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Pakistan have solved their disciplinary problems and head into tomorrow's first Test against Australia as a united force confident of victory, said the new Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi. The 30-year-old Afridi came out of a four-year Test retirement to pick up the pieces after Pakistan's dismal tour of Australia this year ended in bitter recriminations.

The two previous captains, Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan, were both banned indefinitely for alleged infighting as part of widespread punishments dished out by the Pakistan Cricket Board following the 3-0 Test series whitewash, plus defeats in all six limited-overs internationals.

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The Indian cricket captain was acclaimed throughout the country for winning the first ICC Twenty20 World Cup trophy in 2007. News of his marriage generated headlines at the weekend.

The media on Wednesday was full of speculation as to where his reception would be and who would be invited. In the event Dhoni and his bride cropped up in Ranchi, in the state of Jharkhand, where he lives.

Dhoni married Sakshi, a 21-year-old management student, on Sunday night in a private ceremony attended by only about 50 people in the city of Dehradun.

His close friends and fellow cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma all attended amid heavy security.

"Dhoni was really relaxed and having a good time. The couple look very good together and we heard murmurs from girls present at the event that their hearts are broken.

Pakistan were a team at each other’s throats until recently making the MCC’s decision to sponsor their series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner almost the ultimate cricketing definition of irony. But after two successive one-sided Twenty20 wins over Australia it is smiles all round for this eclectic bunch of cricketers who appear unified under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi. Afridi is a hyperactive bundle of energy and perhaps it maybe it takes a maverick to lead a team capable of implosion at any moment.

Winning helps to lift the mood and these two performances at Edgbaston have given impetus for a long tour of England. It has also allowed England a glimpse of what they are about to experience and they will be wary - Mohammad Aamer, a 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler in the mould of Wasim Akram, and Umar Gul are two special talents.

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Pakistan's band of travelling showmen made Edgbaston their home stage with a thrilling performance of fast bowling and big hitting that had a noisy crowd recreating the atmosphere of Lahore or Karachi. At times it felt as if the only members of the 13,000 crowd cheering Australia at this Twenty20 international were the 11 in yellow. Australians are used to getting the bird over here from English fans but last night it was.

Pakistanis revelling in their discomfort. You cannot blame them for enjoying the moment. This was the first time Pakistan had beaten Australia in 13 matches. With half of Edgbaston a building site – the Pavilion End has been levelled for a new development – the crowd did their best to bring down the rest with some ground-shaking noise.

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The wedding, at Vishranti Resorts at Bidhauli, was a private affair attended by only close family and friends, the daily newspaper said. The Times said teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra were in attendance, as well as Indian cricket chief Shashank Manohar and Bollywood actor John Abraham.

Dhoni, 28, got engaged to Sakshi, 23, at a  private ceremony on Saturday night, the newspaper said. The 28-year old wicket-keeper batsman has played 43 Tests, 166 ODIs and 25 T20s for India. Under his captaincy India became the number one Test side in the world and the number two ODI side.

The home team produced another inept batting display to reach the close of play with a 19-run lead and only three wickets left. The defiant Shivnarine Chanderpaul was 57 not out and Sulieman Benn was unbeaten on 4. Paceman Dale Steyn ripped through the top order with three wickets before spinner Johan Botha took three more.

Steyn removed openers Dale Richards (17) and Chris Gayle (10) and then dismissed Narsingh Deonarine for a first-ball duck. Steyn was earlier involved in a war of words with Benn and appeared to spit in his direction when the South African was dismissed.

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Shaun Tait's successful NatWest Series rehabilitation is already raising the question of whether his body could withstand a return to Test, and specifically Ashes, cricket too. Ricky Ponting has had to manage the 27-year-old in two and even.

One-over spells since Tait was recalled for his first one-day internationals in 16 months - at Old Trafford and the The Oval.

That has not stopped the Australia captain acknowledging the temptation to try to persuade the injury-plagued fast bowler to consider Tests again, even though he has officially retired from first-class cricket.

"I will be talking to him about that, yeah," he told The Australian. "I'm sure a few of our boys will be having a whisper in his ear over the next few weeks. I'm sure a few of our boys will be having a whisper in his ear over the next few weeks."

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There comes a time in every great player's career when the milestones crop up so frequently that instead of being proof of ability they begin to weigh heavily. Each one says: "How much more of this can you take? Why not just sit under the shade of this tree and rest a while?"

Ricky Ponting, youthful no longer at 35, has not been short of milestones in this series. There was the 3,000th ODI to start the NatWest Series at the Rose Bowl when he suggested deadpan that it felt like he had played in most of them.

Then today they came all at once: his 13,000th one-day run, with only Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya ahead of him, his 350th appearance and with it a world-record 219 as captain. It would be enough for lesser men to make backs ache and feet burst into blisters.

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"Without a doubt it is better to beat Australia 5-0 than 3-2 or 4-1," said Flower, whose England  team go into Wednesday's NatWest Series match at the Oval with a 3-0 lead. "I think that the fact that we have won three games and that we can win another two, grows our self belief and can dent theirs."

The Germans managed 4-0 against the Aussies in the football World Cup but nobody beats them 5-0 at cricket, do they? Well, actually New Zealand did so at home in 2005. But Flower will not allow his team to entertain thoughts of emulating that until they have secured win number four.

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England’s footballers failed to live up to their ‘Golden Generation’ tag after their embarrassing exit from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But their cricket counterparts might still have a chance to live up to that label. While Capello’s men were getting knocked out after losing 4-1 to Germany.

The England cricket team was winning the third one-day international against Australia. Even though it was by one wicket, it gave England an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Success is now not only expected from the superstar footballers and anyway, it will now be another 4 years before England will have another shot at football glory at the world stage. In the meantime, however, the cricketers have made dramatic progress. After little more than a month of winning the ICC World Twenty20 in West Indies, they are now eyeing a 5-0 win over Australia.

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