Australia's victory at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday ensured they retain the urn with an unassailable 3-0 series lead but an improved England batting performance in their second innings has given Stokes hope for the matches in Melbourne and Sydney.

The 35-year-old said his decision to retire from Twenty20 internationals and focus on Test cricket had allowed him to perform at his best.

Bazball's champions, coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, may argue otherwise and claim England's death-or-glory style can be retooled and rise again.

Shakib produced an all-round performance to help MI Emirates secure a four-wicket win over Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

Jacob Duffy returned figures of 5-42 and Ajaz Patel 3-23 as the tourists folded chasing 462, while Brandon King top scored with 67 opening the innings.

Akbar Alivspoke about his batting template, areas for improvement and the upcoming BPL. Following are the excerpts:

The committee had initially been expected to submit its report on Saturday, December 20.

Bangladesh’s fastest pacer Nahid Rana is keen to put his newly developed skills to use in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which gets underway on December 26.

When Kane Williamson leaves the Bay Oval field on Monday at the end of the Black Caps' third Test against the West Indies, he may never don New Zealand whites again.

Pakistan delivered a dominant display to crush India by 191 runs and clinch the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup title at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on Sunday.

Wicket-keeper batter Akbar Ali has been captaining in domestic leagues for a while but in the upcoming BPL, he will not be playing for Rajshahi Warriors as the skipper with Najmul Hossain Shanto named the captain. Akbar was relishing the prospect of playing as a batter and said he was getting used to the T20 mode.

The Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) held a meeting with Second Division clubs on Sunday, which was attended by 14 of the 24 clubs scheduled to take part in the league. The CCDM informed the clubs that the Second Division League is slated to begin on January 11.

Elated Australia skipper Pat Cummins Sunday said retaining the Ashes after just three Tests was "hugely satisfying" and vowed no let up in Melbourne while casting doubt on whether he and Nathan Lyon would play.

The West Indies were 43-0 at stumps Sunday on the fourth day of the third Test against New Zealand, needing a further 419 to win, after Devon Conway became just the 10th player in Test history to hit a double century and a century in the same match.

The first phase of the tournament will be held in Sylhet, where 24 matches will be played over six matchdays, concluding on January 2, 2026.

Skipper Ben Stokes said Sunday it "sucks" to lose the Ashes inside 11 days but vowed England would bounce back as a more consistent side in the final two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

Conway's 327 runs so far are the third highest for New Zealand in a single Test, behind Stephen Fleming's 343 (274 and 69) against Sri Lanka in 2003, and Martin Crowe's 329 (30 and 299) against Sri Lanka in 1991.

Australia won the first two Tests by eight wickets in Perth and Brisbane.

Bangladesh face a tough Group A alongside five-time champions India, New Zealand and the USA in the ICC Under-19 World Cup, running from January 15 to February 8.

Despite the relatively subdued atmosphere, franchises have shifted into high gear ahead of the tournament opener, with newcomers Rajshahi Warriors leading the early preparations.