Australian teenager Ollie Peake will make his international debut this weekend, selected for Saturday’s series opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, captain Josh Inglis has confirmed.
Teen sensation goes ballistic again but India skipper steals the show to seal IPL final berth
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 96 was in vain as Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on Friday to set up an IPL final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
England in-tray: McCullum says he knows what went wrong in the Ashes – but can he fix it?
The England head coach has five key challenges to address in the buildup to next week’s first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s
For all that the series was obviously a failure, England were competitive for periods of most of the Ashes Tests. But McCullum has repeatedly conceded that in the key moments when matches tend to be decided his side have a habit of stumbling. The question is why, and on Friday he made the telling admission: “I thought some of our guys were more ready for the pressure that was coming in Australia than they [actually] were.” So he has had to reconsider how to best prepare for such intangibles. England were widely condemned for a lackadaisical buildup to the first Ashes Test but McCullum implied that his players’ problem was not down to poor preparation, but actually to poor, or insufficient, coaching. Given that the removal of pressure has always been at the very heart of his coaching philosophy, this is essentially an admission of failure. “That’s always been one of our things, to try and take pressure away from the guys,” he said. “[But] it’s going to land with some guys before it’s going to land with others, and our job is to make sure it lands with everyone a little quicker than maybe it has done.” McCullum is now clear that for his players to overcome pressure he does not just have to create good vibes, but also put in hard work. “It’s making sure we’re a little bit more drilled down on some of those tactics so the guys have got absolute clarity in those pressure moments, so that we can hopefully be able to handle those better than we have in the bigger series so far,” he said.
Continue reading...‘Gap that presents at the top’: Under-fire Green in consideration for surprise opener promotion
Cameron Green will be considered as Australia’s newest Test opener, partnering with Travis Head in attempt to squeeze both him and Beau Webster into the XI, per a report.
‘It affected him’: Monty ‘guilty’ over Smith spat… but can’t resist final jab as Warne regret lingers
Former England spinner Monty Panesar has confessed he wants to apologise to Steve Smith next time he sees the Australian batter following their war of words ahead of the recent Ashes series.
Why experiment could make or break Green; prodigy’s ‘sink or swim’ moment — Australia vs Pakistan ODI Series Talking Pts
Australia’s 18-month journey towards its World Cup defence campaign commences this weekend with three ODIs against Pakistan in the subcontinent.
‘Absolute joke’: Record-breaking scenes as 15yo prodigy destroys Cummins in ‘pure magic’
Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lashed a staggering 12 sixes to lead Rajasthan Royals to an IPL play-off showdown against Gujarat Titans after a 47-run drubbing of Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.
McCullum vows to keep ‘firm grip’ on England players after ‘mistakes’ in winter tours
Head coach ‘confident our best cricket is in front of us’
Issues with alcohol among tourists due to ‘distractions’
Brendon McCullum has promised to use “a firm grip” to eradicate issues with alcohol and attitude among the England squad, admitting that “there were some mistakes made” by his players during last winter’s tours of New Zealand and Australia.
In his first interview since returning to England for the start of the international summer, with the first Test against New Zealand starting at Lord’s next Thursday, McCullum conceded that his team had proved unable to handle the pressure of an away Ashes series.
Continue reading...Lyon on track for Test return despite ‘flat spots’… but Aussie selection not guaranteed
National coach Andrew McDonald remains hopeful that Nathan Lyon will recover from his injury before the Test series against Bangladesh, but stopped short of guaranteeing the veteran spinner’s selection if available.
Aussies hoping to break 28-year drought ahead of nine-match subcontinent tour — Ultimate Guide
The Australian men’s team returns to action this weekend, facing Pakistan in the first of nine white-ball matches in the subcontinent.
Undermanned Aussies call upon fourth-choice captain after Marsh suffers fresh setback
Australia has been forced to call upon its fourth-choice white-ball captain after Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the ODI tour of Pakistan with an ankle injury.
‘One to forget’: Record IPL bloodbath as Kohli leads spectacular playoff thrashing
Rajat Patidar led from the front with an unbeaten 93 to help defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into the IPL final with a 92-run thrashing of Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.
Everything you need to know as Aussie stars, legend and teen sensation face off in IPL playoffs — Ultimate Guide
Veteran batting great Virat Kohli and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be in the spotlight as the T20 Indian Premier League spans the generations in the playoffs beginning on Wednesday morning AEST.
‘Risk is real’: Frank warning over million-dollar Ashes dilemma… and blunt verdict on struggling Green
National coach Andrew MacDonald has “full trust” that Australia’s multi-format cricketers will make the tough decision to skip next year’s Indian Premier League if they feel it would jeopardise their Ashes preparation.
Head family targeted in disgusting repeat as Kohli’s handshake snub sparks vile abuse
Travis Head and his wife Jessica have been targeted by sickening trolls after the Australian cricketer’s Indian Premier League spat with Indian superstar Virat Kohli.