ferns made a dream start in Liverpool, and England found themselves down 5-nil.

Jane Watson and Casey Kopua poured on the pressure, both coming up with flashy intercepts.

The retiring Kopua, determined to make another World Cup final, pulled off classic blocks and picked off balls outside the circle.

Helen Housby helped get England back into the game, going to post, while GS Jo Harten tried to recover from early nerves. Housby also picked up a couple of key intercepts.

The Silver Ferns led 12-9 after the first quarter.

England thrash Samoa after tears shed for Guscoth

Guscoth, who suffered a ruptured achilles against Scotland on Saturday which has ruled her out of the rest of the tournament, watched from the bench as her teammates ended the preliminary phase with a processional 90-24 win that booked England’s place in the second group stage.

Neville admitted the loss of the popular Guscoth had hit the team hard, saying: “Of course there were tears from everyone. There was nothing wrong with showing emotion because she means a lot to us.

Sri Lanka out of Cricket World Cup

England moved up to fourth and onto 10 points with a 31-run victory over India at Edgbaston on Sunday – a first loss of the competition for Virat Kohli's men.

Sri Lanka could match the hosts' tally by triumphing in their last two games against West Indies and India but would remain below them due to an inferior number of wins, which is the first tie-breaker used to separate teams.

South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan had already been eliminated, with leaders Australia the only team assured of a semi-final berth.

Australia clinch semi-final spot

The reigning champions secured a sixth win from seven games by claiming a 64-run triumph at Lord's, Finch scoring 100 in their 285-7 before Australia's seamers starred, dismissing England for 221 inside 45 overs.

Finch (100) was part of a 123-run opening stand with David Warner (53) but Australia did not build on their early momentum having been 185-2 in the 36th over, with middle-order trio Steve Smith (38), Glenn Maxwell (12) and Marcus Stoinis (8) all unable to kick on.

CWC preview: England v Australia

The identity of the top four appeared to be a foregone conclusion at one stage, only for the tournament hosts to slip up against Sri Lanka at Headingley last Friday.

A surprise 20-run loss in Leeds means England are suddenly under a spot of pressure, though Morgan showed few signs of nerves when speaking to the media on the eve of Tuesday's clash with the Australians.

"Primarily it's trying to keep things as simple as possible. Being truthful and honest with our previous performance and trying to learn and rectify the performance almost immediately," the batsman said.

CWC preview England v Afghanistan

Eoin Morgan's side have made a purposeful start to the tournament on home soil and demonstrated why they top the ICC ODI rankings in Friday's eight-wicket thrashing of West Indies.

It is in stark contrast to the fortunes of their next opponents, who are languishing at the foot of the table without a point from their opening four matches.

After previous concerns over the likes of Jos Buttler and Mark Wood, managing injuries has been England's biggest obstacle.

Pressure relieved on Pakistan

Tournament hosts and favourites England were beaten by 14 runs at Trent Bridge on Monday as Pakistan ended a run of 11 straight losses in completed ODIs – a sequence that included a 4-0 series thrashing at the hands of Eoin Morgan's men and a 5-0 whitewash in the United Arab Emirates against Australia.