CRICKET NEWS OF THE WORLD

The Pakistan leg-spinner ripped through England's top-order at Lord's to put Pakistan in a strong position at stumps on day two A brilliant display of leg-spin from Yasir Shah has put Pakistan in the box-seat against England on day two of the first Test at Lord’s. Shah claimed his fifth Test five-wicket haul as England crumbled from 1-118 to 7-232 in pursuit of Pakistan’s first-innings 339. The wrist-spinner bowled with accuracy that few spinners around the world command, almost single-handedly cutting a swathe through England’s top-order to put his name on the Lord’s honor-board.

W ahab Riaz has said that England's middle order is "fragile", ahead of the first Test at Lord's, and believes Pakistan can put pressure on them. He felt much rested on the shoulders of Alastair Cook, and Joe Root, who has been promoted to No. 3, with the next two positions being filled by James Vince and the recalled Gary Ballance.

Hampshire and England batsman Michael Carberry is to undergo tests this week amid concerns over the condition that six years ago caused potentially life-threatening blood clots to form in one of his lungs. Carberry had felt unwell last week and has been left out of Hampshire's current County Championship match against Warwickshire so that he can see a specialist as promptly as possible, with his county unwilling to take any chances with his health. "He has had a problem that has not cleared up in the way we had hoped so his going to have some tests done," the Hampshire first-team coach Dale Benkenstein said, "We are hoping to have him back for the T20 matches later in the week but in view of what has happened to him in the past we do not want to take any risks with him. "It is a little bit worrying but hopefully the tests will show that everything is fine." Carberry has to take medication to control the condition, which emerged after he...

Najam Sethi proposes Gaddafi stadium be renamed after Edhi Sahab. "Chairman of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Najam Sethi has appealed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to change the name of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to Edhi Stadium in order to pay tribute to the late philanthropist".

The PCB has decided to extend the contracts of batting coach Grant Flower and fitness trainer Grant Luden, on the advice of head coach Mickey Arthur.

West Indies pacer Jerome Taylor has bade adieu to Test cricket after a 13-year long international career but will be available for selection in the shorter format of the game.

PSL2 is aiming for bigger stars, better pitches and a final in Lahore: Najam Sethi “We have already announced two major signings, Kiwi legend Brendon McCullum and England ODI and T20 captain Eoin Morgan. Malinga and Albie Morkel are also in. The others we will announce soon.” Sethi said in an interview to DAWN.

This was France serving notice of their quality. A team who had rather huffed and puffed up to now, scraping through late in contests they had been expected to win at a canter, rediscovered their rhythm in the drizzle of Saint-Denis to cast Icelandfrom the tournament. Their opponents have provided one of the most refreshing and uplifting stories of these finals, the fans’ Viking chant still echoing defiantly around the arena long after the final whistle, but the natural order has been restored. In the end the smallest nation ever to grace a major finals endured their fairytale being trampled underfoot by a true contender. Didier Deschamps could survey the scene with satisfaction from his dugout, substituting those players who had been flirting with suspension long before the end and even forgiving the odd pang of defensive frailty exposed after the interval. There is an acceptance those errors will have to be eradicated on Thursday. Germany await in Marseille, a tête...

DEMOLITION MAN: He had to wait for more than a day to get hold of the red cherry, but it was worth the wait as Mohammad Amir ripped through the Somerset top-order on Day 2 of the practice game in Taunton. Find out how Amir and Rahat Ali have left Somerset in shambles:https://www.facebook.com/shahdara47