This week's highlights (August 01-07, 2016)

As Pakistan ground out a 103-run lead over England on the third day of this third Test, it was possible to imagine you were watching cricket from another era.

Different matches and – to be fair to Australia – different degrees of difficulty too. All the same, it seems a fair conclusion to draw.

Head down to Grappenhall Cricket Club (Broad Lane, WA4 3ER) on Wednesday afternoon, 10 August, from 4pm, as head of coaching and rugby Tony Smith and the full playing squad will be there.

In Karachi the father of Pakistan’s cricket has been fighting against liver cancer for his life. Hanif Mohammad not only made the highest first-class score of 499, until Brian Lara surpassed it, but the longest of all Test innings – a match-saving triple-century against West Indies of 970 minutes that was spread over five days in the burning Barbadian sun.