WEEKLY SPORTS DIGEST: Ashes now anyone's

WEEKLY SPORTS DIGEST: Australia claws back to level the Ashes

20/12/10 Executive sport summary – An overview of the major sporting events – Results, key moments and talking points – Everything you need to know to foot it at the water cooler this week.

By Jonathan McKeown

ASHES: Australia have rolled England in the third Ashes Test at the WACA. On day three England were set 391 for victory if they could survive the pace attack. Early wickets late on day two left a night watchman in the middle, but James Anderson didn’t hag round for long. The same can be said for all of the Englishmen as they were scuttled in under an hour by the Aussie attack.

Ryan Harris took 6 for 47 as England’s second innings crumbled for 123. The 267 run victory will give Australia some much needed confidence after being towelled. The series is now level at 1-1 heading into the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

NZ CRICKET: Rain turned the T20 match between the Canterbury Wizards and Central Stags into a ten over bashfest as the stags came through on top. Wind and rain prevented a result in the HRV Cup match between Auckland and Otago and Auckland’s match against Wellington.

Meanwhile Pakistan's cricketers have arrived in New Zealand for the 11 match series against the Black Caps. Both teams are looking for redemption in the international game for very different reasons. Pakistan are looking to bury spot-fixing allegations while New Zealand just want to get in the winner’s circle after 11 straight defeats.

PREMIER LEAGUE: Snow and wintery conditions have hampered progress in the Premiere League as all but two of the weekend’s matches were postponed including the anticipated clash between Manchester United and Chelsea. Of the two matches played Sunderland managed a 1-0 win over Bolton while Blackburn Rovers were held to a 1-1 draw by cellar dwellers West Ham.

A-LEAGUE: Wellington Phoenix halted Newcastle Jets' unbeaten run with a 4-0 trouncing at Westpac Stadium. The win could be costly as star striker Paul Ifill was stretchered off with a knee injury. However 19 year old Marco Rojas showed he is a player of the future scoring a goal and setting up two others.

In a harsh weekend for weather the Gold Coast v Central Coast clash was abandoned due to unplayable conditions. While Archie Thompson also limped off after scoring in Melbourne Victory's 2-0 win over Perth. Brisbane moved ten points clear at the top of the table after a 2-0 win over North Queensland.

BREAKERS: The New Zealand Breakers were on fire late scoring a come-from-behind 90-80 victory over the Melbourne Tigers and five wins in a row has underlined the Breakers championship credentials. New Zealand have gone to the top of the ANBL ladder improving their record to ten wins, two losses.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT: European champions Inter Milan are now the Club World Cup holders. Inter claimed yet another title beating African champions TP Mazembe 3-0 in Abu-Dhabi. Still alive in the champions league and on top in their domestic comp, Inter could claim a massive treble.

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