Tag: australia

NAVI MUMBAI: Australia have won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the second semi-final of the ICC Women’s World Cup here on Thursday.

Head to Head

Both teams have faced each other 61 times in ODIs, with Australia winning 49 matches while India has only managed to win 11 games.

Playing XIs

India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani, Renuka Singh.

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt

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Persistent rain forced the opening Twenty20 clash between Australia and India to be abandoned on Wednesday, leaving Suryakumar Yadav stranded on 39 and Shubman Gill on 37.

After being sent in on a chilly Canberra night, the visitors raced to 97-1 off 9.4 overs before being forced off for a second time by the weather with no more play possible.

India got off to a solid start with their newest T20 sensation, Abhishek Sharma, signalling his intent immediately, advancing down the wicket to Josh Hazlewood on his first ball.

He clobbered four boundaries in a quick-fire 19, but the gung-ho innings came to an end against Nathan Ellis, deceived by a slower ball and caught by Tim David at mid-off.

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Skipper Yadav slammed a giant six off Hazlewood before they were forced off by drizzle on 43-1 from five overs.

When they returned after 45 minutes and with the game reduced to 18 overs, the runs began flowing for Yadav and Gill as they upped the ante.

But the rain came back and they went off again, having reached 97-1, and that proved the end of the match.

The second game is at a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

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Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins bowled for the first time since July on Wednesday as he races the clock to be fit for the second Ashes Test against England.

The 32-year-old pace spearhead has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

But he made a tentative return in a brief net session in Sydney captured by local television cameras, bowling off a five-step run-up.

Cummins has been ruled out of the first Test against Ben Stokes’ England in Perth from November 21, with hopes that he will be ready for the second day-night contest in Brisbane on December 4.

“We’re on the journey to that second Test and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday of Cummins.

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“We will see how he pulls up and then we’ll make decisions moving forward.”

Steve Smith will captain the side in Cummins’ absence with Scott Boland almost certainly replacing him to join fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Australia are still grappling with who will open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja.

Incumbent Sam Konstas’ form has nosedived, and he was again out cheaply in the Sheffield Shield on Thursday, bowled for 10.

Selectors are due to finalise their Ashes squad at the end of the current round of the domestic red-ball competition, with Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne also in the running to be the opener.

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Australia’s explosive opening batter, Travis Head, has sent a strong message to India ahead of their five-match T20I series, stating that they can score any total.

The series between two power-packed sides will begin tomorrow at the Manuka Oval. Mitchell Marsh will captain the Australia side while Suryakumar Yadav will lead India.

Speaking to Cricket Australia on the eve of the opening match, Head named the big power hitters in the lineup and stressed an aggressive approach.

“When you’ve got the power that we’ve got behind us, you’ve got to get a move on,” the left-hander remarked.

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“You don’t want to be chewing up balls at the start when you’ve got guys like Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Glenn Maxwell behind you. It’s huge power,” he continued.

Travis Head expressed confidence in scoring above par totals and to go all out from the onset as per the modern-day cricket demands.

“We can score anything if we get going,” Head said. “For Mitch (Marsh) and me, the plan is to make the most of the Powerplay. It’s been a strength of ours in both ODIs and T20s. We try not to be reckless, but sometimes it might look that way. The goal is to get as many runs as possible early on.”

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Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England in Perth next month, head coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday.

McDonald said Cummins had “run out of time” as he recovers from a lower back injury, and that veteran batter Steve Smith would lead the side in his absence.

Australia are clinging to hope the pace spearhead will be ready for the second match of the Five-Test series.

“We’ve grappled with it for a little while, and the nature of the injury is that you grapple with it day-by-day,” McDonald told reporters. “We’re really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match.”

“He’ll be back bowling this week, that’s a huge step.”

But McDonald conceded Australia were unable to give a firm timeframe for Cummins’ return.

The 32-year-old has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July.

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McDonald said Australia were “incredibly fortunate” to call on the experienced Smith in Cummins’ absence.

Scott Boland looms as the likely replacement, joining fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

“Losing your captain is not ideal, but when you’re talking about Scott Boland as a potential replacement — it’s not a bad position to be in,” McDonald said.

Cummins’ race to prove his fitness has become a major storyline leading up to the first Test, starting in Perth on November 21.

“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes,” he said in September.

“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait-and-see.”

Pat Cummins has suffered serious back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season.

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Two players from the Australia women’s cricket team were reportedly subjected to inappropriate behaviour and harassment by a motorcyclist in Indore during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2025.

The incident took place on Thursday morning when the players were walking to a nearby cafe, a day after Australia’s win over England.

According to Cricket Australia (CA), the motorcyclist approached and inappropriately touched the players before fleeing the scene.

Catch ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 news updates here!

“CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a café in Indore,” the board said in a statement, adding that the matter was promptly reported to local authorities.

The players immediately informed their team security officer, Danny Simmons, who coordinated with local security personnel to dispatch a vehicle to the location.

Indore police later confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the case.

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The incident has cast a shadow over Australia’s preparations for their final group-stage clash against South Africa on Saturday.

The defending champions currently top the table and need a win to cement their position and set up a semi-final showdown with India in Navi Mumbai on October 30.

If they falter, however, South Africa would leapfrog them to first place, meaning Australia would face England in the opening semi-final in Guwahati on October 29.

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SYDNEY: Veteran duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rolled back the years with a vintage partnership as India cruised to a comprehensive victory over Australia in the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Chasing a modest target of 237, the visitors made light work of the pursuit, reaching 238-1 with 69 balls to spare in front of a packed SCG crowd.

Notably, Australia won the series 2-1, having won the first two games of the three-match series at Adelaide and Perth.

Rohit struck a magnificent unbeaten 121 off 125 balls, laced with 13 boundaries and three sixes, while Kohli provided steady support with a fluent 74 not out off 81 deliveries.

India got off to a strong start as Rohit and skipper Shubman Gill added 69 runs for the opening wicket before Josh Hazlewood dismissed Gill for 24.

From there, it was all about India’s two modern-day greats, who batted with authority and ease against an Australian attack that struggled for answers.

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Rohit reached his 33rd ODI century, timing the ball beautifully and barely offering a chance, while Kohli’s elegant strokeplay ensured there were no further hiccups as India wrapped up the win comfortably.

Earlier, Australia’s innings imploded after a steady start. From a promising 183/3, the hosts collapsed to 236 all out, losing their final seven wickets for just 53 runs.

Harshit Rana was the chief destroyer with 4-39, while Matt Renshaw top-scored with a patient 56.

Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh had earlier given Australia a brisk start before the Indian spinners applied the brakes. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar claimed two wickets apiece, triggering the middle-order collapse.

Renshaw fought hard to register his maiden ODI fifty but ran out of partners as India turned the screws. Cooper Connolly chipped in with 23 late on, but it was too little too late.

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Australia have tweaked its squads ahead of the final One Day International (ODI) and T20I series against India, with star batter Glenn Maxwell returning to the shorter format after recovering from a wrist injury.

Among the notable inclusions, all-rounder Jack Edwards has earned his maiden call-up to the national side for the final ODI in Sydney, as the home side eyes a clean sweep over India.

Besides Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis is also named in the T20I squad, whereas emerging pacer Mahli Beardman is also drafted in for the five-match series.

Maxwell, who suffered a wrist injury while bowling in the nets before New Zealand T20Is last month, is set to feature in the final three matches of the T20I series.

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The changes were confirmed by Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday, with an eye on Ashes preparations.

From the ODI squad, Marnus Labuschagne has been released to play Domestic cricket. Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will also miss the final matches of the T20I series to play in the Sheffield Shield.

Hazlewood will take part in just the first two T20I matches, while Abbott, currently recovering from a split webbing injury in his hand, will exit the squad after the third T20I hosted in Hobart.

The first T20I between both sides will begin on October 29 at Manuka Oval, Canberra.

Australia ODI squad for the third ODI vs India

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Australia T20I squad vs India

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott (first three matches only), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (last three matches only), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (last two matches only), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (first two matches only), Glenn Maxwell (last three matches only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

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ADELAIDE: India’s batting icon Virat Kohli endured another tough day, setting an unwanted record after he fell for a four-ball duck in the second ODI against Australia on Thursday.

With this duck, Kohli bagged an unwanted milestone that makes him the active player with the most ducks in One Day Internationals.

Kohli now has 18 ducks in ODI cricket, surpassing Rohit Sharma, Litton Das, and former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, each of whom has 16 to their name.

The rare slump saw Kohli dismissed for zero in consecutive ODIs for the first time in his illustrious career.

Globally, Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya holds the all-time record with 34 ODI ducks, followed by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi with 30.

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During the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, Kohli’s dismissal came at the hands of Xavier Bartlett, who was playing his first game of the series.

Bartlett delivered a sharp, good-length ball around the off-stump, which nipped in and trapped Kohli leg-before as he attempted an across-the-line flick.

Though he briefly conferred with his batting partner, he chose not to review, accepting the on-field decision. The crowd at Adelaide Oval rose in applause as Kohli trudged back, his frustration evident despite the warm reception.

The dismissal followed his eight-ball duck in the opening ODI at Perth, marking back-to-back scoreless outings for the former Indian captain, a rarity in a career defined by consistency and run-scoring brilliance.

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INDORE: Ashleigh Gardner’s sublime 104* and Annabel Sutherland’s 98* powered Australia to an easy win over arch-rivals England in the 23rd fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory marked Australia’s fifth consecutive victory in six matches, and they are now the only unbeaten side in the tournament.

Set 245, Australia hit the winning runs at ease, losing just four wickets in the process with 57 balls to spare.

The defending champions’ chase started on a shaky note as they lost the opener Phoebe Litchfield on the third ball of their innings. She was castled for one from two balls.

England had left Australia reeling with two more wickets in the next four overs. Georgia Voll and Ellyse Perry were the next batters to be dismissed. Both made six and 13 runs respectively.

Consequently, Australia were 24-3 in 5.2 overs before a 44-run partnership between Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland, bringing the total to 68 in 15.5 overs.

However, Sophie Ecclestone scalped the prize wicket of Mooney, further derailing the chase. She scored 20 from 44 balls with the help of a boundary.

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At this stage, England gained a foothold on the match, but it was Sutherland’s and Gardner’s monumental 180-run stand that took the game away from the Three Lions.

Both batters not only took the game away from England but also batted so briskly that the game ended in 40 overs.

Gardner’s knock was peppered with 16 fours, whereas Sutherland struck nine fours and six and ended up two runs shy of what could have been a magnificent hundred.

For England, Linsey Smith picked up two wickets in her eight overs.

Earlier, after being put into bat, England scored 244-9 in their 50 overs, courtesy of Tammy Beaumont’s composed knock.

Beaumont remained the cornerstone in England’s batting lineup and made 78 from 105 balls, studded with 10 fours and a six.

Alice Capsey was the second-highest scorer for her team, making 38 from 32 balls with the aid of five fours.

For Australia, Annabel Sutherland starred with the ball, picking up three vital wickets in her quota of 10 overs.

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