West Indies wins against New Zealand and win series 4-1

West Indies sealed their first ODI series win over a Test nation other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh since April 2008, barely overcoming a heroic century from Ross Taylor, who returned after missing four matches due to a shoulder injury. Taylor was up against too many opponents today - an offspinner conceding two runs an over, a fiery quick bowling at close to 150 kph, and his own batsmen, only one of whom managed a strike-rate of more than 60.Despite those challenges, Taylor kept slogging sixes over the leg side to bring the equation down to 50 off the last seven overs. Sunil Narine bowled three of those overs for two, four and three runs. New Zealand were also denied a no-ball, and a free-hit, in Narine's last over. Taylor holed out in the next, the 49th. Game over.Taylor had arrived in the eighth over when New Zealand's other big hope, Brendon McCullum, playing his first competitive game since the IPL, had pulled Andre Russell to short midwicket for 10 off 18. Taylor's response was consecutive fours - a trademark cut past point and a push past mid-off. Three overs later, Rob Nicol, who had swung his way to 35 off 31, lofted Darren Sammy to deep midwicket. Taylor's response was to walk into an extra cover drive for four.Kane Williamson was again a mess against Narine, and New Zealand were reduced to 75 for 4. Then followed the highest partnership of the innings, 71 for the fifth wicket between Taylor and Tom Latham, who trudged to 32 off 62 and further increased the pressure on his captain. The stand ate up 20 overs, dot balls making up more than 11 of them, as Narine, Sammy and Marlon Samuels proved difficult to get awayseries win over a Test nation other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh since April 2008, barely overcoming a heroic century from Ross Taylor, who returned after missing four matches due to a shoulder injury. Taylor was up against too many opponents today - an offspinner conceding two runs an over, a fiery quick bowling at close to 150 kph, and his own batsmen, only one of whom managed a strike-rate of more than 60.Despite those challenges, Taylor kept slogging sixes over the leg side to bring the equation down to 50 off the last seven overs. Sunil Narine bowled three of those overs for two, four and three runs. New Zealand were also denied a no-ball, and a free-hit, in Narine's last over. Taylor holed out in the next, the 49th. Game over.Taylor had arrived in the eighth over when New Zealand's other big hope, Brendon McCullum, playing his first competitive game since the IPL, had pulled Andre Russell to short midwicket for 10 off 18. Taylor's response was consecutive fours - a trademark cut past point and a push past mid-off. Three overs later, Rob Nicol, who had swung his way to 35 off 31, lofted Darren Sammy to deep midwicket. Taylor's response was to walk into an extra cover drive for four.Kane Williamson was again a mess against Narine, and New Zealand were reduced to 75 for 4. Then followed the highest partnership of the innings, 71 for the fifth wicket between Taylor and Tom Latham, who trudged to 32 off 62 and further increased the pressure on his captain. The stand ate up 20 overs, dot balls making up more than 11 of them, as Narine, Sammy and Marlon Samuels proved difficult to get away.

West Indies 264 (Pollard 56, Oram 3-42) beat 

New Zealand 240 (Taylor 110, Best 4-46) by 24 runs

Result: West Indies Won

Amir Khan's Defeat to Danny Garcia

Boxing careers at the top level can be built in an instant, or collapse in the blink of an eye. Amir Khan admitted after losing to Danny Garcia that he only has himself to blame after suffering a crushing fourth-round stoppage in Las Vegas.He was put on the canvas three times. It should probably have been stopped at the end of the third round, when Amir Khan was first caught by a thunderous left hook on the neck, rather than having been extended into the fourth period.Yet the house fighter often gets the best opportunity to stay in the fight. Referee Kenny Bayless appeared to allow Khan the best opportunity to recover. In reality, Khan staggered back to his corner at the end of the third round clearly out on his feet. All the signs were there that the Bolton fighter was taking the power of Garcia too lightly. In other words, he arguably failed to respect his opponent enough. Khan was the huge favourite, Garcia a replacement fight for the cancelled contest against Lamont Peterson, who tested positive for a synthetic steroid.This outcome is a huge game-changer for Khan. It puts him back where he was when Breidis Prescott knocked him out in September 2008. He will be accused of being 'overprotected, over-hyped'. Khan remains hugely exciting as a fighter, a man with massive desire and heart and clear brilliance in his athletic abilities. Yet his flaws are clear to see.Khan's stated project of moving up to the welterweight division and fighting Floyd Mayweather Jnr, the widely-regarded No 1 pound for pound fighter on the planet, lies in tatters.There was a carelessness in the exchanges from Khan in the third round against Garcia - a counter puncher with a dangerous left hook, his best weapon - which have consigned him to a long rebuilding process.

England Test Rankings Boost

England's gap at the top of the ICC Test rankings has increased after the annual update of the table, but they can still be overhauled if South Africa win the series that starts on July 19.Following the refresh to the table, which sees results before 2009 wiped off to give more emphasis on recent form, South Africa have slipped to third behind Australia - that is partly due to a lack of recent Test action for them. However, any margin of victory against England over the three Tests will see them reach top spot.For England any victory will also see them hold onto the No. 1 position they attained last year by whitewashing India, but they can also maintain their ranking with a drawn series. England are currently in 122 points with South Africa on 113.South Africa, though, are unperturbed by their shift. "It was the only way we were looking at it, that we have to win the series to go No.1," Russell Domingo, the assistant coach, said. "So it doesn't make a difference to us where we are ranked now."Australia are currently sandwiched between the two teams, following their successful run in Test cricket under Michael Clarke. Since he took on the captaincy from Ricky Ponting they have beaten Sri Lanka away, drawn in South Africa, drawn at home to New Zealand, whitewashed India and beaten West Indies in the Caribbean.South Africa's fall to third is because, annually, the oldest results are no longer counted - in this case from 2008-09 - and it was in that period that they won both in England and in Australia. At the same time England's ranking has improved because that home defeat to South Africa and the away defeats in India and West Indies are no longer counted in the rankings calculations.Elsewhere, India and Pakistan have changed places. Pakistan, despite a 1-0 defeat in the three-Test series that finished in Sri Lanka on Thursday, have moved up to fourth and MS Dhoni's side, No. 1 this time last year, are now down in fifth place.

FA to Charge John Terry

The FA has said that it will 'now seek to conclude its own inquiries' into the John Terry affair.John Terry walked away with an acquittal from Westminster magistrates court on Friday, yet the Football Association could nevertheless charge Terry with a similar offence of racial abuse, for the exact same incident.The FA is to resume its investigation into Terry's use of the words "fucking black cunt" in relation to Anton Ferdinand, which was suspended after the police became involved and Terry was prosecuted.This toxic affair is in danger of poisoning race relations in the Premier League following many years of anti-racism progress. Several black players, including Fitz Hall and Cameron Jerome, exasperatedly questioned the verdict and on Saturday Rio Ferdinand, Anton's brother, replied "classic" to a tweet describing Ashley Cole, who gave evidence supportive of Terry, as "a choc ice". Garth Crooks, the BBC TV presenter who played for Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur through the hostile racism that enveloped football in the 1980s, called on the FA to charge Terry.Lord Herman Ouseley, the veteran anti-racism campaigner, chair of football's Kick It Out organisation, urged the FA to be "resolute", ignore the criminal prosecution completely, and "deal with the racial element" of what Terry said. Otherwise, he warned, black players could lose faith in the football authorities' commitment to combating racism."I am worried that this is a defining moment for the FA, to show it is a governing body prepared to keep to a high standard on the racism issue," Ouseley told the Observer. "If this incident, and the racial element of it, is not seen to be dealt with properly, there is the potential for black players to lose confidence in the authorities and withdraw their support for anti-racism campaigns."The likelihood of an FA charge for the racial element of what Terry said in his confrontation with Ferdinand rests on the distinction between the required degree of evidence to support a criminal conviction – proven beyond reasonable doubt – and an FA guilty decision, proven on the balance of probabilities.The chief magistrate, Howard Riddle, ruled Terry not guilty of a racially aggravated public order criminal offence because it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Terry said those words as an insult. Terry's case, from the day of Chelsea's match at Queens Park Rangers on 23 October, when his confrontation with Ferdinand took place, toThursday 12 July when his QC, George Carter-Stephenson, concluded his defence, was consistent. He claimed he believed Ferdinand had accused him on the pitch of using those words as an insult, and Terry maintained he was repeating them only to deny he had said them.Of that defence, Riddle expressed scepticism in his 13-page written judgment: "Mr Terry's explanation is, certainly under the cold light of forensic examination, unlikely." About Terry's case that he repeated the words back to deny having said them, Riddle went on: "It is not the most obvious response. It is sandwiched between other undoubted insults."Yet Riddle explained that the evidence left sufficient doubt; the film around what Terry said was obscured, the evidence of lip readers inconclusive and there were no independent witnesses who heard what Terry said.In December, according to the FA's procedures, a three-man panel found Liverpool's Luis Suárez guilty of abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra with a racial element, although there was no film or recording at all of the words spoken and no independent witnesses who heard them. The panel decided Evra had been consistent in maintaining that Suárez had referred to his colour in the two players' heated argument during the match at Anfield on 15 October and found Suárez's account "incredible". Suárez was banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.Ouseley said he remained thoroughly impressed with the FA for its handling of that case, but warned that its credibility had become in danger of being undermined during its interrupted investigation into the Terry episode. The FA mounted its inquiry quickly after the QPR match and Terry was interviewed by the FA's head of off-field regulation, Jenni Kennedy, five days after the game. However, when the police became involved following a complaint made not by Anton Ferdinand but a member of the public (an off-duty police officer), the FA suspended its investigation.The course of events was then rocked by the court's acceptance in February of Terry's application to have the hearing delayed. His lawyers argued their ability to organise witnesses on Terry's behalf was seriously hampered by Chelsea's demanding season.The delay meant Terry continued to captain Chelsea, ultimately to the FA Cup and Champions League triumphs, although he was suspended for the final in Munich. As his case was not to be resolved before the European Championship, the FA responded by telling the then England manager, Fabio Capello, that Terry could not remain as England's captain, which prompted Capello to resign. Terry was still allowed to represent the national team as a player, in Poland and Ukraine, then Capello's successor, Roy Hodgson, decided not to select Rio Ferdinand for the squad. Hodgson insisted that was for football reasons, not because of the lingering poison in the impending Terry trial, but Ferdinand's omission struck a discordant note in the FA's conduct of the affair.The likeliest charge the FA will consider is a breach of its rule E3, which prohibits improper conduct including "indecent or insulting words or behaviour". A reference to a person's ethnic origin, colour or race is an aggravating factor. Given the nature of the confrontation and swearing, it is likely Anton Ferdinand could be charged, as well as Terry. The FA must consider, on the balance of probabilities, its view of how Terry said "fucking black cunt" in a Premier League football match, following a court's decision that it was not proven, beyond reasonable doubt, the words were said as an insult.The FA has said it will "now seek to conclude its own inquiries". There is no sign yet of how long that will take.