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
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
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: 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia will announce a parliamentary inquiry into the behavior of the world’s major technology companies and the need for new legislation on Wednesday. Australia has taken the lead in limiting the power of companies like Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), enacting legislation that has been hailed as a … Read more
DUBAI: The new Covid-19 variant, omicron, has prompted global economic concerns, as fears of its spread begin to affect stock markets and oil prices, Arab News reported. Saudi Arabia’s main market, the Tadawul All Share Index, opened 5.3 per cent lower on Sunday, trading near 10,700 points. The Dubai Financial Market was down 8.49 per cent in … Read more
PARIS: Novak Djokovic and Nikola Cacic lost a dramatic deciding tie-break in their doubles rubber as Serbia suffered a shock defeat by Germany in the Davis Cup Finals, while Daniil Medvedev helped the Russian Tennis Federation to an opening win. World number one Djokovic had drawn Serbia level in their second group-stage tie by beating Jan-Lennard Struff after Filip … Read more
Former Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir on Thursday said that it be great if bilateral series between arch-rivals, Pakistan and India, will take in the near future. He also backed the chairman of the Dubai Cricket Council Abdul Rehman Falaknaz’s offer to host the series in the UAE. The two countries last faced each other … Read more
PARIS: Brothers Elias and Mikael Ymer helped Sweden sweep aside Canada, France fought back to down the Czech Republic and Croatia crushed Australia as the revamped Davis Cup opened on Thursday. Holders Spain suffered a blow to their title defence before hitting a ball in anger with Carlos Alcaraz in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. The … 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
