Root takes heart from England rearguard action

Joe Root

ADELAIDE: England captain Joe Root said he was gutted Monday to lose another Ashes Test but would take confidence from the way his side battled to take the day-night clash in Adelaide to the final session. The visitors, spearheaded by a fighting 26 off 207 balls from Jos Buttler, batted through two sessions on day … Read more

Smith hails ‘exceptional’ Starc after Australia win second Test

Mitchell Starc

ADELAIDE: Marnus Labuschagne won man-of-the-match for scoring a century ans a fifty in Adelaide, but it was “exceptional” Mitchell Starc who was praised by stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith after England were beaten by 275 runs in the second Ashes Test. The left-arm seamer led from the front after his regular partners Pat Cummins and … Read more

Bio-secure bubble not breached in Pakistan: PCB

Pakistan

The three-match One Day International series between Pakistan and West Indies have been called off due to a Covid outbreak in the visitors’ camp, both the boards announced it in a joint statement on Thursday. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer believes that there is a high probability that the … Read more

England on brink of 2nd Test defeat as Root falls in final over

Steve Smith and David Warner

ADELAIDE: Joe Root fell in the final over of the fourth day Sunday to leave England in deep trouble at 82 for four chasing a massive 468 to win the second Ashes Test and needing a history-making miracle to avoid slumping 2-0 down in the series. No team has ever posted such a big score … Read more

Root joins elite group with 1,600 Test runs in calendar year

Root

ADELAIDE: Joe Root became just the fourth player in history to chalk up 1,600 Test runs in a calendar year Saturday — and the first since 2008 — but a maiden century in Australia again eluded him. The England captain has been in brilliant form in 2021, arriving for the Ashes with 1,455 runs from 12 Tests, … Read more

Sporting world battles surging Covid cases

covid

PARIS: The coronavirus is once again disrupting global sport, forcing the cancellation of English Premier League matches and the scrapping of a one-day cricket series. AFP Sport looks at the state of play around the world as authorities scramble to cope with the surging pandemic. Football Five of the 10 Premier League matches scheduled for … Read more

After disgrace, Smith slips seamlessly back into Australian captaincy

Smith

ADELAIDE: Steve Smith says he always felt that he had the support of the Australian public after slipping back into the captaincy of the Test team this week, capping a remarkable career revival. In March 2018, Smith was enemy number one in the wake of a ball-tampering scandal that shook cricket. It was a long road … Read more

PCB begins to search for NHPC coaches including batting, bowling, fielding and power-hitting coaches

NHPC

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday launched its search for highly qualified and skilled coaches, who will be based at Lahore’s state of the art National High-Performance Centre (NHPC). PCB posted advertisements for the High-Performance Coach as well as batting, bowling, fielding and power-hitting coaches. Read More: PCB appoints Faisal Hussain as new chief … Read more

Australia remove openers to leave England in deep trouble

Ashes

ADELAIDE: England were battling to stay in the second Ashes Test on Friday after Australia removed both openers in a fiery spell under lights on day two to leave the visitors reeling. The home team declared their first innings on a commanding 473 for nine in Adelaide, leaving England to face a trying 40 minutes … Read more

Stokes loving being back and ready to score big in Ashes

Ashes Test

ADELAIDE: Ben Stokes told England fans that “we don’t believe we’re beaten” and said he felt ready for a big score with the bat, after another tough day at the Ashes on Friday. The visitors were forced to toil for 150 overs in the field over the past two days as Australia built an ominous … Read more

Britain, Australia conclude free trade deal

Britain and Australia

LONDON: Britain and Australia finalised in a virtual ceremony on Thursday a free trade deal that is expected to unlock more than £10 billion in trade annually. The deal, which was agreed in principle in June, is the first free trade deal that Britain negotiated from scratch since its EU exit earlier this year to have … Read more

Anderson in England squad for second Ashes Test

Anderson

ADELAIDE: Bowling great Jimmy Anderson said Wednesday he wants to play all four remaining Ashes Tests after being included in England’s 12-man squad for the second Test against Australia this week. Test cricket’s most prolific quick with 632 wickets was controversially left out of the visitors’ team for the series opener at Brisbane, where they crashed … Read more

Warner passed fit, Richardson replaces Hazlewood for Adelaide Test

Warner

ADELAIDE: Dynamic opener David Warner will play through the pain in the second Ashes Test against England, Australia captain Pat Cummins said Wednesday, as Jhye Richardson got the nod to replace Josh Hazlewood. Warner scored 94 in the first innings at the opening Test in Brisbane but didn’t field or bat in Australia’s second innings … Read more

England captain Root backs Ashes flops Leach and Burns

England

ADELAIDE: England captain Joe Root on Tuesday backed Jack Leach and Rory Burns to bounce back from dismal Ashes performances, as star all-rounder Ben Stokes declared himself fit to carry the fight to Australia. Root refused to rule out selecting spinner Leach in Thursday’s pink-ball Test in Adelaide, even though he conceded 102-1 from 13 overs as … Read more

Wounded England face pink-ball challenge in second Ashes Test

England

ADELAIDE: England head into the day-night second Ashes Test in Adelaide on Thursday under pressure and facing an ominous task against an Australian team who have won all of their eight pink-ball matches. The tourists’ capitulation by nine wickets in the opening Test in Brisbane exposed their batting and fielding frailties, exacerbated by rain-hit preparations and … Read more

Australia warned bid for nuclear subs carries ‘enormous’ risks

Australia

SYDNEY: Australia’s bid to develop a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines will cost more than US$80 billion and take decades in the “most complex” project the country has ever embarked on, a study released Monday warned. The report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute — an influential Canberra-based think tank — said ownership of the high-tech … Read more

Shoaib Akhtar says he will ‘take the pain’ again if given a chance to play for Pakistan

Akhtar

Legendary Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar shared a video on his social media where he can be seen taking a painkiller injection in his knees after his operation was delayed by 2 months. Akhtar was one of the fastest bowlers during his career. However, his career was cut short amid several injuries. He was fondly known … Read more

Australia’s injured Hazlewood out of 2nd Ashes Test

Hazlewood

ADELAIDE: Injured Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood was Monday ruled out of the second Ashes Test against England in Adelaide this week, with Jhye Richardson or Michael Neser in line to replace him. The 30-year-old suffered a side strain during Australia’s nine-wicket thumping of the visitors in the opening Test at Brisbane and has returned home … Read more