Cricket Australia will fly flags at half-mast and black armbands will return to players’ uniforms as the sport prepares to mark the 10-year anniversary of Phillip Hughes’ death.
Saturday’s Sheffield Shield round will begin two weeks of commemorations for Hughes, whose life was tragically cut short days before his 26th birthday in 2014.
Continue reading...Inspired captaincy, a nail-biting underdog’s win for Thanasi Kokkinakis and good old-fashioned Australian doubles pedigree has powered Australia into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup in Spain.
Lleyton Hewitt outduelled his USA counterpart Bob Bryan in the key captaincy decisions of their quarter-final tie in Malaga on Thursday as Australia defeated the Americans 2-1 in the battle between the two nations who have won the men’s “World Cup of tennis” more than any other.
Continue reading...A three-match suspension has ended Samu Kerevi’s tour, jolting his longer-term Wallabies hopes and opening the door for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s return against Scotland.
The centre’s yellow card for a high shot was upgraded to a 20-minute red in Australia’s defeat of Wales in Cardiff. On Wednesday the 31-year-old’s fate was sealed, a disciplinary committee upholding the on-field decision and halving the standard six-week ban due to his guilt, remorse and good record.
Continue reading...The Hawthorn racism scandal has ended after the AFL club settled their Federal Court case with Indigenous former players and their families, and apologised to the group for their experiences.
The club and players released a joint statement on Wednesday night, confirming the settlement after two days of mediation this week.
Continue reading...A hamstring injury to Glenn Maxwell was the only dampener as Marcus Stoinis helped Australia thrash Pakistan by seven wickets to seal a clean sweep in their three-game Twenty20 series.
The all-rounder Maxwell limped off with a suspected low-grade issue in Hobart on Monday night after pulling up sore while fielding. He was not required to bat and will have almost a month to recover for the Melbourne Stars’ Big Bash League season opener against Perth on 15 December.
Continue reading...Spencer Johnson produced the greatest-ever figures by an Australian quick in a men’s Twenty20 international to bowl his side to a 13-run win over Pakistan.
With Australia defending 9-147 at the SCG on Saturday night, Johnson bagged five for 26 with the ball to have Pakistan all out for 134 and help the hosts to an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Continue reading...Australia’s new cross-code star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been surprisingly dropped from the Wallabies’ starting lineup against Wales following his impressive debut against England.
The 21-year-old, who was man-of-the-match in the thrilling win over England at Twickenham last Saturday having played the entire 80 minutes, will revert to the bench in Cardiff on Sunday.
Continue reading...Nick Kyrgios will make his long-awaited return to competitive tennis at the Brisbane International after playing only one ATP Tour match in more than two years.
The 29-year-old firebrand has been mostly sidelined with career-threatening wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open quarter-finals. That run came six weeks after reaching the Wimbledon decider when he came closest to an elusive major crown before falling in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
Continue reading...Glenn Maxwell went wild with the bat, then Xavier Bartlett ripped apart Pakistan’s top order as Australia dominated a seven-over Gabba Twenty20 slog to win by 29 runs.
Lightning and heavy rain reduced Thursday’s series opener in Brisbane to a seven-overs-a-side contest, and it was one-way traffic as soon as Maxwell (43 off 19) strode to the crease. His brazen innings featured boundaries to all corners of the ground, before Marcus Stoinis chimed in with 21 off seven balls, including 10 off the final two balls of the innings as Australia finished on 93 for four. The visitors could only muster 64 for nine in their allotment as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Continue reading...The Wallabies must make at least two enforced team changes after winger Dylan Pietsch was forced out of the grand slam spring tour of Europe with a calf injury.
Pietsch is on his way back home to Australia after hurting himself in the Wallabies’ 42-37 tour-opening triumph over England at Twickenham on Sunday morning.
Continue reading...Alex de Minaur’s ATP Finals debut appears to have come to a brutal end with a match still to play after being blown off court by a rejuvenated Daniil Medvedev.
The Russian, who said he was looking forward to the season being over after succumbing to a tantrum during his opening round defeat to Taylor Fritz, brushed aside the Australian No.1 6-2 6-4 in 78 minutes of high-octane tennis on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Cooper Connolly suffered what could be a fractured hand as Australia surrendered their one-day international series to Pakistan after another disastrous display with the bat.
Australia, missing Test stars Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, finished with a paltry 140 from 31.5 overs on Sunday, with Connolly unable to return after retiring hurt on seven. In reply, Pakistan reached the victory target with 139 balls to spare to wrap up an eight-wicket win and a 2-1 series triumph over the world champions. It marked Pakistan’s first series win over the Aussies in Australia in 22 years.
Continue reading...Australia have shown a ruthless edge to rise above the sea of red and hold off Tonga in a 20-14 Pacific Cup final win.
In front of a 28,728-strong pro-Tongan crowd at CommBank Stadium on Sunday, the Kangaroos made amends for last year’s final where they suffered the biggest defeat in their history at the hands of New Zealand. Led by an impressive showing from five-eighth Tom Dearden and a two-try haul from Tom Trbojevic, Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos showed a calmness and maturity to capitalise off Tonga’s errors and seal victory.
Continue reading...Australia have reasserted their status as the heavyweights of international women’s rugby league, thrashing New Zealand 24-4 in the Pacific Cup final as revenge for last year’s decider.
The pressure was on the Jillaroos this Pacific Championships following that shock loss to the Kiwi Ferns in the 2023 final, and some controversial selection calls since.
Continue reading...Australia have settled on Nathan McSweeney to be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner for the start of the blockbuster Test series against India. After an outstanding start to the domestic season, McSweeney has beaten Marcus Harris for the vacant spot in the Australian XI.
McSweeney will become the first Australian player in 47 years to make his Test debut as an opener despite never having batted there at Sheffield Shield level. The 25-year-old top-scored in both innings of the first Australia A match in Mackay when batting at No 4. But he was unable to convert starts – 14 and 25 – in both innings as Australia A closed out a six-wicket win in the second match at the MCG.
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