Australia’s ‘proud’ Lyon says 400-wicket feat yet to sink in

Lyon

BRISBANE: Australia’s Nathan Lyon said reaching the milestone of 400 Test wickets in Saturday’s big Ashes win and joining cricket’s greats had not yet sunk in. A classical off-spinner, the 34-year-old removed Dawid Malan for 82 on the fourth day of the first Test against England to write his name in Australian sporting history. Speaking immediately … Read more

Root says beaten England must not feel sorry for themselves

Root

BRISBANE: England captain Joe Root said Saturday his team must fix their fielding and batting to get back into the Ashes series, while defending the decision to leave Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad out of the first Test. A dominant Australia humbled England by nine wickets to win the opener convincingly at Brisbane inside four … Read more

Stokes struggles, Root’s bad call: What we learned from first Ashes Test

Ashes

BRISBANE: Australia overwhelmed England by nine wickets to win the first Ashes Test at Brisbane on Saturday. Read more: Ruthless Australia crush England in first Ashes Test AFP Sport looks at what we learned from the opening match in a five-Test clash: Tactical blunder England’s decision to go into the opening Test without their two … Read more

Ruthless Australia crush England in first Ashes Test

Australia

BRISBANE: A ruthless Australia crushed England by nine wickets to win the first Ashes Test in style just after lunch on day four at the Gabba on Saturday. Needing just 20 runs after bowling England out for 297 in their second innings — with Nathan Lyon taking his 400th Test scalp — Australia cruised to … Read more

Root and Malan lead England fightback in first Ashes Test

Root

BRISBANE: Joe Root and Dawid Malan put on a defiant unbeaten partnership of 159 to give England hope of salvaging a draw in the opening Ashes Test at the Gabba on Friday. A rejuvenated England were 220-2 at the close of play, with skipper Root on 86 and Malan 80, only 58 runs behind Australia. … Read more

Malan admits he thought Test cricket had passed him by

Malan

BRISBANE: England number three Dawid Malan admitted Friday that he thought his Test cricket career was over before his recall to the team earlier this year. The 34-year-old South African-born Malan was speaking after his gritty 80 not out in England’s second innings against Australia in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba. Malan and England captain … Read more

Pakistan assures foolproof security for Australian team

Pakistan

A security delegation of Cricket Australia held a meeting with Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Friday in Islamabad to discuss the security arrangements for the upcoming Australia tour to Pakistan during March-April next year. During the meeting, Rashid assured the delegation that foolproof security arrangements has been made during the team Australia’s stay in … Read more

Root and Malan dig in for England at tea in first Ashes Test

Malan

BRISBANE: Joe Root and Dawid Malan dug in to give England some badly needed cheer at tea on the third day of the opening Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba on Friday. England were 107-2 at the break with skipper Root on 26 and Malan 35, still 171 runs behind. They lost both openers … Read more

Rapid-fire Head grasps Ashes chance with both hands

Head

BRISBANE: Travis Head said before the opening Ashes Test against England that he was in “a great space” to finally cement his place in the Australian side — his magnificent 152 will help do just that, and then some. The amiable 27-year-old has been in and out of the Test side since his debut in … Read more

Australia returns illegally smuggled Bronze Age stone to Pakistan

CANBERRA: In a diplomatic achievement for Pakistan, the government of Australia has returned an aniconic stone dating from the third millennium BCE, having originated in Balochistan. Read more: PM Imran says govt committed to restore, preserve heritage sites The stone was handed over to Pakistan’s High Commissioner Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry at a ceremony which was … Read more

Instagram tightens teen defenses as US hearing looms

Instagram tightens teen defenses as US hearing looms

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 7, 2021 (AFP) – Instagram announced new protections on Tuesday for young users, a day before the photo-sharing app’s CEO faces a grilling from US lawmakers on whether the platform is “toxic” for children. The app will be stricter about what it recommends to teen users and will suggest a break if they … Read more

Police ‘launch investigation’ after England’s Ashes woes

Police

BRISBANE: It was not only the Australian bowlers who tore into England’s cricket team on the first day of the Ashes on Wednesday — the local police also got in on the act. Queensland Police did not pass up the chance to poke fun at the demoralised England team, tweeting: “Queensland Police are launching an investigation into … Read more

Qatar approves budget, expects to revenue to rise 22.1%

Qatar

DOHA: Qatar has approved its budget for the 2022 fiscal year, Arab News quoted the country’s Minister of Finance Ali Al Kuwari said in a press conference. Revenues are expected to amount to 196 billion riyals ($53.8 billion), a 22.4 per cent rise compared to last year’s budget estimates, Asharq reported. Estimates for the budget were made while assuming … Read more

Australia joins US diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

Australia

SYDNEY: Australia will not send officials to February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the Games. Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreement” with China over a slew of issues that have plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. … Read more

England slump to 147 all out in disastrous start to Ashes

England

BRISBANE: England made a disastrous start to the Ashes Wednesday, all out for 147 on the stroke of tea after losing opener Rory Burns to the first ball of the series in Brisbane. Mitchell Starc sensationally bowled Burns around his legs as Australia’s pacemen ripped through England’s top order with Pat Cummins taking 5-38 on … Read more

Pakistan’s Abid, Anam shortlisted for ICC player of month

Abid

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Abid Ali and Anam Amin have been shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Month in men’s and women’s categories, respectively. Abid and David Warner of Australia have been shortlisted in the men’s category for the ICC Player of the Month awards along with New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee, while left-arm spinners … Read more

Australia’s Qantas gears up for soaring Christmas deliveries demand

Australia’s Qantas

SYDNEY: Australia’s largest airline Qantas is boosting its fleet of freight planes to handle the boom in parcel deliveries this Christmas as well as the nation’s ever-rising increase in online shopping. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce announced on Tuesday that a new wide-bodied Airbus A321 has been added to the freight fleet that operates on … Read more

Djokovic slated to play in Australia’s ATP Cup ahead of Open

Djokovic

SYDNEY: After months of speculation that Novak Djokovic may miss the Australian Open over tough Covid vaccination requirements, the world number one was on Tuesday named to play in a Sydney tournament weeks before. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had cast doubt on whether he would defend his title at Melbourne Park next month, refusing … Read more

Cummins warns Australia ‘tough to beat’ as England lose Anderson

Cummins

BRISBANE: Pat Cummins warned Tuesday an Australian side boasting some of “the all-time greats” will be tough to beat as England’s task became harder with Jimmy Anderson set to miss the first Test. The home team head into the Ashes opener in Brisbane on Wednesday defending the hallowed urn and with their arch-rivals having a dismal record … Read more

Injured Anderson set to miss opening Ashes Test – report

Anderson

BRISBANE: Veteran pace spearhead Jimmy Anderson is set to miss the opening Test against Australia, reports said Tuesday, dealing a blow to England’s chances of regaining the Ashes. The 39-year-old, Test cricket’s most prolific fast bowler with 632 scalps, has a minor calf problem, The Cricketer said with the BBC also reporting that he was … Read more

Root says England must not overburden Stokes on return

Stokes

BRISBANE: Captain Joe Root expects all-rounder Ben Stokes to play a major part in the Ashes but warned Monday that England must manage his bowling workload on his hotly anticipated return. The 30-year-old Stokes took an indefinite break from all cricket in July to prioritise his mental well-being and rest a fractured finger. There was doubt whether … Read more

Perth axed as host of fifth Ashes Test over quarantine rules

Perth

PERTH: Perth was axed Monday as host of the potentially pivotal fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England because of tough Covid rules which require players to spend 14 days in quarantine. A decision on the new venue for the Test, scheduled to start on January 14, is yet to be made with Hobart, Melbourne and … Read more

Root welcomes Gough reports, eager to help troubled Yorkshire

Root

BRISBANE: England captain Joe Root welcomed reports Monday that Darren Gough is set to become director of cricket at Yorkshire and said he would work with him to help the troubled club. British media said ex-England star Gough was on the verge of leaving behind a successful broadcasting career to spearhead Yorkshire’s recovery from a damaging racism … Read more

Head gets the nod as Australia confirm XI for first Ashes Test

Head

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

Kieron Pollard not available for Pakistan tour amid injury

Pollard

West indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard will not be part of the T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming tour to Pakistan due to his hamstring injury, which he sustained during the ICC men’s t20 World Cup. The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has replaced Pollard with Devon Thomas in ODIs, while all-rounder Rovman … Read more

The three bowlers in Test cricket’s ‘Perfect 10’ club

Ajaz

MUMBAI: New Zealand’s Mumbai-born spinner Ajaz Patel on Saturday claimed all 10 wickets in the second Test against India, becoming only the third bowler in cricket history to achieve the feat. AFP sport takes a look at all three memorable performances by England’s Jim Laker, India’s Anil Kumble and Ajaz. Jim Laker (1956 v Australia in Manchester) … Read more

Australian state tightens border restrictions amid Omicron concerns

Australia

CANBERRA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — The state government of South Australia (SA) has imposed further border restrictions amid concerns about the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Premier Steven Marshall on Saturday announced that SA’s borders will remain open to domestic travellers but those from the COVID-hit Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria must … Read more

NBA star Mills wins Australian sport’s top honour

NBA

SYDNEY: Veteran NBA star Patty Mills has won Australian sport’s highest honour, the Don Award, with the humble guard saying he hopes it inspires others to follow in his footsteps. The Brooklyn Nets shooter has been a cornerstone of the national team for over a decade and as skipper led them to their first-ever Olympic medal in … Read more