England

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.

Resurgent Pakistan stun England

The ICC Champions Trophy holders were embarrassingly bounced out for 105 in a seven-wicket win for West Indies in their first game of the tournament but showed what they are capable of at the same venue three days later.

Mohammad Hafeez top scored with 84 from only 62 balls after Jason Roy dropped him on 14, which summed up a characteristically below-par showing from the hosts in the field as Pakistan posted 348-8.

Archer stars as England win opener

A late addition to Eoin Morgan's squad after becoming eligible for England in March, Barbados-born paceman Archer showed why there had been such a clamour for his selection on Thursday, while Ben Stokes also shone and produced an early contender for catch of the tournament.

After the hosts were limited to 311-8 when they looked well set to post a bigger total, Archer swiftly undermined South Africa's reply, taking two wickets in a fine opening spell and forcing Hashim Amla to retire hurt as a vicious bouncer struck the veteran's helmet grille.

England have no margin for error at World Cup, warns Stokes

Host nation England are the ICC's number one team as they approach the upcoming tournament, looking to claim the trophy for the very first time.

But Stokes warned that unlike in longer series' where defeats can be rectified, England cannot afford any slip ups.

"All the nations come together over a certain period and whichever team performs best over that time gets to lift the trophy," he told Omnisport, speaking courtesy of Red Bull. "You want to be that team.

Itoje to miss Six Nations finale

Lock Itoje has returned to Saracens to continue his recovery from a knee injury after being left out of Eddie Jones' 31-man training squad ahead of Saturday's match at Twickenham.

The 24-year-old sustained the problem in England's tournament opener against Ireland on February 2 and was thought to be in the running for a return against Italy until he limped out of a training session last week.

Manu Tuilagi starts in Six Nations opener

The 27-year-old, who has suffered a string of injuries over the past few seasons, starts at 12 in the absence of injured Ben Te'o.

Elliot Daly is preferred at full-back to Mike Brown, who is left out of the 23-strong matchday squad.

George Kruis partners fellow Saracen Maro Itoje in the second row.

Owen Farrell starts at fly-half, with Henry Slade partnering Tuilagi in midfield and George Ford on the bench, while flankers Tom Curry and Mark Wilson make their first Six Nations appearances.

Brown desperate for England recall

The full-back was dropped during the Test series defeat to South Africa in June and was overlooked by Eddie Jones for the November internationals.

Harlequins stalwart Brown is determined to add to his 72 caps and will discover on Thursday whether he has been selected by Jones.

"Obviously I'm massively disappointed not to be involved, because I'm desperate to play for England." the 33-year-old, speaking on behalf of Land Rover at an off-road driving event, told Omnisport.