Cricket Australia has sent a formal letter to warring players officially informing them they will be unemployed if a deal is not reached this week in their protracted pay dispute. Amid reports that Australia’s cricketers will decide this weekend whether their image rights are sold offshore, CA high performance manager Pat Howard has warned they … Read more
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday reclaimed the title of world’s best one-day international batsman, buoyed by two half centuries registered while steering his side into the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Kohli edged out South African captain AB de Villiers and Australia’s Dave Warner in the latest rankings, taking back the crown for just the second … Read more
Steve Smith insists Australia’s batsmen will be ready for their do or die Champions Trophy showdown with England despite their lack of action in the tournament. Smith’s side endured the frustration of having Monday’s clash with Bangladesh abandoned due to rain, just days after their opening fixture against New Zealand was also washed out. On … Read more
Tamim Iqbal offered Bangladesh’s lone resistance with a valiant 95 as Australia restricted his side to 182 all out in Monday’s Champions Trophy Group A clash. After hitting 128 against England in Bangladesh’s opening match on Thursday, Tamim was the main man once again, but this time he lacked support and was unable to stop … Read more
Australia captain Steven Smith looked forward to a better performance from his attack in the remainder of the Champions Trophy after an “ordinary” display in their no result opener against New Zealand. Rain came to Australia’s rescue when, after several interruptions, Friday’s match was finally abandoned with Smith’s men 53 for three off nine overs … Read more
Australia must decide whether to unleash all of their ‘fearsome foursome’ of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson in their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand on Friday. Injuries have meant the quartet of fast bowlers have rarely all been fit at the same time and, even now, Australia may decide it’s … Read more
Australia are relishing the prospect of uniting their “big four” pace attack for the first time at the Champions Trophy — and sending a message to England ahead of the Ashes. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson are all fit and poised to bowl together given conducive conditions at the tournament in … Read more
Australia’s cricketers union urged a swift resolution to a damaging pay dispute on Monday to avoid any strike disruption to this year’s Ashes series. Cricket Australia last week threatened not to pay contracted players beyond the June 30 expiry of their current financial deal if they didn’t accept a new offer. The robust statement prompted … Read more
Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said Thursday Australia’s fast bowling quartet is ready to “wreak havoc” at next month’s Champions Trophy one-day tournament in England. Starc, who has recovered from a foot injury that cut short his India Test tour in March, said he is excited by the prospect of combining with his fellow speedsters at … Read more
Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson were Thursday named in Australia’s 15-man squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales. Starc has recovered from a stress fracture in his right foot which sent him home from Australia’s Test series in India last month, while Pattinson is fit again after serious shin … Read more
India skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday downplayed controversial remarks about ditching Australian cricketers as friends, saying his comments were blown out of proportion and he remained on good terms with some players. Kohli, who captained India to victory in the emotionally-charged four-Test series, told reporters after the decisive Dharamasala match that he would never consider … Read more
Five things we learned after India defeated Australia 2-1 to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Dharamsala this week: Relations between the old foes have always been testy, from the infamous “Monkeygate” scandal in 2008 to Virat Kohli showing Australian fans the middle finger four years later, but a bad-tempered series has exacerbated the animosity. From … Read more
Bitter rivals India and Australia resume their battle for Test supremacy on Thursday in Ranchi at the start of the third match in a series that has already dragged relations close to breaking point. India won the second Test in Bangalore to leave the series tantalisingly poised at 1-1 but simmering tensions boiled over when … Read more
Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the ongoing tour of India on Friday after suffering a stress fracture to his right foot, the team physiotherapist said. “Mitchell experienced some pain in his right foot during the second Test in Bangalore which unfortunately had not subsided a few days after the Test as … Read more
Pace bowler Josh Hazlewood grabbed six wickets as India dramatically collapsed to 274 all out in their second innings, leaving Australia a target of 188 to win the second Test. Hazlewood notched career-best figures of 6-67 while left-arm quick bowler Mitchell Starc and left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe took two wickets apiece each as India folded … Read more
Lokesh Rahul and Abhinav Mukund reached 38-0 at lunch on the third day of the second Test Monday after Ravindra Jadeja took six wickets as Australia were dismissed for 276. Left-arm spinner Jadeja took three of the four wickets to fall in the first hour in his 6-63 which kept Australia’s first innings lead down … Read more
A probing Australian bowling attack struck twice to jolt India as opener Lokesh Rahul braved a tough morning session on the opening day of the second Test in Bangalore Saturday. The hosts, who elected to bat first, were 72 for two at lunch as off-spinner Nathan Lyon got the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara (17) just … Read more
Sachin Tendulkar expects India to hit back hard in the second Test against Australia beginning Saturday in Bangalore after their shock defeat in the opening encounter. Australia’s crushing 333-run win in the first Test in Pune last weekend was the tourists’ first victory in India since 2004 and ended a 19-match unbeaten run for Virat … Read more
Mitchell Starc may have won the opening duel against Indian skipper Virat Kohli by getting the star batsman out for a duck in the first Test, but the Australian fast bowler insists the battle has just begun. Starc triggered India’s downfall in last week’s first Test in Pune by claiming the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara … Read more
Steve Smith on Saturday cracked his maiden century in India to help Australia set the hosts a daunting 441 to win the first Test in Pune. The visitors, who resumed day three on 143-4, were bowled out for 285 in an extended morning session which ended with the wicket of Steve O’Keefe (6) and lunch … Read more