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.

KEVIN PIETERSEN paid tribute to Steve Harmison and James Anderson after England confirmed their ascendancy on day two of the final Test against South Africa at The Oval yesterday.

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.

ENGLAND coach Peter Moores has refused to blame their under-par over-rate as a reason for England’s failure to wrap up the opening npower Test before bad weather came to India’s rescue.

CAPTAIN Michael Vaughan backed England to follow up completing their 3-0 Test success over West Indies at Chester-le-Street yesterday with further victory in the forthcoming one-day matches.

ENGLAND profited from a mix-up over cricket’s laws to claim a stranglehold on the third Test and move closer to a series victory over West Indies at Old Trafford.

ENGLAND will fly back home from the Caribbean next week and face an inevitable clamour for change following one of their most testing winter campaigns in recent years.

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

SHANE WARNE savoured every second of his final confrontation with England to deliver one of his best all-round displays and put Australia on the brink of an Ashes whitewash.

UNDERFIRE coach Duncan Fletcher has admitted he made selection blunders in choosing the England team for the disastrous Ashes series against Australia.

SHANE WARNE is set to announce his retirement from international cricket today. And he could be joined by another Australia legend, fast bowler Glenn McGrath.

THE BBC have unveiled a shortlist of 10 sportsmen and women who are in contention for the Sports Personality of the Year award — including Irish golfer Darren Clarke.

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

DARREN CLARKE wants it to be known that he has not pulled his name out of the running for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Darren Clarke wants it to be known that he has not pulled his name out of the running for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Ryder Cup hero Darren Clarke has emerged as the bookies' favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for 2006.

PAUL COLLINGWOOD made partial amends for a costly error by becoming England’s unlikely candidate to halt Pakistan’s record-breaking march towards a major lead in the third Test yesterday.

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.