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Time in the middle and keeping their fast bowling unit injury-free topped England’s agenda as they wrapped up their only pre-Ashes practice match Saturday against a second-string England Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth’s north-east.The result being of no importance, a sporting Lions declaration on the final day of the three-day warm-up gave England’s first-choice batsmen just over two hours to chase 202, which they achieved with five wickets remaining.“The guys have all had a good three days out here,” said paceman Brydon Carse, who landed three wickets after recovering from a 24-hour bug.“The group of seamers have all got a decent amount of overs in and some of the batters have spent some time at the crease. Everyone is raring to go.” Number three batsman Ollie Pope backed up a first-innings century with a breezy 90 from the attacking ‘Bazball’ play-book, while Joe Root scored an unremarkable 31.Earlier, Ashes hopeful Jacob Bethell top-scored for the Lions with 70. England are in good spirits after fast bowler Mark Wood, who complained of hamstring stiffness on day one, was given the all-clear following scans.The visitors’ hopes in the opening Perth Test, starting on Friday, were further boosted with confirmation that Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood had been ruled out with a hamstring strain.“He’s obviously a massive bowler for Australia, I’m sure we’ll see some part of him throughout the series,” said Carse.The 34-year-old’s omission leaves Australia, who have also lost skipper Pat Cummins to injury, in disarray given that the two men have combined for 31 wickets in five tests at Perth Stadium, which is always conducive to pace and bounce.Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland will now have to shoulder a heavy workload, while South Australia’s Brendan Doggett is in line for his international debut.Seam-bowling all-rounder Michael Neser, who last played a Test in 2022, was promoted into Australia’s squad.

Tickner replaces injured Jamieson, shines with 4 wicketsMitchell's unbeaten 56 leads NZ to series victoryEngland's Archer impresses despite defeatLate replacement Blair Tickner took four for 34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series.The Black Caps skittled the tourists for 175 in just over 35 overs and, despite some fine pace bowling from Jofra Archer, Mitchell again steered the hosts across the line as he had in their victory in the series opener in Tauranga on Sunday.Seamer Tickner was brought into the squad on Sunday as a replacement for the injured Kyle Jamieson and got his first international start since May 2023 when Matt Henry was ruled out of the match with a calf strain on Wednesday.The 32-year-old wasted no time in making his presence felt at Seddon Park by strangling Joe Root down the leg side to oust the former England skipper for 25 before ripping through the tail to claim his best figures in the ODI format."I thought I was just going to come in and run some drinks, but it was awesome to play," said Tickner."The boys up front did well, and I just sort of continued the job off. It was a good bowling performance all round from everyone. No pressure, really, for me, I'm just going to go back to the domestic grind."Mitchell Santner's spin accounted for dangerman Harry Brook after a run-a-ball 34, while Jamie Overton top-scored for the tourists with 42 from 28 balls before he holed out.Archer (3-23) trapped Will Young in front for a duck on the fourth ball of New Zealand's innings and the England quick's pace made the early part of the chase distinctly uncomfortable for the home batters.Kane Williamson eked out 21 from 39 balls before dragging on an Overton delivery to bring Mitchell out to join Rachin Ravindra with 134 runs still required for victory.Opener Ravindra picked out a fielder at deep fine leg with a pull shot early in Archer's second spell to depart for 54 and Tom Latham quickly followed to give Adil Rashid his first wicket.Archer removed Michael Bracewell for five with his final delivery of the match but skipper Santner made 34 not out and Mitchell secured the winning runs in the 34th over with a thick outside edge for his sixth four."It's disappointing to say the least," said the England captain Brook."We want to go out there and entertain the world and it's just not come off in the last couple of games."It was only two, three games ago when we made 400 against South Africa so it's not far away, and hopefully we can have a good game on Saturday."The third ODI takes place in Wellington on Saturday.BRIEF SCORES:New Zealand 177 for 5 (Mitchell 56*, Ravindra 54, Santner 34*, Archer 3-23) beat England 175 (Overton 42, Brook 34, Tickner 4-34, Smith 2-27) by five wickets

New Zealand overcame a blitz from centurion Harry Brook to beat England by four wickets Sunday in the opening game of their three-match one-day international series, with Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell scoring half-centuries.The hosts wobbled chasing 224, losing four quick wickets, including former captain Kane Williamson for a first-ball duck in his first match for the side since March, but Mitchell took them home with an unbeaten 78 after being dropped on 33.Bracewell also earned a reprieve early on and ran himself out for 51 to open the door for England after the initial burst from Brydon Carse (3-45), but New Zealand got back on track thanks to Mitch Santner’s 27 and prevailed in 36.4 overs.“There was still a lot in the wicket,” skipper Santner said.“We lost a couple more than we would have liked in the chase but the intent was great ... Daryl and Michael’s partnership was massive for us.”England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.Asked to bat first at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, England were rocked early by New Zealand’s seamers as Zak Foulkes (4-41) and Matt Henry (2-53) reduced the tourists to 56-6 within 12 devastating overs in helpful conditions.‘GREAT START’“Yeah it was tough work in the end, but I think the way we started off, with wickets in the powerplay, it’s always a great start,” Santner said.“We know Matt can do that and then Zak was outstanding, the way he swung it. It looks like a nightmare facing him. Obviously long spells, but we knew wickets were massive because even when they’re four or five down they’ve got (batsmen).“Getting Brook earlier would have been nice but he was outstanding today.”Brook went into attack mode despite the carnage around him and brought up his fifty in 36 balls with a top-edged six off Nathan Smith, before Overton took his team’s total to three figures with another big hit off Jacob Duffy (3-55).Overton shrugged off being hit on the helmet by Smith and closed in on his own half-century, but departed four runs short after a fine catch on the second attempt by Mitchell that ended the 87-run seventh-wicket partnership.Duffy removed Carse with the very next ball to leave England teetering again on 143-8, but Brook took control following Adil Rashid’s fall shortly afterwards, reaching his ton with three consecutive sixes and taking his side past 200 runs.A belligerent Brook continued to deal in big shots, swelling his tally of sixes to 11, but was snared trying to sweep Santner out of the park as New Zealand stopped the bleeding to stay on top in the series opener.“I felt I was in good touch,” man of the match Brook said.“Obviously we didn’t get off to a great start and I tried to take it up on myself to have a counter-punch. Thankfully it came off today. I’ve done it a few times actually, it’s a do-or-die moment. I managed to get us a decent score to defend. We started nicely with the ball, but we just struggled to take wickets throughout the middle.”The second game takes place in Hamilton on Wednesday, with New Zealand seeking another victory after losing the preceding rain-hit Twenty20 series between the teams 1-0.BRIEF SCORESNew Zealand 224 for 6 (Mitchell 78*, Bracewell 51, Carse 3-45) beat England 223 (Brook 135, Overton 46, Foulkes 4-41, Duffy 3-66) by four wickets

Thomas Tuchel blasted England’s “silent” fans for failing to back his team loudly enough during their 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley on Thursday.Tuchel’s side delivered an eye-catching first half display as Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka all netted inside the first 20 minutes. England’s swaggering performance, which followed a 5-0 demolition of Serbia in a crucial World Cup qualifier in September, was a promising sign as they gear up for next year’s World Cup.But Tuchel took exception to what he felt was a tepid response from England supporters in the sell-out crowd. “We did very, very well. We had an excellent first half, we were 3-0 up very quickly but could have been four or five. Then we couldn’t score the fourth one or the fifth one and the stadium was silent,” Tuchel said.“Silent! We never got any energy back from the fans and I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the fans. It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half, but we did excellent and deserved to win. A step in the right direction.”Tuchel’s frustration was exacerbated by hearing Wales backed by 7,000 raucous fans, who never stopped cheering their team even though they were completely out-classed.The German may also have been letting off steam after he was jeered by England fans at the City Ground in Nottingham following a shock friendly loss against Senegal in June.Asked if he expected more from supporters at Wembley when England were playing so well, Tuchel responded: “Yeah, what more can you give in 20 minutes? Three goals, the way we attacked Wales and didn’t let them escape. “Even in their own half, ball win after ball win after ball win. If you only hear Wales fans for half an hour, it’s a bit sad because I think the team deserved big support today.”England fans engaged in their Wembley tradition of throwing paper aeroplanes when they felt the match wasn’t entertaining enough, with many leaving well before the final whistle.Tuchel stood by his controversial comments when he faced the media at his post-match press conference.“Good moment to explain myself. First of all, I said the support in Serbia was absolutely fantastic when we played last time. I said it and I meant it,” he said. “I love English football and I love English football fans and the support they give. But I think today the atmosphere did not match the performance on the field.”Tuchel is certain England will be backed by much louder support from travelling fans in Latvia when they resume World Cup qualification on Tuesday.England are on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup and could be certain to progress to the tournament if they win in Latvia, depending on other results in Group K. Former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Tuchel has now won six of his seven games since replacing Gareth Southgate.

England flexed their muscles in their Women's World Cup opener with a ruthless 10-wicket demolition of South Africa in Guwahati on Friday.After bowling out the Proteas for a paltry 69 in just 20.4 overs, England's openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones made light work of the chase, cantering home in 14.1 overs.Electing to bowl first, England rolled the dice early by tossing the new ball to spin, a move captains often shy away from in the power play. But left-arm tweaker Linsey Smith turned out to be the ace up their sleeve, exploiting a tacky surface that had South Africa groping in the dark."To get that start was very special. I only found out Friday that I was opening the bowling and I was excited for the challenge. The conditions suited me well," said Smith.It was just Smith's fifth ODI, but the 30-year-old is no stranger to international cricket, having been part of England's T20 side since 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the 50-over team, her willingness to bowl in the danger zone of the power play could be a trump card for England going forward in this campaign.Smith struck in each of her first three overs and was unlucky not to bag a fourth when a stumping chance off Sinalo Jafta went begging. Jafta clung on grimly for 22, the lone South African to reach double figures in a sorry tale of collapse.It was the Proteas' third lowest total in ODIs and their worst against England.The chase was little more than a formality, though Jones survived a let-off on 31 when Masabata Klaas spilled a return catch. She finished unbeaten on 40 with Beaumont on 21 not out."Not the way we wanted to start the tournament. We've shown resilience in the past and we'll bounce back," South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt insisted as her batters were left searching for answers.England's dominance was such that Heather Knight, marking her 150th ODI appearance wasn't required to bat or bowl as her team-mates were so dominant against South Africa. She became only the second player from England to feature in 150 women's ODIs.The emphatic win vaulted England to the top of the points table with all eight teams now having played one game each.BRIEF SCORES:England 73 for 0 (Jones 40*) beat South Africa 69 (Jafta 22, Smith 3-7, Sciver-Brunt 2-5) by ten wickets

England needed an own goal to open the scoring in a 2-0 win over Andorra in a World Cup qualifier Saturday before Declan Rice made the result more respectable as they failed to sparkle against the tiny principality ranked 170 places below them.A fourth win in four for Thomas Tuchel's team in their campaign for next year's finals put them in command of Group K on 12 points ahead of Tuesday's game in Serbia. But their often slow build-up play did not excite the near-40,000 Villa Park crowd and will fuel grumbles that they have become a duller team under German Thomas Tuchel despite his perfect record in the qualifiers.England's opener came in the 25th minute when a fine cross from Noni Madueke skimmed off Andorra defender Christian Garcia's head into the net with Harry Kane lurking behind him. Rice added the second in the 67th minute when he met another superb cross, from Reece James this time, to steer a downward header past goalkeeper Iker Alvarez to wrap up the victory against 174th-ranked Andorra.Andorra, who draw their squad from a population of 80,000, stuck doggedly to their gameplan of packing the defence, often keeping nine men behind the ball and leaving Ricard Fernandez totally isolated up front. That gave England a remarkable 83% possession, but the hosts fashioned few clear-cut chances beyond Eberechi Eze forcing a save, captain Kane narrowly missing a toe-poke and Marcus Rashford curling a shot wide.One positive for Tuchel, though, was an impressive debut from midfielder Elliot Anderson, who looked assured and slick, albeit against opposition far inferior to what he normally faces in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest. Accustomed to cantering comfortably into tournaments but still without a major trophy since their 1966 World Cup win, England remain unbeaten in their last 35 World Cup qualifiers with 27 of those won.Ronaldo and Felix shine as Portugal thrash Armenia 5-0Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix both struck twice as the visitors brushed aside Armenia 5-0, giving Jose Martinez’s side a perfect start in their World Cup qualifiers. The Nations League champions had little trouble neutralising Armenia’s limited attacking threat and, after their fourth goal, rotated key players and used their momentum to showcase a more creative style, sealing a perfect start in Group F.It took 10 minutes before Portugal went ahead when Joao Cancelo reached the byline and lifted a precise cross onto the head of Felix who had little trouble breaking the deadlock. Ronaldo doubled the lead after 21 minutes, underlining Portugal’s dominance as he brushed past his marker to meet a cross from close range for his 139th international goal.The rout continued as Cancelo added a third for Portugal, finishing from Felix’s cut-back after 32 minutes. A minute after the restart, Ronaldo produced a moment of brilliance, unleashing a thunderous volley from distance that rocketed into the net, with Armenia goalkeeper Henri Avagyan managing the faintest of touches but powerless to stop it.With the fourth goal confirming Portugal’s dominance, the visitors began to play with greater freedom as they looked for inventive ways to carve out further chances. Just past the hour, Felix combined fortune with finesse as he raced into the box to meet a rebound from a blocked shot that seemed to slip past him, only for the forward to flick the ball in with a clever back-heel to give Portugal their fifth.The visitors pressed for a sixth late on, but Avagyan produced two fine saves before the referee blew for full time almost the instant stoppage time began, ending the rout.