Another season, another crop of players ready to stamp their mark on Australian cricket in the country’s biggest and best T20 showcase.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka to stay on course for World Test Championship final
- South Africa 358 & 317; Sri Lanka 328 & 238 | South Africa win by 109 runs
- Proteas need to win just one of their remaining two Tests to reach final
Spinner Keshav Maharaj took five wickets as South Africa secured a 109-run victory over Sri Lanka on the last day of the second Test at St George’s Park and a 2-0 sweep of the series. Maharaj finished with figures of 5-76 as South Africa took 70 minutes to dismiss Sri Lanka for 238.
The game had been set up for a thrilling finale as both teams required a win to keep them in contention for a place in next June’s World Test Championship final.
Continue reading...‘Real difference of opinion’: Paine lifts lid on Head’s tense JL bond… and why he’s thrived since
Australian batting marvel Travis Head has flourished since the departure of former coach Justin Langer, who tried to curtail the South Australians attacking flair, according to former Test captain Tim Paine.
Cummins confirms one change to XI for the Gabba as unlucky cult hero dropped again — Test Daily
Josh Hazlewood is back for the third Test at the Gabba as Pat Cummins confirmed that Scott Boland will once again by the unlucky one to miss out.
‘Heated exchange’: Captain’s feud with angry star clouds Test selection — Indian View
Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s relationship with star fast bowler Mohammed Shami is under scrutiny at a crucial time in the Border-Gavaskar Test series, with claims the pair had a “heated exchange”.
Five key takeaways for England after their series success in New Zealand
Brydon Carse’s ban has been the making of him, while Shoaib Bashir still represents an Ashes gamble
Unless you’re Australia, New Zealand is not an easy place to win a Test series. India haven’t done so since 2008-09; England hadn’t managed it since 2007-08. The relatively modest praise for England’s achievement suggests New Zealand are condescended to in defeat as well as victory. If the first Test was a flawed slugfest, the second was a clinical demolition. England put a good New Zealand team under so much pressure – listen to how often the captain Tom Latham used that phrase – that eventually they could take no more. In both games England perceived an early batting collapse as an invitation to go harder, a common occurrence in the first Bazball summer and a sign, when it comes off, of a team in rude health. It was also telling that, for the first time in a while, England’s players looked like they were having all kinds of fun.
Continue reading...South Africa go top of World Test Championship after Sri Lanka fall apart on final day
Keshav Maharaj took five wickets as South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 109 runs on the fifth day of the second Test at St George’s Park on Monday.
Luke Littler named on six-strong Sports Personality of the Year shortlist
- Teenager could become youngest winner since 1958
- Hodgkinson, Yee, Bellingham, Root and Storey included
Luke Littler will have a shot at becoming the youngest winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award for more than 60 years, after being named on a six-strong shortlist headed by the Paris 2024 Olympics stars Keely Hodgkinson and Alex Yee.
The England footballer Jude Bellingham, the cricketer Joe Root and the Paralympian Sarah Storey make up the list. But, surprisingly, there is no place for Mark Cavendish, in a year when he broke Eddy Merckx’s record for Tour de France stage wins.
Continue reading...‘Never seen anything like it’: Astonishing final-ball blunder stuns in Sheffield Shield
Tasmania coughed up one of the worst losses in Sheffield Shield history, after Riley Meredith was inexcusably run out on the final ball against South Australia.
Travis Head and controversial India star found guilty, face sanctions over fiery send-off incident
Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj have been found guilty of breaching cricket’s code of conduct following their fiery confrontation during the Adelaide Test.
Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head found guilty of breaching ICC code over Adelaide spat
- Indian bowler fined and given demerit point after incident
- Australian batter reprimanded and given demerit point
Australian batter Travis Head and Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj have been found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct for their verbal spat in the second Test in Adelaide.
Siraj was fined 20% of his match fee after being found to have breached article 2.5 of the code, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal”.
Continue reading...‘Caused me a lot of trouble’: Next 24 hours crucial as Aussies face nervous Gabba selection wait
Josh Hazlewood said the next day is critical to his hopes of being able to rejoin the Australian team for what shapes as a pivotal Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane.
Warning for Aussies as ‘absolute menace’ leads England’s ‘next-gen talent’ surge: UK View
England’s investment in its emerging young talent is paying big dividends, according to UK media, who’ve warned Australian selectors about being too reliant on experienced players ahead of next year’s Ashes.
India’s pantomime villain shone a spotlight on their ‘glaring concern’. Now it could define the series
For a brief moment on Saturday afternoon, the entire Indian dressing room held its breath.
‘Now you’ve got two of them’: England’s big Bazball boost as new ‘hero’ makes history — UK view
England batting wunderkind Harry Brook’s bonkers Test feats now have him sitting among cricket legends after thriving during a New Zealand series that saw the visitors’ trademark ‘Bazball’ attitude return.