Ian Bell’s third hundred in successive Ashes Tests underpinned England’s partial recovery from their false start on an eventful first day at Lord’s.

Gardaí believe a 30% drop in shoplifting in Cork City centre can be credited to a new radio system being used by security personnel at a number of stores.

England captain Alastair Cook was more than happy with his team’s all-round display after beating Australia in the second 50-over NatWest Series match.

OPENER Paul Stirling’s century was not enough as Pakistan did just enough to beat Ireland by five wickets and claim a 2-0 one-day international series win in Belfast.

AS Kevin O’Brien climbed into another six, and the Ireland cricket fans in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore started to think of an improbable victory over England, Vanessa Johnston wafted through the supporters, spraying them with a stress-relieving potion.

IRELAND’S Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest hundred in Cricket World Cup history to sentence shell-shocked England to an astounding three-wicket defeat at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien hit the fastest hundred in World Cup history to sentence shell-shocked England to an astounding three-wicket defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight.

EOIN MORGAN walked away from the Gabba haunted by the dreams which might have been.

EOIN MORGAN’S second Rose Bowl hundred of the summer helped England clinch the troubled NatWest Series 3-2 with a landslide 121-run victory over Pakistan.

EOIN MORGAN is likely to get the opportunity to boost his Ashes credentials against Pakistan this summer after England lost the services of Ian Bell for the series.

ANDY FLOWER is unrepentant about England’s management of the ball, despite South Africa’s transitory suspicions that tampering might have been afoot during the third Test.

IAN BELL admitted he was surprised by the way the Brit Oval pitch played on the opening day of the decisive fifth npower Ashes Test yesterday.

ENGLAND’S quest to regain the Ashes will have to be completed without Kevin Pietersen after he was forced into undergoing surgery on his chronic achilles injury.

ENGLAND coach Andy Flower feels Australia captain Ricky Ponting “made a meal” of perceived stalling tactics during the final afternoon of the first Ashes Test.

ENGLAND are facing an anxious wait to determine whether they face another dilemma over the balance of their side after all-rounder Andrew Flintoff emerged as a doubt for the second Ashes Test.

AUSTRALIA captain Ricky Ponting is confident his team will not repeat their mistakes of four years ago when they begin their defence of the Ashes today.

ENGLAND recovered from a pedestrian start to yesterday’s opening match of the NatWest Series with Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen propelling them to a competitive total against South Africa.

ALASTAIR COOK spearheaded an impressive catching and bowling display by England which allowed them to claim a narrow advantage at the end of the first day of their Test series against New Zealand.

MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN had the last laugh in a week of cheer for Sri Lanka as England’s brave rearguard fell narrowly short at Asgiriya.

TALISMANIC all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was dispatched to see his ankle surgeon yesterday as England prepared for last-minute selection issues for the World Twenty20.

KEVIN PIETERSEN hit a defiant 10th hundred at the highest level as England saved the final Test against India at the Brit Oval yesterday.

IAN BELL settled into his most successful position in the batting order to rescue England against the West Indies at Old Trafford yesterday.

ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan admitted his side had “let a lot of people down” after they were knocked out of the World Cup in humiliating fashion by South Africa yesterday.

ENGLAND averted a possible World Cup humiliation by scraping to an unconvincing six-wicket win over Bangladesh to retain a tenuous hold on their hopes of progressing further in the tournament.

BRAVE Ireland went down to England yesterday as Paul Collingwood delivered a match-winning performance to prevent England from suffering embarrassment and get their Super Eights campaign underway.

England cricket star Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff has apologised for the late-night drinking binge at the World Cup which led to him being sacked as vice-captain.

Bray native Ed Joyce has been included in England's 15-man squad for the cricket World Cup.

ANDREW FLINTOFF hailed Paul Collingwood’s match-winning innings as the best one-day batting display he has witnessed after England beat Australia by four wickets at the MCG.

Matthew Hoggard produced a four-wicket haul to halt Australia’s fightback and keep England’s hopes of victory in the second Ashes Test alive.

England’s hopes of making further inroads into Australia’s batting line-up were undermined by a stubborn fourth wicket stand in the second Ashes Test.

ANDREW STRAUSS is backing England’s inexperienced batting line-up to overcome their nerves and deliver in the forthcoming Ashes series.

ANDREW STRAUSS’S love affair with Lord’s continued yesterday when he marked his first Test as England captain with a century that left Pakistan already needing a ground record-equalling 342 to win the first Test.

England completed a remarkable final-Test victory at the Wankhede Stadium to share the series with India.

KEVIN PIETERSEN was caught short once again as England struggled to exert their authority on a stop-start opening day of the second Test.

ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan will miss the one-day series in Pakistan to undergo exploratory knee surgery.

England squandered a promising position on the way to a 22-run defeat on the final day of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan.

England suffered a damaging collapse to turn an anticipated last-day victory over Pakistan into more likely defeat as they stumbled in pursuit of the 198 runs required to take the first Test.

Kevin Pietersen’s maiden Test hundred powered England to Ashes glory as the fifth Test finished in a draw at The Oval.

ENGLAND are hoping to prove their point to Glenn McGrath in person next week as they enter the final Test seeking to end 16 years of Ashes torment.

SIMON JONES and Ashley Giles bowled England into a strong position at stumps on the second day of the third Ashes Test against Australia at Old Trafford yesterday.

BRETT LEE took two late wickets to remove some of the shine from England captain Michael Vaughan’s 166, the first century of this Ashes series, on the first day of the third Test at Old Trafford yesterday.