England rescued their Twenty20 World Cup hopes as they held their nerve to see off New Zealand by 20 runs at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Australia captain Aaron Finch said Thursday he couldn't wait to face England in a Twenty20 World Cup clash that is shaping up as a must-win showdown for the Ashes rivals.

Fast bowler Sam Curran returned figures of 5-10 to help England beat Afghanistan by five wickets in their opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup in Perth on Saturday.

Chelsea and England defender Reece James will miss the World Cup in Qatar after the Premier League club confirmed on Saturday he will be out for eight weeks due to a knee injury.

Jos Buttler is back in his all-action role as captain, opening batsman and wicketkeeper as power-packed England prepare to launch their bid for Twenty20 World Cup glory.

The stampede at a domestic football match in eastern Indonesia that led to at least 129 deaths late on Saturday is the latest in a long line of football stadium tragedies.

England's Phil Salt scored a blistering half-century as the visitors raced to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan in their sixth Twenty20 clash in Lahore on Friday to level the seven-match series at 3-3.

Pakistan debutant Aamir Jamal displayed experience beyond his years by producing a brilliant final over to help his side clinch a narrow six-run T20I victory over England in Karachi on Wednesday.

Gareth Southgate hopes England will feel the benefit of being put under intense pressure in recent days at the World Cup after fighting back from 2-0 down to salvage a 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday.

England manager Gareth Southgate, under fire after a disappointing Nations League campaign, said he is nonetheless "the right person" to take the team into this year's World Cup in Qatar.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Monday that he hopes a seven-match series against England starting in Karachi this week will help him return to his best scoring form, after a lean Asia Cup earlier this month.

There is a life beyond cricket and Shan Masood got a whole new perspective when he lost his beloved sister. As he geared up to make his T20I debut against England, the lanky left-hander spoke about how he feels blessed to be wearing the Pakistan green and doesn’t want to carry the baggage of pressure.

Joe Root has warned England's rivals they are no "one-trick pony" after the team wrapped up a sixth Test victory in seven matches with their new hyper-aggressive brand of cricket.

The longest-serving monarch of the British Empire, Queen Elizabeth II, has passed away at the age of 96, putting an end to a reign that lasted seven decades.

Jason Roy has been left out of England's Twenty20 World Cup squad as the opener paid for his run of poor form.

England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler said he is hopeful he can fully recover from a calf injury and hit top gear in time for this year's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.

England Test captain Ben Stokes kept the dialogue on mental health going as the all-rounder revealed he was still on anxiety medication after returning from a six-month break to focus on his wellbeing.

England captain Ben Stokes said his side "can't be great every day" following a crushing defeat by a "relentless" South Africa in the first Test at Lord's.

England, the newly crowned European champions, will take on Brazil in the inaugural women's "Finalissima" after Pia Sundhage's side claimed their fourth straight Copa America title with a 1-0 win against hosts Colombia at the weekend.

Rassie van der Dussen's century helped South Africa spoil Ben Stokes's farewell to one-day international cricket as the Proteas won by 62 runs on the England star's Durham home ground to go 1-0 up in a three-match series.