Super Rugby kicks off a new era this week with the long-awaited addition of two Pacific islander teams to compete alongside the best from Australia and New Zealand. Some fans may scoff at yet another revamp for the southern hemisphere tournament after constant tinkering in recent years. But organisers believe the injection of Pacific talent … Read more
The Philippines is better known for boxers than batsmen and its cricket team has not played for three years, but the side of amateurs hope to make their mark in T20I World Cup qualifiers. As the lowest-ranked side in the eight-team qualifying tournament taking place this month in Oman featuring the likes of Nepal, Ireland, … Read more
Novak Djokovic, the world number one, stated on Thursday that he has missed playing tennis as he prepares for his comeback in Dubai following the coronavirus vaccine controversy that prevented him from defending his Australian Open title. The Serb, who was deported from Australia due to a lack of vaccinations, toured the Serbian pavilion at … Read more
SYDNEY – Australia said Thursday it would list the whole of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas as a terrorist organisation, the latest Western nation to do so. Canberra had previously listed Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades military wing as a terror group, but the new designation will list the organisation in its entirety, including its political wing. Hamas … Read more
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday revised the schedule for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka, bringing the Twenty20 internationals forward to precede the two Tests, the country’s cricket board said. The change in itinerary was reportedly at the visitors’ request to simplify their transfer from their current short-format series in Australia, which ends on Sunday. White-ball … Read more
SYDNEY – Australian police said they had recovered human remains in the water after a horrific shark attack Wednesday at a Sydney beach. It is the city’s first fatal attack since 1963. A man fishing off nearby rocks told national broadcaster ABC he saw a man in a wetsuit being dragged underwater by a large … Read more
AUS vs SL: On Tuesday, a dominant Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by six wickets to win their third straight T20 match and complete the series in Canberra. Glenn Maxwell 39 off 25 helped Australia to seal the series. With two games remaining, the world champions enjoy an unassailable 3-0 lead after winning the first match … Read more
KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has submitted an application with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Australia for landing on its airports, Bol News reported on Tuesday. PIA spokesperson said flights to Australia will operate from Karachi and Lahore from March, adding that the operation will commence as soon as PIA gets a green signal from … Read more
PAK VS AUS: Former Australia fast bowler and Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson advised Australia Test captain Pat Cummins to analyse the situation swiftly before taking against Pakistan on their own turf. “The issue for Cummins and the team is what brand of cricket they will play, or will be allowed to play. They will be … Read more
AUS VS SL: After suffering concussion while fielding in the second T20I, Steve Smith has been ruled out of the rest of the Sri Lanka T20I series. Smith received concussion after landing on his head in an attempt to save six runs in the second innings’ penultimate over, according to Cricket Australia (CA). Over the … Read more
AUS VS SL: After late fireworks from the visitors forced their second T20 match in Sydney to a rare super over after it ended in a draw, Australia squeezed past Sri Lanka to seize control of their five-match T20 series on Sunday. Despite his side’s struggles in the run chase during their 20-run defeat in … Read more
Opening batter Shan Masood will have another chance to establish himself as a permanent member of the Test side after being selected for the upcoming three-match series against Australia. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 20-member squad for the Tests against the Baggy Greens, which included five reserves as well. Major absentees The … Read more
Beijing – The timeline of US-China engagements in 2021, from the high-level meeting in Alaska in March to the virtual summit in Beijing and Washington in December, reflect the ups and downs of the bilateral relationship in the past year. Phrases such as “dominance around the Pacific”, “strength in commerce”, “high-tech supremacy”, “human rights and … Read more
AUS VS SL: Australia opened the post-Justin Langer era with an easy 20-run T20 victory over Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday, with Josh Hazlewood taking 4-12 on his comeback from a long injury layoff. Langer was always going to miss the five-match series, opting to relax after a long road trip, but his surprise … Read more
SYDNEY – Australia officially listed koalas across a swathe of its eastern coast as “endangered” on Friday, with the marsupials fighting to survive the impact of bushfires, land-clearing, drought and disease. Conservationists said koala populations had crashed in much of eastern Australia over the past two decades, warning that they were now sliding towards extinction. … Read more
SYDNEY – The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor, Philip Lowe, said on Friday that the bank would refrain from increasing interest rates in order to maintain the nation’s record low unemployment rate. In December, Australia’s unemployment rate hit a multi-decade low of 4.2 percent. Lowe predicted that the rate could drop below 4 percent … Read more
Australia will be touring Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. The team will arrive by the end of this month to play three Tests, three ODIs, and only T20I. Cricket Australia (CA) recently revealed their full-strength squad for the Test series against Pakistan. Among the players, skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David … Read more
CANBERRA – Australia reported more than 25,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 50 deaths on Thursday when the AstraZeneca vaccine was provisionally approved for use as a booster in the country. Medical regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Wednesday night announced it provisionally approved a booster dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for … Read more
