BRISBANE: After a build-up overshadowed by controversies and Covid, Australia and England’s hotly-anticipated five-Test Ashes showdown gets underway Wednesday in Brisbane with Joe Root’s men confident of defying recent history to cause an upset. Few series between the old rivals have witnessed such troubled preparations, with the tour threatened early on over Australia’s tough Covid-19 … Read more
BRISBANE: Australia confirmed their line-up for the first Ashes Test three days early on Sunday, recalling Travis Head for the hotly contested number five spot while retaining Mitchell Starc in the bowling attack. Head was dropped after the Boxing Day Test against India last year, and new Australia captain Pat Cummins said the way he … Read more
MUMBAI: New Zealand’s Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel claimed all 10 Indian wickets in the second Test, becoming only the third bowler in cricket history to achieve the feat on Saturday. Ajaz, a left-arm spinner, added to his tally of four wickets on the opening day to return figures of 10-119. India were all out for 325. England … Read more
LONDON: Ben Stokes is poised to make his eagerly awaited return to international cricket in the Ashes — and for England, it is not a moment too soon. The charismatic all-rounder has not played a competitive match since July when he took an indefinite break to focus on his mental health and to rest an … Read more
BRISBANE: Spinner Nathan Lyon believes his team can sweep the Ashes series, saying England will have doubts about their own chances given their poor record in Australia. The tourists have lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia going back more than a decade and haven’t won in Brisbane — where the opening Test … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia’s Tim Paine will quit all forms of cricket for the “foreseeable future”, Cricket Tasmania said Friday, after a sexting scandal led him to resign as Test captain. His decision put an abrupt end to the debate in Australia over whether he should take part in the Ashes, with the first Test against England opening in Brisbane on … Read more
BRISBANE: Australia’s bowlers want Tim Paine behind the stumps for the first Ashes Test against England because he is “the best keeper in the world”, spin king Nathan Lyon said Thursday. Paine quit as Test captain in disgrace last week over a historical text message scandal but is keen to keep playing. Read more: Tim … Read more
BRISBANE: Tim Paine has the full support of the Australian team and deserves to keep his place for the first Ashes Test against England, opener Marcus Harris said Wednesday. Paine suddenly quit as Test captain last week over a series of lewd text messages with a female colleague in 2017 that were about to be … Read more
SYDNEY: Chief selector George Bailey said Tuesday he will step aside from voting on whether Tim Paine should remain in the Australian Test cricket side if there is a split decision, given their personal and business relationship. Paine abruptly quit as skipper on Friday ahead of the Ashes series against England over a series of lewd text … Read more
MELBOURNE: Australia’s Boxing Day Test against arch-rivals England and next year’s Australian Open tennis will be played before a full house, Melbourne authorities said Thursday as they removed more pandemic restrictions. Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said that the state was about to hit 90 per cent vaccination, allowing long-standing restrictions to be swept aside, including … Read more
SYDNEY: Next year’s Twenty20 World Cup will be held across seven venues in Australia, officials confirmed Tuesday, with Sri Lanka and the West Indies forced to play for a place in the Super 12. The tournament, which was supposed to be held Down Under in 2020 but was pushed back two years due to coronavirus, … Read more
Australia Test captain Tim Paine said Friday that the Ashes will go ahead with or without Joe Root after the England skipper refused to commit until there was more clarity around coronavirus quarantine rules. Cricket Australia is negotiating with Canberra and their English counterparts over what type of biosecurity bubble players may have to endure … Read more
A sheep farmer who was unable to attend his aunt’s funeral due to a lockdown in New South Wales has paid tribute to her memories, a love heart made of sheep. Ben Jackson, from Guyra, was unable to travel to Brisbane to be with his aunt in her dying moments following a two-year battle with … Read more
