England

England crawl to 160/4 on Day 1 against New Zealand

London: In the curtain-raiser to an action-packed English summer of international cricket, New Zealand stole the show by limiting England to a plodding 160-4 on the first day of the first Test at Lord's. The stage was set for England to show their true colors on Thursday, with the team back at full strength, at cricket's HQ, and desperate to rectify for a humbling series draw in New Zealand two...  

Ups and downs in David Beckham's career

London: Some up and downs in the career of David Beckham, who said on Thursday he would retire from football at the end of the season: Up: Signs professional contract with Manchester United in 1993 and helps team win Premier League-FA Cup double in 1996. United wins league title again a year later. Down: Gets red card for kicking Diego Simeone in England's second-round match against Argentina at 1998 World...  

Reaction to Beckham announcing his retirement

Reaction to David Beckham's decision to retire from football at the end of the season, which he announced Thursday: "He is a fantastic footballer and a fantastic person. All over the world you say 'David Beckham' and people know who that is." - Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. "I wish him well in the future whatever he chooses to do and I personally hope that will be in football." -...  

David Beckham to retire from soccer at end of season

London: David Beckham is retiring from soccer after the season, ending a career in which he become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United. The 38-year-old Englishman recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain. He said in a statement Friday he is "thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish...  

England face 33 scheduled playing days in Australia

Sydney: England will have 33 scheduled international playing days on their Ashes tour to Australia starting in November, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. The tour programme includes five Tests, a streamlined five one-day international series, three Twenty20 internationals and five other tour games. The Ashes Test series begins at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 21 with further Tests in Adelaide (December 5-9), Perth (December 13-17), Melbourne (December 26-30) and the...  

As it happened: England vs New Zealand, first Test, day 1

New Zealand bowlers kept a check on the run-rate as England batsman got out after getting starts. Trent Boult got 2 two wickets with Martin and Wagner taking one each. CLICK HERE for live ball-by-ball updates from day one of the first Test between England and New Zealand being played at Lord's in London. PLAYING XIs: ENGLAND: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell,...  

New Zealand to make late decision on bowling attack

London: New Zealand will assess weather and pitch conditions on Thursday morning before making a final decision on whether to field four pace bowlers in the first Test against England at Lord's. On the eve of the first match in the two-Test series on Wednesday, captain Brendon McCullum said the final place would go to either Doug Bracewell or left-arm spinner Bruce Martin, who played in the drawn three-match series...  

No lack of effort or application in NZ, says Cook

London: England were not complacent or under-prepared during their disappointing tour of New Zealand this year, captain Alastair Cook said on Wednesday. England, the world's second-ranked side, were outplayed by their eighth-ranked hosts and only a courageous century by Matt Prior and a rearguard batting effort on the final day secured the draw in the third test that left the series level at 0-0. "It was not a lack of...  

Rio Ferdinand ends his international career

London: England's Rio Ferdinand has quit international soccer, the Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday. The Manchester United defender, who made his England debut against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997 and won 81 caps, had informed England coach Roy Hodgson of his decision, the FA said in a statement. "After a great deal of thought, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football," said...  

Wasim Akram inspires New Zealand's Boult

London: New Zealand's Trent Boult hopes to succeed where cricket hero Wasim Akram failed by getting his name on the Lord's honours board during this week's first Test against England. Left-arm seamer Boult proved a thorn in England's side with six wickets in the drawn third Test at Auckland in March where the tourists hung on to claim a draw with just one wicket standing as a thee-match series ended...  

Broad wants England batsmen back among the runs

London: Stuart Broad believes England's top-order batsmen hold the key to victory in their upcoming two-Test series with New Zealand. While it is a truism that pace bowling allrounder Broad and the rest of the England attack must take 20 wickets if they are to win any Test, big scores from the team's batsmen give bowlers runs to play with and put pressure on the opposition. That was certainly the...  

1st Test: England must improve to beat feisty New Zealand

London: England have been left in no doubt about what will be required of them in the first Test against New Zealand starting at Lord's on Thursday. The world's second-ranked team struggled on their recent tour of New Zealand where they were outplayed in the three-Test series, salvaging a 0-0 draw only by stubbornly batting out a gripping final day of the third match in Auckland. With the five-match Ashes...  

Trent Boult excited to play at Lords

Trent Boult is confident the experience of playing a first Test at Lord's will prove an inspiration and not a burden when New Zealand face England in their series opener at 'the home of cricket'. Left-arm swing bowler Boult was a member of the New Zealand side that so nearly sealed a series-clinching won over England in Auckland two months ago, taking six first-innings wickets. England, thanks mainly to an...  

Indian football team's England tour cancelled

New Delhi: The Indian football team's tour of England, where it was scheduled to play three international friendlies against Pakistan and Bangladesh, has been cancelled. English Premier League club Fulham FC, whose Craven Cottage ground was hired to organise the matches, issued a statement informing about the cancellation. "The club would like to inform supporters that the international friendly matches scheduled to be played at Craven Cottage in June between...  

Prior bags England player of the year award

London: Matt Prior was named the England cricketer-of-the-year for 2012/13, in an acknowledgement of the Sussex wicket-keeper's consistency with both bat and gloves. The 31-year-old is now one of the first names on the team sheet after England captain Alastair Cook and the latest demonstration of his worth to the side came with his match-saving unbeaten hundred in the drawn third Test against New Zealand in Auckland in March. Prior...  

New Zealand pacer Southee cleared for first England Test

London: New Zealand pace bowler Tim Southee has been cleared to play in the first Test against England at Lord's starting on Thursday after scans showed no damage to his front bowling foot. Southee was pulled out of the team during the drawn four-day match against the England Lions at the weekend in Leicester and sent to London for scans. "Tim's fine," coach Mike Hesson told reporters on Monday. "He's...  

Root justifies England selection

London: Joe Root maintained his case for inclusion in the England team to play New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's next week by scoring 179 for the second-string England Lions in a draw against the tourists at Grace Road on Sunday. Root, the Lions captain, was named Saturday in a 12-man squad for the first of a two-Test series which culminates later this month at the Yorkshire batsman's...  

England squad for first Test announced, Bresnan, Swann recalled

London: Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan have both been recalled by England in a 12-man squad announced Saturday for next week's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's following their respective recoveries from elbow surgery. Off-spinner Swann and seamer Bresnan both last played Test cricket in the series-clinching win over India in Nagpur in December and missed the recent drawn three-Test series in New Zealand. However, Nottinghamshire's Swann and Yorkshire's...  

Root puts New Zealand to the sword in tour match

London: New Zealand found it impossible to dislodge Joe Root as the England Lions batsman maintained his prolific form in the second day of the tour match at Grace Road on Friday. Root finished the day on 105 not out as he recorded his third hundred in four innings, sharing a stand of 182 with Michael Carberry, who hit 77, as the Lions reached 219 for 2 at the close....