Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide will host the one-day internationals between England and Australia early next year. The first ODI will get under way at the MCG on 12 January – five days after the final Ashes Test ends at the SCG. Cricket Australia also confirmed the schedule for the Twenty20 series, which will see three matches in the space of five days from 29 January in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney. James Sutherland, CA's chief executive, said: "The full 2013-14 international schedule includes 33 days of international cricket and five tour matches. Dates and venues

It is hard to feel a great deal of sympathy when a team request the application of the heavy roller before their innings, only to find it makes a good pitch less predictable. Such appeared to be the case as Surrey's attempt to build a first-innings lead faltered in the face of accurate Nottinghamshire swing bowling, abetted – at least in the early stages – by an uneven bounce that had not been present on the first day. It was a combination that meant wickets fell regularly from the first over of the day, when Jade Dernbach ended Nottinghamshire's first innings by trapping the la

New Zealand claimed victory in a game of patience on the first day of this rapid return series between the teams, leaving England to draw consolation from the fact that they incurred much less damage than they had on the opening day in Dunedin two months ago. On that occasion, they were all out for 167 in 55 overs, a slapdash performance that gifted the advantage to the Black Caps. "We've spoken about the first innings and setting up games," said Jonathan Trott, whose 39 from 96 balls made him not only England's top scorer on the day, but also the speediest. "I still think we're in a posit

This is a difficult day to place in context. To lose four wickets on the first day of a Test, let alone the first of a series in England in May, would represent solid progress were it not for the fact that in the process of so doing, England almost batted themselves and the crowd into a stupor. The rain showered down at half past five, depriving the public of the final 10 overs, but mercifully, some might say, of more excruciation. England, who won the toss, had hobbled their way tentatively to 160 for four. Not yet two months ago, in their last Test innings, against the same opposition and

The waiting game has been lengthy for Leinster, Ireland and the Lions but speculation over the playing future of Brian O'Driscoll is over. Ireland's most-capped centre has signed a one-year contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union and will be available for province and country until June 2014, assuming his creaking body plays ball. O'Driscoll's announcement, ironically enough, was followed inside a couple of hours by the news that a back injury will sideline him from Friday's Amlin Challenge Cup final between Leinster and Stade Français in Dublin. The 34-year-old's fitness remain

Hands up anyone whose words have come home to haunt them. It's not a pleasant sensation and made worse when the offending remarks are caught on film. I mention this now because one of the best players on the world stage in the past decade is about to leave Britain – he was due to captain Saracens against the South African Barbarians on Thursday night – and his is a career that should not end without remark. Certainly not without an apology for calling John Smit old, slow and fat. The circumstances are these. Less than five minutes into the first Test of the last Lions tour,

Matt Stevens was the surprise selection in the Lions squad for the tour to Australia – the only player in the 37 who is not involved in international rugby – but he is one of four survivors from the expedition to New Zealand eight years ago, an experience he believes makes him a contender for a Test place. The Saracens prop, who ended his England career last year so that he could focus on his club, is expected to be the third choice after Adam Jones and Dan Cole, but he intends to ensure that if the pair make the Test 23 ahead of him that they do so on form, not reputation. "I

The lucky people in town might have visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, or perhaps mooched about at one of the many dumpling stands while discussing the merits of the new deep water container port at Yangshan. Those who did not know how to have such a good time came, instead, to the International Circuit for an afternoon of noisy tedium in which Fernando Alonso and Ferrari won their first race of the season. This was a race dominated by the different demands of soft and medium tyre strategies but for the spectators the best strategy of all would have been to remain at home. P

Honda is to return to Formula One in 2015 after confirming on Thursday a partnership with McLaren as engine supplier. Honda chief executive Takanobu Ito and McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh made the announcement in Tokyo. The Japanese manufacturing giant quit the sport at the end of 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis. But with F1 due for a major engine overhaul from next season when turbo-charged 1.6 litre V8 powerplants replace the current 2.4 litre V12 units, Honda has decided the time is right to make a comeback. McLaren and Honda formed one of the most successfu

Pirelli are to now bring in changes to their tyres from the Canadian Grand Prix for the sake of the fans. The Italian manufacturer has responded quickly to the criticism that followed Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix during which there were 79 pit stops, at an average of almost four per driver. Motorsport director, Paul Hembery, conceded after the race the rubber used at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya was "too aggressive". It was suggested changes would be made for the British Grand Prix at the end of June, but following meetings within the company Hembery said: "The sooner we could do it the