England batter Jacob Bethell has been awarded a central contract upgrade, signing a two-year extension until September 2026, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said.

England were beaten by six wickets after a below-par showing in the first one-day international against South Africa.

With noses bloodied and pride stung from the pounding in Perth, Australia will look to hit back with the pink ball in the second test against India at Adelaide Oval as the tourists welcome back returning skipper Rohit Sharma.

Spinner Sufiyan Muqeem took career-best figures of five wickets for three runs in 2.4 overs as Pakistan thrashed hosts Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch the three-match Twenty20 International series with a game to spare in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham thought the first test against England was closer than the scoreline suggested after his team lost by eight wickets in Christchurch to slump to a third straight home loss.

Kamran Ghulam’s maiden One Day International century for Pakistan led them to a 99-run win over Zimbabwe on Thursday and victory in the three-match series.

Saim Ayub hammered a swashbuckling century as Pakistan made short work of a modest target to beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets at Queens Sports Club and square the three-match one-day international series.

At tea on day one of the first test in Perth, India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah would have been ruing his decision to bat first after his side were skittled for 150 by Australia’s experienced seam attack.

Australia’s ultimate summer of judgment is looming, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to determine where the current Test team sits in the pantheon of greats.

The fifth and final T20 of the series between England and West Indies was washed out by heavy rain in St Lucia.

Spencer Johnson’s maiden international five-wicket haul helped give Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20 series against Pakistan with a 13-run victory in Sydney.

Some teams from this year’s men’s T20 World Cup are yet to pay players their full prize money, according to the World Cricketers’ Association.