Category: Australia Cricket

Josh Tongue’s promising Test debut has seen the Worcestershire fast bowler included in an unchanged England squad announced Saturday for the first two matches of the upcoming Ashes series.

Under-pressure Australia batsman David Warner said Saturday he wanted to finish his Test career next year with a farewell match in his hometown of Sydney.

Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett both compiled record-breaking centuries before debutant Josh Tongue took his first wickets in Test cricket as England continued to dominate their Ashes warm-up against Ireland on Friday’s second day at Lord’s.

After a near-perfect 18 months in the Test arena, Australia embarked on their 2023 winter campaign with three monumental challenges on the horizon.

The Australian camp is more than happy with Cameron Green’s Indian Premier League preparation for six Tests in England, confident “any cricket is preparation now”.

An “extremely disappointed” David Warner has vented his frustration at the “ridiculous” attempt by Cricket Australia to overturn his lifetime leadership ban last summer.

Ben Duckett’s dashing unbeaten fifty took England to within sight of a first-innings lead over Ireland on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is confident of being ready to go for the World Test Championship final against England, but knows he’s unlikely to play all six Tests on the campaign.

Josh Tongue is set to make his England debut after being named Tuesday in the XI to play Ireland in this week’s one-off Test at Lord’s.

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie says there is a chance fringe quicks Scott Boland and Michael Neser will be picked to play together in the Ashes.

Ravindra Jadeja hit a six and four off the last two balls as Chennai Super Kings edged out Gujarat Titans to win a record-equalling fifth Indian Premier League title and send superstar M.S. Dhoni out with a bang in his likely swansong.

Test cricket will lose a part of itself when England’s elder statesman retires and, while it will survive, it will be painful

“Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head.” A few weeks ago English cricket was thrown into a medium-sized spasm by the news that Jimmy Anderson had sustained a groin injury playing for Lancashire against Somerset. On one level it felt faintly ridiculous that England’s Ashes chances should rise or fall on the fitness of a man old enough to have bowled at Derek Randall. But the predominant sensation was really a kind of paralysing fear: the sort that grips you when you hear that an elderly relative has fallen over at home. Everyone knows the stakes here. Every twinge, every niggle and every limp now comes with a sinister metatext: “this time, you know, it might really be over”.

But still we cling, because we don’t know where else we can go. Naturally Anderson’s injury turned out to be little more than a minor setback. He will be rested for the Test against Ireland this week. And so come 16 June, in all likelihood, we will once again be treated to the sight of Anderson gingerly grimacing his way to the bowling crease: blisters popping in his boots, face writ with that peculiar mixture of acute discomfort and acute satisfaction. Anderson, more than any bowler of his generation, has learned to associate pain with reward. This thing is supposed to hurt. That’s how you know it’s worth it.

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Australia has announced a trimmed 15-player squad for next week’s World Test Championship Final against India, with paceman Josh Hazlewood making the cut despite recent concerns about his fitness.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening forced the Indian Premier League final between reigning champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings into a reserve day for the first time.

• Hosts start with time at Stoke Park before one-off Ireland Test
• Spells at St Andrews, Gleneagles and Loch Lomond to follow

England and Australia will be teeing off before a ball is bowled in the Ashes, with some of the country’s most prestigious golf courses staging preparations for both men’s teams before the summer’s marquee Test series.

Australia arrive in the UK this weekend for the World Test Championship final against India, which gets under way at the Oval on 7 June. In addition to training and intra-squad cricket at Beckenham – there are no county warm-up matches scheduled – the tourists are reported to have lined up golf at Formby on Merseyside.

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